Two Physics Illinois alumni, Patrick Walsh and Gregory Damnorst, are among the five recipients of the 2014 International Achievement Award selected by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois International. T. Patrick Walsh graduated from Illinois in 2007 with a B.S. in engineering physics and a B.A. in economics. He is founder of Greenlight Planet Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of solar-powered LED lights for the developing world. Gregory Damhorst is a bioengineering and medical graduate student at Illinois who received a B.S. in physics in 2009 and an M.S. in bioengineering in 2013, both from Illinois. He is being honored for his research focused on HIV/AIDS, and his global health initiatives, humanitarian work, and interfaith efforts that have impacted communities in Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Haiti.
Written by Matt VanderZalm, U of I International Programs and Studies
Two Physics Illinois alumni, Patrick Walsh and Gregory Damnorst, are among the five recipients of the 2014 International Achievement Award selected by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois International.
Illinois Physics alumnus T. Patrick Walsh, co-founder and CEO of Sun King
T. Patrick Walsh is founder of Greenlight Planet Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of solar-powered LED lights for the developing world. The Charles C. Stewart International Young Humanitarian Award recognizes the meritorious contributions, research and commitment of the university’s young international humanitarians. Walsh is being honored for his work with Greenlight. He designed Greenlight Planet's first solar lantern as an undergraduate student after spending a summer in rural India with the campus student organization Engineers Without Borders. The company has so far sold over three million Sun King lamps to off-grid families in South Asia and Africa. He graduated from Illinois in 2007 with a B.S. in engineering physics and a B.A. in economics.
Physics Illinois alumnus Gregory Damhorst
Gregory Damhorst is a bioengineering and medical graduate student at Illinois. The Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award recognizes a graduate student whose innovative and sustained international research or public service abroad has had the greatest impact (or has the greatest potential impact) on the university, larger community or internationally. He is being honored for his research focused on HIV/AIDS, and his global health initiatives, humanitarian work, and interfaith efforts that have impacted communities in Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Haiti. Damhorst received a B.S. in physics in 2009 and an M.S. in bioengineering in 2013, both from Illinois.
The 2014 International Achievement Award winners, who include alumni, faculty and students, will be celebrated for their work at the annual International Achievement Awards banquet, being held on April 9, 2015 at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. Dr. Byung-Ho Chung, recipient of the Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement, will give the annual International Alumni Lecture at Alice Campbell Alumni Center on April 9 at 9:30 am. The event is free and open to the public.
The full list of 2014 International Achievement Award recipients includes
Dr. Byung-Ho Chung: Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement
Dr. Mohammad Babadoost and Dr. Prasanta Kalita: co-recipients of the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement
T. Patrick Walsh: Charles C. Stewart International Young Humanitarian Award
Gregory Damhorst: Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award
Nora Onstad: Illinois International Undergraduate Achievement Award
"We are indeed pleased to honor notable alumni such as Dr. Chung and Mr. Walsh, hard-working faculty like Professor Babadoost and Professor Kalita, and outstanding students such as Mr. Damhorst and Ms. Onstad,” said Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela, vice provost for international affairs and global strategies. “These individuals exemplify Illinois’ commitment to being a truly global university by making significant impacts around the world."
Established in 2000, the Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement is awarded annually to a distinguished international alumnus or alumna who has helped to better their own nation or the world through their contributions to government, humanity, science, art or human welfare. In subsequent years, the Faculty, Young Humanitarian, Graduate, and Undergraduate awards were created, recognizing the critical role these groups play in promoting Illinois’ identity and exemplifying Illinois’ values as a top international university.
Past winners of the Sheth International Alumni Award include Ecuador President Rafael Correa, World Bank Managing Director Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and Director-General Kandeh Yumkella of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, among many others.
Illinois International is an administrative unit at Illinois comprised of more than 20 sub-units, each of which manages a different component of Illinois’ international dimension. Illinois International serves as a central resource for all things international affiliated with the university—from administrative units, such as International Student and Scholar Services and the campus Study Abroad office, to an array of regional, programmatic, and thematic studies and centers, as well as more than 500 strategic partnerships around the globe.