Austin, Conrad and Goodison to receive Russel Award

Updated 12:00 noon February 16, 2004

Austin, Conrad and Goodison to receive Russel Award

By Joel Seguine
Office of the Vice President for Communications

Three U-M faculty members will receive the Henry Russel Award, one of the highest honors the University bestows upon junior faculty members.

The awards will be presented at 4 p.m. March 9 in the Rackham Amphitheatre, followed by the annual Henry Russel Lecture given by a senior member of the faculty. The Russel award winners are: Todd Austin, associate professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering; Brian Conrad, associate professor of mathematics, LSA; and Lorna Goodison, associate professor of English language and literature and of Afroamerican and African studies, LSA.

Austin (Photo by Bill wood, U-M Photo Services)

Conrad (Photo by Paul Jaronski, U-M Photo Services)

Goodison (Photo by Bernd Böhner)

Austin, who joined the faculty in 1999, has produced research that is having a significant impact on the international community of computer designers in the area of computer architecture. He developed a simulation framework called SimpleScalar, which has been heralded as a well-designed package that is used extensively by hundreds of researchers.

His research also extends to a concept called dynamic verification that will allow computers to run reliably outside of their normal specification. His award citation says Austin’s teaching has infused some of the most rigorous courses in the department with his dynamic style and high standards for performance.

Conrad, a member of the Department of Mathematics since 2000, has significantly expanded his research activity and also enhanced the learning community through his innovations in teaching on our campus and in the community, his award citation says. His research into arithmetic geometry combines number theory and algebraic geometry, with practical applications such as public key cryptography. He has applied his devotion to mathematics to the students in his classes and throughout the department, and extended his efforts to high school students with an interest in mathematics, working with aspiring mathematicians in seminars and via e-mail communication, the award citation says.

Goodison has emerged as the most celebrated voice among the current generation of West Indian poets during the past decade, having published seven books of poetry and a collection of short stories, the award citation says. Her poems focus on the injustices of colonialism and African American history, but she includes a consideration of the complexities of the multiracial and multicultural communities she portrays, incorporating the heritage of European, American, Caribbean and African literature. The critical reception of her work has praised her elegance of language and the spiritual core of her expression, the award citation says.

This year’s Henry Russel Lecturer is Maris Vinovskis, Bentley Professor of History and a professor in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Center for Political Studies. Vinovskis, who has worked on education issues for both Democratic and Republican administrations in Washington, will lecture on the efforts of the federal government, from the Reagan administration through the current Bush administration, to help disadvantaged children succeed in school.

Both the Russel Award and Lectureship were established in 1925 with a bequest from Henry Russel of Detroit, who received three degrees from U-M. The awards recognize distinguished scholarship or authorship (including creativity in the arts) and conspicuous ability as a teacher. Nominees may have the title of instructor, assistant professor or associate professor, provided they have not been in tenure-track positions for more than six years at the time of nomination. The award carries a $1,200 stipend.

Recipients of the lectureship and award are chosen through a rigorous interdisciplinary review process involving some of the University’s most distinguished faculty, including former recipients of the lectureship and award. For more information, visit http://www.rackham.umich.edu/Faculty/hruslecture.html and http://www.rackham.umich.edu/Faculty/hrusselaward.html.

Austin, Conrad and Goodison to receive Russel Award

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