The annual University faculty lunch on Sept. 17 highlighted major grants, partnerships, and top faculty achievements.

University President Peter Kilpatrick praised faculty for their role in inspiring students and providing leadership during challenging times.

Key highlights:

• Rao honored with new University award: University Biology Professor Venigalla Rao received the inaugural Newton-Bennett Award for Exceptional Achievement, which recognizes outstanding contributions in sciences or humanities. He also received a $5 million National Institute on Drug Abuse Avant-Garde Award for HIV Research earlier this year.

What They’re Saying: “I’ve been here for 35 years. Many things have changed,” Rao told his fellow faculty. “Administrations have changed, and students and faculty have changed. But one thing that has not changed is my deep affection for The Catholic University of America. I have a deep connection and am grateful for this institution for allowing me to do science and make progress in HIV and other diseases research.”

• NASA boosts Catholic University award to $110.8M: NASA increased the cooperative agreement for the Partnership for Heliophysics and Space Environment Research (PHaSER) by $46.8 million, bringing the total to $110.8 million. The project is led by Robert Robinson, physics research professor.

What They’re Saying: “This is an extremely competitive award that Catholic University won because of our faculty and because of our long-standing success record in this area of physics,” Provost and senior vice president Aaron Dominguez said. “This is a big deal. This is the kind of stuff that makes people's careers.”

• University wins two $1M grants: The University secured a $1 million institutional impact grant from Wake Forest University’s Educating Character Initiative to integrate virtue formation into the classroom by Fall 2025. Additionally, a $1 million S-STEM grant from the National Science Foundation will provide scholarships for low-income commuter students transferring from community colleges to complete engineering degrees. 

Quote of the day: “Without our faculty, we have no university. You are the heart, the soul, and the mode of force of our university.” – President Peter Kilpatrick

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