Newswise — The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) will be presenting Dr. Tom Goodwin, Professor of Chemistry at Hendrix College, as well as Dr. Gilles Einstein, Professor of Psychology at Furman University, the CUR Fellows awards at the 2010 Biennial Conference, in June, at Weber State University in Ogden Utah. These awards are presented to two CUR members who have developed nationally respected research programs involving undergraduate students. Each CUR Fellow is also awarded a CUR Student Research Fellowship that they will give to a deserving undergraduate at their respective institutions. CUR Fellows Award recipients have established outstanding records of obtaining funding for their collaborative research with their students, and have published research findings with undergraduate co-authors. They reach out to students of all backgrounds, incorporate research activities into the courses they teach, and lead efforts to institutionalize research on their campuses and across the nation. In sum, they are leaders and role models for countless faculty and students.
Dr. Goodwin has mentored the research work of approximately 120 undergraduate students, over the course of 31 years. During his career, he has been recognized for his exception teaching practices having been awarded the Carnegie/CASE US Professor of the Year, the Pfizer Green Chemistry in Education, and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Scholar/Fellow awards, to name just a few. Dr. Goodwin’s area of expertise is synthetic organic chemistry, but later in his career he developed a specific research interest in chemical communication among elephants which led to an NSF-funded collaboration with a behavioral biologist and a biochemist. One of his former students, now a Biochemistry Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said: “Put simply, Dr. Goodwin is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and mentoring. He is very highly talented in all these areas and his influence will be felt by hundreds of students over the years.” Dr. Goodwin was the CUR President from 1992-1993 and was a founding editor of the CUR Quarterly.
Dr. Gilles Einstein, having mentored countless undergraduates over the span of his 33 year career, has included 31 undergraduate co-authors on his publications and 140 students have co-authored more than 100 conference presentations at national, regional and state scientific meetings. Dr. Einstein has published 6 books, 18 book chapters and 57 journal articles – most of these focusing on fundamental questions related to human memory. His excellence in teaching has also been recognized by such honors as the Furman University’s “Meritorious Teaching Award” in 1985, in recognition of excellence in teaching courses in Psychology and Research Methods. Beyond Furman University, Dr. Einstein has fostered undergraduate research on a national scale. Between 1990 and 1996, he served on the Board of Governors of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. He also served on the editorial board of the Proceedings of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research for 13 years. A former student said, “Dr. Einstein inspires his students and gives them the aptitude and confidence to continue asking interesting research questions and searching for the answers. In this way, the scope of Dr. Einstein’s impact in the field of psychological science is immeasurable.” In 1992, Dr. Einstein rallied psychologists throughout the country to plan for a new Psychology Division of CUR. Following his leadership, in 1993 CUR unanimously approved the addition of a Psychology Division to its ranks. All told, Dr. Einstein served as At-Large and Psychology CUR Councilor from 1990-1997.
Nancy Hensel, Executive Officer of CUR, said, “CUR Fellows is an award that recognizes significant contributions to student development and learning as well as the quest for new knowledge through research. CUR is pleased to honor Dr. Einstein and Dr. Goodman with our highest award. They are both examples of the commitment and dedication of CUR members to excellent teaching and scholarship.”
RSS