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- March 1, 2007
Professorship established at Iowa State University by long-time chemistry
faculty member
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A long-time professor in Iowa State University's Department of Chemistry
has established a professorship in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
academic department.
John D. Corbett, Distinguished Professor of liberal arts and sciences
and professor of chemistry has created the John D. Corbett Professorship
in Chemistry. Corbett, who has been a faculty member at Iowa State since
1952, is also a senior chemist with the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames
Laboratory.
Corbett has made plans through his estate to support a professorship for
a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at $100,000 a year over
period of time. A majority of the annual funding will go towards professional
support and expenses each year including discretionary research funding,
stipends, operating expenses, equipment and travel. The remaining yearly
funds will be used to enhance the faculty member's salary.
The three-year professorship will be awarded to either a full professor
or a "truly outstanding" associate professor.
"This is designed to reward outstanding faculty members," said
Corbett. "As a former department chair, I'm very familiar with the
troubles the Department of Chemistry has had in keeping faculty here at
Iowa State. People who do well here get national recognition and are very
attractive to other colleges and universities. I'm hopeful this will help
in the reward and retention of those current and future faculty members.
"I thought it would really help the Department of Chemistry," he continued.
"My career depends on how well this department does."
Corbett's career at Iowa State has been stellar. A member of the National
Academy of Sciences since 1992, he has received just about every award
his profession offers. He has received both awards in inorganic chemistry
given by the American Chemical Society including the Award for Distinguished
Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry.
He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,
has received a Senior Scientist Award from the Humboldt Foundation, and
he has two DOE Awards, for Outstanding Scientific Accomplishments and
Sustained Research in Materials Chemistry. In 2005 he was the 11th individual
to receive the prestigious Spedding Award in rare-earth science research.
"John Corbett is without a doubt not only one of the most outstanding
faculty ever to have been in the Department of Chemistry but also at Iowa
State University," said Jacob Petrich, professor and chair of the
Department of Chemistry. "His Professorship will greatly assist the
department in our quest to remain one of the best chemistry departments
in the nation by permitting us to recruit new faculty and to retain and
to reward our best and most promising scientists. The worldwide prestige
and recognition associated with his name greatly enhances the already
very generous monetary donation he has made to the University."
Iowa State's Department of Chemistry has consistently been one of the
top academic programs at Iowa State, including ranking as the best academic
unit according to the National Research Council.
The gift was made through the ISU Foundation, a private, non-profit corporation
dedicated to securing and managing gifts and grants that benefit Iowa
State University.
John Corbett, Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and
Sciences and professor of chemistry
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