Global Engagement Award Winners

Phillip Ruprecht, 2024 winner

Dr. Philipp Ruprecht has had a strong and ongoing international research program, commitment to student involvement in these endeavors, and significant outreach. Dr. Ruprecht has conducted research and fieldwork on three continents (Central America, South America,  Asia) and in the Pacific Ocean (Papua New Guinea) where he and his students travel by foot, horse, helicopter, small fix-wing planes, ship, and by car. His main research focus is on recent and active volcanism in the Andes. He has collaborated with local colleagues and rural communities about potential local volcanic hazards on their landscapes. 

Carina Black, 2023 winner

Dr. Carina Black has led several efforts to create a more informed global citizenry. As the Director of the Northern Nevada International Center, she has led efforts to elevate global engagement within our community and at our University. She has led efforts related to refugee resettlement, developed programs with the US State Department and the University, and served as our Fulbright liaison. For decades, she has been a champion of global engagement, empowering early career and faculty trainees on our campus while connecting with communities around the globe.

Berch Berberoglu, 2022 winner

The Global Engagement Award Committee of the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies chose Berch Berberoglu for his 45 years of research, teaching, scholarship, and outreach activities across the globe. Through his research and publications, Berch has provided a critical analysis of the sociological underpinnings of the global political economy and the globalization process in comparative-historical perspective. In his more than thirty books and many articles, Berch examines the dynamics of late 20th and early 21st century global social, economic, and political developments and their implications for the United States and other countries around the world. Exploring recent socio-political and economic trends in a new multi-polar world order, Berch provides a window to students to understand the inner workings of globalization through courses he offers at UNR and in his study abroad programs. Berch has visited, delivered lectures and keynote speeches, and conducted research in more than 50 countries across the globe. His global scholarship and many outreach activities have won him several prestigious awards. As Foundation Professor of Sociology, former Chair of the Sociology Department, and Founding Director of the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies, Berch has made important contributions to scholarship, academic leadership, and governance, bringing recognition to the University of Nevada, Reno as a globally-engaged Carnegie Research 1 university.

Chris Morgan, 2021 winner

The Global Engagement Award Committee of the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies chose Chris Morgan for his 15 years of research, education and outreach in international settings. Through his research, Chris explains the evolution of increasingly intensive economies and sociocultural complexity among worldwide hunter-gatherers in light of paleoenvironmental, paleoclimatic and demographic change. In addition, he has trained international and U.S. students in archaeological field and laboratory analytical techniques and mentored student research projects which has occurred in China, Mongolia and Argentina. Finally, Chris' international research also includes various outreach endeavors, often hinging on generating English text for international audiences.

Zeb Hogan, 2020 winner

The Global Engagement Award Committee of the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies chose Zeb Hogan for his many accomplishments, promoting academic and public engagement both on campus and in our local community. As a National Geographic Society fellow, Hogan has been the face and voice behind "Monster Fish." With his work, Hogan has been instrumental in confronting the environmental challenges faced in the Mekong River region. Hogan reaches a wide variety of audiences with his work, ranging from high-level panels at the United Nations to local K-12 students. As a global scholar, he is an integral part of the University of Nevada, Reno’s efforts in global research and outreach as an R1 research university.

Zeb Hogan is the winner of many prestigious awards, including:

• UN Councilor for Fish, Convention on Migratory Species
• Special Advisor, IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Group
• Fellow, National Geographic Society
• Fulbright Scholar
• The Frederick and Joan Berkelow Distinguished Conservationist, North Carolina State University