On May 10, LPL Professor Dante Lauretta was inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Hall of Fame. On May 12, Professor Lauretta was honored as the recipient of the University of Arizona’s Alumni Achievement Award for 2017. Lauretta received the award during the University's Commencement ceremony. He also will be named as the UA College of Humanities Alumnus of the Year at an event to be held on October 27. The Alumni Achievement Award is the highest honor the UA Alumni Association can bestow on graduates of the University. It is given to an alumnus or alumna who has attained prominence in his or her field of endeavor and demonstrated outstanding service to the UA.

Lauretta is principal investigator of the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. He is an expert in the analysis of extraterrestrial materials such as lunar samples, meteorites and comet particles. His work contributes to our understanding of the chemistry of the early solar system and the origin of complex molecules that may have led to life on Earth. Under Lauretta's leadership, OSIRIS-REx aims to further public engagement in science. The mission's website, asteroidmission.org, features entertaining and engaging videos about planetary science, and mission staff appear as guest speakers at local conventions and in classrooms.

"I am honored to receive the UA Alumni Achievement Award," Lauretta said. "The University of Arizona has been an essential part of my career from my undergraduate days through my faculty appointment. I am proud to have studied here and to now be contributing to the UA's important education mission."