Charles and Nora L. Wiley Award for Meritorious Research and Creativity
Ron June
Ron June, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, is the recipient of this year’s Charles and Nora L. Wiley Award for Meritorious Research and Creativity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The award, which recognizes significant achievements and activity in research, is sponsored by the Wiley family and Office of Research and Economic Development and comes with a $2,000 honorarium.
June’s body of work includes the study of joint fluid—called synovial fluid—which contains metabolites that can distinguish between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. This important observation paves the way for the development of biomarker panels for early detection of osteoarthritis, the most common degenerative joint disease.
“Dr. June has an established body of work that is clearly deserving of the Wiley Award,” Dilpreet Bajwa, head of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and Sarah Codd, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, wrote in a joint nomination letter. “While he has several lines of investigation in his laboratory, the single body of work examining synovial fluid substantively advanced knowledge in his field, has been recognized with international awards, is published in the top journals in the field and has attracted substantial extramural funding.”
June is currently working on a $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to examine the largest set of clinically characterized synovial fluid samples in the world.