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The 3 ^rd Annual ASE Foundation Awards Gala was held at the Sunset Room, with a panoramic view of the Potomac, in honor of the 2012 award recipients. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Miquel A. Quiñones, MD who was well represented with 4 tables from Houston, 2 of which were his personal friends and family. The Richard Popp Excellence in Teaching Award went to Gerald P. Aurigemma, MD, FASE and the Meritorious Service Award to Arthur E. Weyman, MD, FASE. Dr. Pibarot was honored as the Feigenbaum Lecturer. The Cardiovascular Sonographer Distinguished Teacher Award was well deserved by Deborah A. Agler, RCT, RDCS, FASE. It was mentioned during the gala awards presentation that she was known as “Debbie Doppler” during the early years! The Excellence in Teaching in Pediatrics Award went to Mary Etta King, MD, FASE, an icon in pediatrics and adult congenital. The gala was a wonderful event with excellent food and wine, minimal speech time and music and dancing afterward—definitely an event to remember!

Three of a Kind: An Echo Game, the Society’s educational and entertainment event, is in the form of a game show in which there are 4 images displayed simultaneously, 3 of which are related. The object is to choose which one doesn’t fit and then explain why the other 3 are related. The game was hosted by David B. Adams, RCS, RDCS, FASE, and the MC was the ever entertaining Randy Martin, MD, FASE with music and point scoring by yours truly and back up support by Karen Chin, RCS and Alicia Amour, RCS. The game is played and scored through audience participation, for which the room is sectioned into thirds. The sections were teamed as North America, captained by Geri Aurigema, MD, FASE and Tom Ryan, MD, FASE; South America, captained Jorge Lowenstein, MD, and Miquel Quiñones, MD, FASE; and Europe, captained by Luigi Badano, MD and Juan Carlos Plana, MD. Each pair of captains rotated, answering which image didn’t belong and why, with audience support. It was close, but in the end Europe came out the winner!

Praise and Applause

Deborah A. Agler of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, was named the 11 ^th annual recipient of the ASE Cardiovascular Sonographer Distinguished Teacher Award. She was nominated by her peers as an ASE cardiovascular sonographer member who exemplifies teaching expertise in echocardiography, acts as a mentor for students and fellow sonographers, and serves a role model for the next generation of cardiovascular sonographers.

Sonographers should be proud of the Alan D. Waggoner Student Sonography Award, as it promotes the professional growth and development of young sonographers. This was the first year that all ten the scholarships were funded, and each included a one year membership to the ASE and registration for the Scientific Sessions. The following students were chosen from a vast pool of applicants, signifying their intellectual merit and strength:

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  Tamara Beam, UMBC Training Centers, Baltimore, MD

  
  
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  Rebecca Campbell, Seattle University, Dept. of Diagnostic Ultrasound, Seattle, WA

  
  
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  Young Joo Jang, Montgomery College, DMS, Silver Spring, MD

  
  
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  Jennifer L. Lasecki, Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Cardiac Sonography, Baltimore, MD

  
  
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  Hemda Lewis, Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Cardiac Sonography, Baltimore, MD

  
  
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  Lauren Longshore, Cincinnati State Tech & Community College, Cincinnati, OH

  
  
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  Danielle Meadows, South Hills School of Business & Technology, State College, PA

  
  
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  Tanya B. Michnevitz, Hoffman Heart Institute of CT, Hartford, CT

  
  
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  Denise Spiegel, UWHC School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Madison, WI

  
  
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  Richard Yannotta, Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY

The 2012 scholarship recipients were recognized during the ASE Business Meeting.

The Feigenbaum Cardiovascular Sonographer Student Travel Grant Recipient is supported by a grant from Elsevier to honor the 20-year commitment and tenure of former JASE Editor Harvey Feigenbaum, MD, FASE. It is presented to a sonographer student enrolled in an accredited cardiovascular ultrasound program and provides funding for the Scientific Sessions or other ASE-sponsored educational courses. This year’s award winner was Jim Conner, Weber State University, Ogden, UT.

The UltraEcho, Ltd. Cardiovascular Student Travel Grant provides partial funding of sonography students who would otherwise not be able to attend the Scientific Sessions. It is based on financial need and the recipient is awarded $1,000. This year’s recipient was Athena Andha, Alvin Community College, Alvin, TX.

Council on Cardiovascular Sonography Travel Grant Awards were possible due to generous support by the 2011 Annual Appeal donors, and provides support to sonographers who have been in the field but may need additional financial support to attend the meeting, especially in light of the health care economy and tightening hospital budgets. There were 2 recipients this year: Mark D. Zemanek, RDCS, RDMS, RVT from Leelanau Diagnostic Ultrasound, LLC Cedar, MI and Neha A. Soni-Patel, RDCS of The Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital Cleveland, OH.