Northwestern University experts receive Daniel I. Linzer Awards
Elizabeth Addington and Michael Horn have received the 2023 Daniel I. Linzer Award for Faculty Excellence in Diversity and Equity.
Given annually by Northwestern’s Office of the Provost, the award celebrates individuals or groups who work collectively to build a more diverse, inclusive and equitable climate on campus and enhance diversity across the spectrum, including race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, age and political affiliation.
Addington and Horn will be honored at a reception in the spring. The recognition comes with a $5,000 award.
Elizabeth Addington is an assistant professor of medical social sciences (MSS) in Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
She is recognized for her transformative work as founding co-chair of the MSS Inclusion, Diversity, Engagement, and Action (IDEA) committee, which was formed in 2020.
Under Addington’s leadership, the committee has demonstrated enormous impact by generating a mission statement, organizing diversity forums, generating best practices documents, launching MSS Career Week and Mentoring Across Differences programs and increasing equity in faculty hiring.
In nominating Addington, her department chair wrote, “Liz’s ability to create a cohesive whole, generate action items and orchestrate a multicomponent, deeply meaningful and often sensitive process has been extraordinary. In just a few months, the IDEA committee went from a ‘good idea’ to the largest and most engaged committee process in the history of the department.”
Michael Horn is a professor of computer science at the McCormick School of Engineering and a professor of learning sciences at the School of Education and Social Policy.
He is recognized for his innovative work to diversify computing fields through educational programming, engagement with community partners and work with undergraduate students.
Horn created a computer science summer camp program for K-12 students and developed TunePad, a technology and curriculum that combines Python computer programming and digital music production. TunePad has been incorporated into numerous youth programs in Evanston and Chicago, welcoming underrepresented students into computer science. Horn’s impact is deeply felt by Northwestern undergraduates who are hired and trained to work as mentors with local students, amplifying Northwestern’s community engagement in diversity and inclusion.