University to honor 21 faculty members

By Mary Jo Frank
Office of the Vice President for Communications

Twenty-one faculty members will be recognized for their teaching, scholarship, service and creative activities at a dinner Oct. 2. Awards to be presented include three Distinguished University Professorships, five Distinguished Faculty Achievement Awards, five Faculty Recognition Awards, two Amoco Foundation Faculty Awards for Undergraduate Teaching, a Distinguished Research Scientist Award, two Research Scientist Achievement Awards, a Research Scientist Recognition Award, a University Press Book Award and a Distinguished Faculty Governance Award.

Distinguished University Professorships will be presented to the following:
• Michael A. Savageau, chair and professor of microbiology and the Nicolas Rashevsky Distinguished University Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
• Lawrence Sklar, the Carl G. Hempel and William K. Frankena Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy and professor of philosophy
• Kensall D. Wise, the William Gould Dow Distinguished University Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the J. Reid and Polly Anderson Professor of Manufacturing Technology, and professor of electrical engineering and computer science and of biomedical engineering

Distinguished University Professors are scholars of great depth and breadth, as well as outstanding teachers and mentors. They also are generous in their service to their disciplines, to their schools and colleges, and to the University.
The three will receive annual supplements of $3,000 for salary and $5,000 for research. Upon retirement, they become Distinguished University Professors Emeriti and the stipends end.

Distinguished Faculty Achievement Awards, recognizing extraordinary achievements in teaching, scholarly research or creative endeavors, will be presented to:
• Don B. Clewell, professor in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, and professor of microbiology and immunology
• Robert E. Lewis, professor of English language and literature and editor-in-chief of the “Middle English Dictionary”
• Andrew F. Nagy, professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences and of electrical engineering and computer science
• Jeffrey R. Parsons, professor of anthropology and curator of Latin American Archaeology
• Richard D. Woods, professor of civil engineering and chair of civil and environmental engineering
Each recipient will receive a $1,500 stipend.

Five faculty will receive Faculty Recognition Awards:
• Julia P. Adams, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and associate professor of sociology
• Fred C. Adams, professor of physics and associate chair in the Department of Physics
• Photios G. Ioannou, professor of civil engineering
• Joseph M. Metzger, professor of physiology and of internal medicine
• Ronald W. Woodard, associate chair and professor of medicinal chemistry and of chemistry

Faculty Recognition Award recipients have made substantive contributions to the University through significant achievements in research and other scholarly activities; demonstrated excellence in teaching, advising and mentoring; and have participated in service activities. Each recipient will receive a $1,000 stipend.

Amoco Foundation Faculty Awards for Undergraduate Teaching, which recognize excellence in undergraduate education, will go to Timothy A. McKay, associate professor of physics, and Noel C. Perkins, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of mechanical engineering.

Award criteria include the array of courses taught, the development of new courses or revitalization of existing ones, and the strength of the faculty member’s advising and mentoring skills related to undergraduate teaching. The award stipend is $1,000.

The late A. Regula Herzog, senior research scientist in the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, and in the Institute of Gerontology and adjunct professor of psychology, will be honored with the Distinguished Research Scientist Award. The award recognizes a research scientist or senior research scientist for exceptional scholarly achievement: the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge, the development of innovative technology, or the development of concepts that lead to significant advances in science, education, health, the arts or humanities. The award also recognizes exceptional ability to convey the excitement and significance of scholarship and creative activities to the educated public. The award includes a $3,000 honorarium.

The Research Scientist Achievement Award, which carries a $1,500 stipend, will be presented to Mick P. Couper, senior associate research scientist, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, and adjunct associate professor of sociology; and Margaret I. Lomax, senior research scientist in the Kresge Hearing Research Institute and in Cell and Development Biology.

The Research Scientist Achievement Award recognizes outstanding scholarly achievements, including the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge, the development of innovative technology, or the development of concepts that lead to advances in science, education, health, the arts or humanities.

The Research Scientist Recognition Award will be presented to Michael W. Liemohn, assistant research scientist, Space Physics Research Laboratory. The award recognizes exceptional scholarly promise in primary research faculty. Liemohn will receive $1,000.

James J. Duderstadt, president emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering, will receive the University Press Book Award for his book “Intercollegiate Athletics and the American University, A University President’s Perspective” (U-M Press, 2002). He will receive $1,000.

Alphonse R. Burdi, professor of cell and developmental biology; director, Integrated Premedical-Medical Program; and research scientist, Center for Human Growth and Development, will receive the Distinguished Faculty Governance Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership in faculty governance over a period of years, with an emphasis on University-wide service. He will receive $1,500.

Learn more about the faculty awards recipients by clicking the links below.