Department of Statistics celebrated at LAS Fall Convocation and Awards Ceremony
September 4, 2025
The Department of Statistics was prominently featured at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Fall Convocation and Awards Ceremony on September 4, 2025, where ten faculty and staff were honored for their exceptional contributions to teaching, research, service, and inclusive excellence. The ceremony, which celebrates outstanding achievement across the college, highlighted the department's commitment to excellence in all facets of academic life. Below are awardees, including acceptance photos (when available) and an excerpt from their nomination application.
Kevin Kasper
LAS Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching (Term Faculty)
Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Statistics
Kevin Kasper’s charismatic, caring, and humorous teaching style transforms introductory statistics into an engaging subject for thousands of students at Iowa State. Consistently recognized as a favorite professor, he makes statistics approachable and enjoyable for non-majors. His impact reaches beyond the classroom through widely used recorded lectures and his mentorship of junior faculty and graduate instructors. His dedication reminds us that with the right approach, even first-time learners can embrace and enjoy the power of statistical thinking.
Peng Liu
LAS Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring
Professor, Department of Statistics
Peng Liu is an exceptional mentor to graduate students and a model colleague in the Department of Statistics. She supports students across research, academic growth, and professional development with care, commitment, and generosity, even beyond graduation. Lui’s work fosters collaboration between statistics and bioinformatics, advancing both disciplines and enriching the university community. Her influence on students and the department is transformative and enduring.
Zhengyuan Zhu
LAS Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research
LAS Dean's Professor, Department of Statistics
Zhengyuan Zhu is a versatile statistician with expertise in statistical theory, application, and computation. At the intersection of survey sampling and spatial statistics, he has advanced knowledge across diverse data types, including satellite imagery, remote sensing, network data, and large-scale distributed systems. With over $70 million in grants as principal or co-principal investigator, he has demonstrated remarkable leadership. At Iowa State’s Center for SurveyStatistics and Methodology, Zhu continues to honor its foundational mission while expanding its reach through innovative research and strategic growth.
Cindy Yu
LAS Award for Outstanding Achievement in Extension or Professional Practice
Professor, Department of Statistics
In her 19 years at ISU, Cindy Yu has demonstrated deep dedication to professional practice. She has advanced sample design, data collection, and estimation methods for large-scale surveys in agriculture and natural resources, supporting agencies such as the USDA and Bureau of Land Management. Her extensive consulting and collaborations with ISU faculty and graduate students in agricultural economics have resulted in numerous publications. Yu’s impact extends to the classroom, where she consistently earns praise from non-statistics majors for making complex methodologies clear, relevant, and accessible.
Adam Frakes
LAS P&S Outstanding New Professional Award
Research Scientist III and Estimation Team Lead, Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology
In just three years with the Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology (CSSM) and Iowa State University, Adam Frakes has become an invaluable asset. His rapid adaptability, creative problem solving, and steady growth have made him a go-to contributor for CSSM’s major products. Respected as both a team member and a leader, Frakes brings reliability, insight, and drive to every challenge. His dedication and leadership potential extend far beyond CSSM, positioning him as a future changemaker across the university.
Ulrike Genschel, Jarad Niemi, Ann Hawkins, and Laura Ziegler, Department of Statistics
LAS Champion Award - Team
Ulrike Genschel, Professor
Jarad Niemi, Professor and Professor in Charge of Data Science
Ann Hawkins, Graduate Student Services Specialist II (pictured left)
Laura Ziegler, Teaching Professor (pictured center)
Over the past three years, the statistics graduate program at Iowa State University has been transformed by the leadership of Ulrike Genschel, Jarad Niemi, Laura Ziegler (pictured center), and Ann Hawkins (pictured left). Their dedication to a caring community has shaped a supportive, community-centered environment through initiatives such as pre-admission support, peer mentoring, and tailored orientations. Extending beyond academics, their work provides personal guidance that empowers students to thrive. The measurable impact of their efforts has fostered a culture of care.
Petruţa Caragea
LAS Institutional Service Award
Associate Chair and Professor, Department of Statistics
For more than a decade, Petruţa Caragea has provided exceptional service as associate chair of statistics, supporting department chairs, graduate education directors, faculty, staff, and hundreds of graduate students. She has led numerous departmental committees, including several high-impact search committees, and has held prominent campus-wide leadership roles. These include co-chairing the LAS Opportunity Initiatives for Community Success Committee, serving on the LAS RepresentativeAssembly and Faculty Review Board pool, and holding elected positions as faculty senator and member of theGraduate Faculty Cabinet. Her contributions across all areas reflect deep dedication, thoughtful leadership, and a sustained commitment to excellence in service.
