Honors
Faculty honored for teaching, research, and service
Faculty and other members of the university community were
honored for excellence in teaching, research, and public service during a May 6
ceremony at the home of Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick.
The Rutgers College
Class of 1962 Presidential Public Service Award honors members of the faculty,
student body, or staff for volunteer service to government, professional and scholarly
organizations, or the public. The award includes a $2,500 honorarium.
Phylis J. Peterman, associate
professor, Department of Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences, Newark, was honored for her commitment to inclusive
and racially integrated communities, including her work with the South Orange/Maplewood Community
Coalition on Race and her leadership of the South Orange Civic Organization
in its struggle against segregation in housing.
The Warren I. Susman
Award for Excellence in Teaching is awarded to faculty members in recognition
of outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual development
of students at Rutgers
University. The award
includes a $1,000 honorarium.
Emily C. Bartels, Department
of English, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for her contributions to
undergraduate and graduate education in English literature, including her
ability to energize students and encourage and challenge them to think deeply
and creatively.
Eileen Kowler, Department
of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for her contributions
to education in the field of psychology, including her coordination of
curriculum and her ability to present historical and recent research in fresh,
compelling ways.
The Rutgers
Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research honors faculty members who
have made distinguished research contributions to their discipline or society.
Recipients receive a $1,000 honorarium.
Myra Bluebond-Langner,
professor, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, College of Arts and Sciences–Camden,
was honored for her accomplishments in medical anthropology, childhood studies,
and bioethics, which have had a transforming impact on the practice of medicine
and research with children.
John P. Hughes, professor,
Department of Physics and Astronomy, School
of Arts and Sciences, was
honored for his research in astrophysics, including his deep understanding of
astrophysical concepts and his contributions to the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.
Debra L. Laskin, professor
and chair, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of
Pharmacy, was honored for her pioneering research on the role of phagocytic
cells in tissue injury, which has changed this field and led to new therapies.
Alan M. Leslie, professor,
Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, School
of Arts and Sciences, was
honored for his insights in the study of cognitive development. His work has
influenced researchers in fields ranging from evolutionary psychology to philosophy.
Richard E. Riman,
professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering,
School
of Engineering, was
honored for his contributions to the processing of ceramic materials, which
include his recent development of tools that focus on carbon dioxide
sequestration.
Camilla Townsend, professor,
Department of History, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for her
historical research, which has enhanced the understanding of Latin American and
North American history, including the interactions between indigenous people
and European conquering forces.
The Rutgers Faculty Scholar-Teacher Award honors faculty members who have made outstanding contributions in research and teaching. The award recognizes those who bring together scholarly and classroom activities. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium.
Benjamin J. Glasser, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, School of Engineering, was honored for his research in particle technology and his development of courses that transcend traditional disciplinary barriers.
Sunil V. Somalwar, Department of Physics and Astronomy,
School of Arts and Sciences, was
honored for exploring the principles that underlie all physical interactions,
and his ability to intrigue
undergraduates with technically complex ideas.
The Ernest E. McMahon-Class
of 1930 Award is funded by the Class of 1930 of Rutgers College and is given to
an individual or a group that has made a significant and creative contribution
to the extension of the educational resources of the university to the people
of New Jersey. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium.
UNIVERSITY DANCEWORKS, Mason Gross School of the Arts, was honored for its work in New Jersey and New York, which includes bringing formal concerts, lectures, demonstrations and age-appropriate workshops to a diverse population.
Danceworks includes Randy
James (artistic director), Alexander Biegelson, Anthony Bordonaro, Shelley
Chiang, Alyssa Derling, Tyner Dumortier, Rose Freed, Shannon MacDowell, Kyle
Marshall, Danielle Mondi, Valorie Morales, Eric Ortega, Nicholas Ruiz, Nicholas
Sciscione, Jennifer Segner, Gina Severini, Stacie Shivers, Selena Watkins, and
Meagan Woods.
The Rutgers
Board of Trustees Research Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence honors faculty
members who have recently been promoted with tenure and whose work shows
exceptional promise. The fellowship includes a citation and a $2,000 research
account.
Raffaella De Rosa, associate
professor, Department of Philosophy, College
of Arts and Sciences, Newark, was honored for her scholarship in
early modern philosophy and her
ability to apply deep historical knowledge to contemporary debates.
Kristjan Haule, associate
professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School
of Arts and Sciences, was
honored for his contributions to computational condensed matter physics, most
notably in the theory of correlated electron systems.
Conrad Herwig, associate
professor, Department of Music, Mason
Gross School
of the Arts, was honored for expanding the jazz trombone vocabulary, as
demonstrated in his outstanding compositions, arrangements, recordings, and
performances.
Gregory S. Jackson, associate
professor, Department of English, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for
his research, which is reshaping the field of American Studies through its
integration of English, rhetoric, intellectual history, and religious studies.
Greg Lastowka, professor
of law, Rutgers School of Law–Camden, was honored for his research in
intellectual property law, particularly those issues at the intersection of law
and technology.
Nanjoo Suh,
associate professor, Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of
Pharmacy, was honored for her research in the development of new agents for
cancer prevention.
Keith H. Weber, associate
professor, Department of Learning and Teaching, Graduate School of Education, was
honored for his scholarly contributions to mathematics education, particularly
his explorations of the reasoning processes that students use to construct
mathematical proofs.
Hui Xiong, associate professor, Department of Management Science and Information Systems, Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick, was honored for his research in data mining, particularly his in correlation computing and clustering.
The Presidential
Fellowships for Teaching Excellence is a newly created award that honors newly tenured
faculty members for outstanding teaching and scholarly work. A research account
has been established for each recipient.
Allan J. Espiritu, associate professor, Department of Fine Arts, College of Arts and Sciences, Camden, was honored for his commitment to enabling his students to realize their personal visions and career goals.
Jeff Friedman, associate
professor, Department of Dance, Mason Gross School of the Arts, was honored for
his ability to immerse students in new ways of thinking that frame movement as
an embodiment of history, culture, and politics.
Huixin He, associate
professor, Department of Chemistry, College
of Arts and Sciences, Newark, was honored for mentoring students
through a lab environment that encourages undergraduates to learn how research
is conducted and enables graduate students to become productive scientists.
Gregory S. Jackson,
associate professor, Department of English, School of Arts and Sciences, was
honored for conveying his passion for the subject matter to his students and
creating an intellectual camaraderie among them.
Edlie L. Wong, associate
professor, Department of English, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for
her ability to spark interest and excitement in her students, her intellectual
rigor, and her deep commitment to student learning.