Melissa gets an award! Way cool!!!

Kenneth L. Hale Award: Melissa Axelrod (University of New Mexico)
Citation:
The Linguistic Society of America is pleased to present the Kenneth L. Hale Award for 2017 to Professor and Regents' Lecturer Melissa Axelrod of the University of New Mexico in recognition of her contributions to both the field of linguistics and to the speakers of Koyukon, Dene, Tanoan, and Ixil. Her career is an example of how, with deep dedication, abundant goodwill, and keen insight, it is possible to succeed on both sides of the putative divide between academia and community. Working with elders and preschoolers, teachers and farmers, political leaders and genocide survivors, she has engaged in projects that are both practical and innovative - from authoring dictionaries, grammatical descriptions, and research articles, to training several generations of linguists to follow her example in the very best traditions of fieldwork (including several PhD students who are themselves members of Native American communities). In short, Professor Melissa Axelrod embodies the very spirit of the Kenneth L. Hale Award. She is an inspiration to students, colleagues, and collaborators alike.