Sixteen Receive Regents' Faculty Awards
Sixteen Receive Regents' Faculty
Awards
Adelphi, Md. (April 16, 2010)
- The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents at its meeting today
announced the 16 recipients of the 2010 USM Regents' Faculty Awards. The board
met at University of Maryland University College.
The
awards are the highest honor presented by the board to exemplary faculty
members. Presented in five categories, the awards honor excellence in teaching;
scholarship, research or creative activities; public service; mentoring; and
collaboration. Each award carries a $1,000 prize provided by the institutions
and the University System of Maryland Foundation.
Following
are the 2010 Regents' Faculty Award recipients listed by category:
MENTORING
Arthur Popper,
professor of biology and associate dean, University of Maryland, College Park
(UMCP). In response to a study revealing
that UMCP was losing junior faculty, especially women and minorities, he
established a task force to address the problem. Out of this has come a series of workshops
for junior faculty on grant writing, running a laboratory, and balancing work
life with home life that has helped junior faculty better transition to tenured
appointments.
Raymond Blakely,
founder and chair of the physical therapy program at the University of Maryland
Eastern Shore (UMES), established the original bachelor's in physical therapy
at UMES and later moved the program to master's level. Under his leadership the
program has experienced exceptional first-time licensure pass rates and all graduates
have found employment within the field.
Margo Coleman,
University of Maryland University College (UMUC) European Division. In addition
to undergraduate and graduate psychology courses, she has provided mentoring to
a highly mobile undergraduate and graduate military student base from diverse
backgrounds. She established the
European Division UMUC chapter of Psi Chi, an international honor society of
psychology.
Matthias Gobbert,
associate professor of mathematics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
He has provided students of mathematics and statistics valuable career
experience, most notably through the Center of Interdisciplinary Research and
Consulting (CIRC). He has also been able
to use student involvement to develop a marketing plan for CIRC clients
off-campus, further expanding its value to students.
PUBLIC SERVICE
Joseph Arumala,
professor, UMES. Through a partnership between UMES and the town of Princess
Anne, Md., he spearheaded the conversion of an old clam factory into an outdoor
athletic center of children of low income families. Dr. Arumala also helped
organize Education Week on the Eastern Shore by conducting the first
Engineering Expos in both Somerset and Wicomico counties and helped the city of
Salisbury develop its environmental policy strategy.
Brenda Blom,
professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) School of Law, is a tireless
advocate for justice for the state's most vulnerable citizens. She has partnered with the Baltimore City
State's Attorney's Office to develop a problem-solving court in Southern and
Southwest Baltimore. Dr. Blom serves as
director of the school's Clinical Law Program, which provides more than 110,000
hours of free legal services in a wide range of areas.
Michele Gilman,
professor, University of Baltimore (UB) School of Law, has a long history of
public service, championing the rights of individuals who would not normally
have access to legal representation.
Both as director of the UB Civil Advocacy Clinic and through personal
work with the ACLU's Tenant and Foreclosure Workgroup, Professor Gilman's work
has addressed landlord-tenant issues, housing discrimination, and domestic
violence.
Brian Polkinghorn,
professor, Salisbury University, is a leader and sought-after expert in conflict
resolution. His "One Person Can Make A Difference" lecture series has attracted
such leaders as President Lech Walesa of Poland, President F. W. de Klerk of
South Africa, and Dr. Arun Gandhi.
TEACHING
Megan Bradley,
professor of psychology at Frostburg State University, redesigned the general psychology
course as part of the regents' Course Redesign Initiative. Her efforts
generated both significantly improved student performance and substantial cost
savings. The course is now a National
Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) "exemplar" project. Dr. Bradley
serves as an NCAT Redesign Scholar.
Jill Caviglia-Harris,
professor, Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University, has authored or
co-authored 19 reference papers and 34 conference presentations in the field of
environmental and natural resource economics.
A co-principal investigator on three National Science Foundation grants,
Dr. Caviglia-Harris received the 2004 Distinguished Faculty award at Salisbury for
her innovative approach to classroom instruction.
Geoffrey Greif,
professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work, has been internationally
recognized for his research on men, group work as a practice method, and
children who have experienced kidnapping. Through direct classroom instruction,
mentoring, and research, Dr. Greif has shaped the lives and careers of
thousands of social workers who graduated UMB during his tenure.
Kevin Murphy,
professor, UMUC Asian Division, has worked extensively to coordinate and expand
the English and communications program at UMUC Asia. Dr. Murphy has developed custom courses to
address specific needs for military units in Okinawa and has been instrumental
in the development of "hybrid" formats, combining on-line and traditional
teaching methods.
RESEARCH
Jack Fruchtman,
professor, Towson University, has significantly advanced the understanding of
the American Revolution. An
internationally recognized scholar on Thomas Paine, Dr. Fruchtman is founder
and director of the university's Law and American Civilization Program.
Douglas Hamilton,
professor of astronomy at UMCP and explorer of the solar system, has published 21
scientific papers on various aspects of rings, satellites, and orbital dynamics
in the past three years alone. His
previous work has helped explain the tilt of Saturn and Neptune's capture of
the moon Triton.
Cynthia Moss,
professor of psychology, has developed and nurtured a research program at UMCP that
integrates behavioral and neurobiological studies of perception, action and
memory. Her discoveries with researchers
from Maryland and around the world have altered our understanding of the brain.
David Secor,
professor, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, has
conducted pioneering work in the structure and chemistry of fish ear bone that has
fundamentally changed the understanding of fish migration and life cycles. This
research has made significant impacts on fishery resource management.
Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu
