LAS faculty, staff awards announced
The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences will recognize 22 faculty and staff
members with awards for research, teaching and service.
The awards ceremony will be held during the LAS Fall Convocation on Wednesday,
Sept. 6, at 4:10 p.m. in the Union's Sun Room.
Award recipients include:
Excellence in Research/Artistic Creativity
Eve Wurtele, professor of genetics, development and cell biology. Wurtele
is the creator of MetNet, a software program capable of taking complex data
and combining visualization with statistical analyses and modeling. She is internationally
known for her work in the elucidation of the metabolic and regulatory networks
in plants.
Mid-Career Excellence in Research/Artistic Creativity
John Lajoie, assistant professor of physics and astronomy. Lajoie has
made exceptional contributions to the PHENIX Experiment at the Relativistic
Heavy Ion Collider, which produces a new form of high energy density matter
believed to resemble that existing at the moment of the creation of the universe.
Lajoie built the trigger that allows PHENIX to take data.
Gordon Miller, professor of chemistry. Miller is a highly recognized
and respected expert in solid-state chemistry. His research features simultaneous
insightful attacks on and solutions of major problems by both experimental and
theoretical state-of-the-science means.
Early Achievement in Research/Artistic Creativity
Heike Hofmann, assistant professor of statistics. Hofmann conducts
research that bridges traditional statistical modeling with new exploratory
interactive statistical graphics. She has developed theoretical foundations
for graphics and provided methods for exploring patterns of missing values.
Susan Stewart, assistant professor of sociology. A family sociologist
and demographer, Stewart focuses on the lives and well being of American children
and adults residing in non-traditional family structures in contemporary American
society.
Meifen Wei, assistant professor of psychology. Wei has quickly
developed into a leading authority in adult attachment research and a significant
leader in this area in counseling psychology. She has published papers in the
premiere journal for counseling psychology.
Outstanding Teaching
Eric Cooper, associate professor of psychology. Cooper's student evaluations
are the highest in the Department of Psychology and have remained this high
since he joined the department's faculty in 1994. Relying on "old-fashioned"
preparation, Cooper spends hours upon hours preparing his lectures.
Stephen Vardeman, University Professor of statistics. Vardeman
has successfully taught statistics courses from the 100 level through the 600
level, including three courses he developed. He is the author of four textbooks
for statistics and engineering.
Graduate Teaching
Marshall Luban, professor of physics and astronomy. Luban has shown
exceptional talent, diligence, care and effectiveness in teaching, advising
and mentoring physics graduate students, receiving the department's graduate
teaching award presented by the graduate students, six times.
Early Teaching
Maria Axenovich, associate professor of mathematics. In addition to
her undergraduate teaching, Axenovich has developed a graduate curriculum in
the area of graph theory with applications to many fields, including computer
science and electrical engineering.
Dan Krier, assistant professor of sociology. Krier has a unique
way of tapping into and challenging students' fundamental understanding of the
social world by using an innovative and fast-paced multi-media approach.
Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching
Joseph Burnett, senior lecturer in chemistry. Burnett has revamped
existing experiments, eliminated those that no longer served the students, and
introduced new experiments continuously. He rewrote lab manuals and has taken
an active role in training chemistry teaching assistants.
Jane Pedrick Dawson, senior lecturer in geological and atmospheric
sciences. Dawson's effectiveness as a classroom instructor is best exemplified
by her outstanding course evaluations in introductory geology where most of
the students are non-scientists. Her evaluations from these students are well
above the departmental average for introductory courses, probably due to the
fact that she continually finds new ways to excite and inspire students about
geology.
Heather Thompson, senior lecturer in mathematics. Thompson
has devoted many hours to her teaching in the Department of Mathematics and
continues to work on new ways to excite and inspire students in her classes.
She serves as the course supervisor for the department's courses for prospective
elementary teachers and has worked with other Math 195 and 196 instructors to
improve those courses.
P&S Excellence Award
Linda Westgate, teaching lab coordinator, Department of Genetics, Development
and Cell Biology. As coordinator for 30 to 40 lab sections in two introductory
biology laboratory courses, Westgate provides hands-on training and experience
for between 800 and 1000 students per week each semester. In addition she mentors
15 to 20 graduate teaching assistants who translate the prepared laboratory
materials to Iowa State biology students.
Ruth W. Swenson Award for Outsanding Advising
Connie Ringlee, senior lecturer in English. Ringlee is the academic
adviser for both the communication studies and speech communication programs
in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She has guided hundreds of students
during her career with exceptional care and attention.
Merit Excellence Award
Sheryl Kamps, clerk typist, Department of English. Kamps plays a major
role in the Department of English's communication and publicity efforts. She
works closely with faculty members on promoting appearances by guest speakers,
organizing department award events and other activities. She also manages the
department's media inventory and helps maintain the department's web site.
Jeanette La Grange, clerk typist, Department of Statistics.
La Grange's many and varied duties include the construction of schedules for
visitors, both faculty and prospective students, to the Department of Statistics,
making travel arrangements and overseeing the logistical elements of the department.
Sue Sprong, secretary, Environmental Studies Program. For years
Sprong has offered administrative support for both the environmental programs
at Iowa State and the Iowa Lakeside Lab. She has managed the paperwork associated
with student and faculty records for these programs.
LAS Institutional Service Award
Veronica Dark, associate professor of psychology. Dark has been active
on numerous LAS and ISU committees including Faculty Senate, LAS Representative
Assembly, the Committee for Women in Science and Engineering and the LAS curriculum
committee.
Duane Enger, professor of genetics, development and cell biology.
Enger served as chair of the Department of Zoology and Genetics for 22 years
and provided exemplary leadership and service to Iowa State during that time.
Rob Wallace, associate professor of ecology, evolution and
organismal biology. Wallace is an energetic and tireless contributor to the
greater good of the Iowa State community. He has served on such groups as the
Faculty Senate, the LAS Representative Assembly (chair) and the LAS Curriculum
Committee.
Around LAS
September 4-17, 2006
