Newswise — Furman University psychology professor Gil Einstein will receive the Council on Undergraduate Research’s highest award for his role in developing Furman’s nationally recognized research programs for undergraduates.
Einstein and Hendrix College chemistry professor Tom Goodwin were selected for CUR Fellows Awards, to be presented in June at the organization’s 2010 biennial conference at Weber State University in Utah.
Winners of Fellows Awards have established outstanding records of obtaining funding for collaborative research with their students and have published research findings with undergraduate co-authors.
They’ve reached out to students of all backgrounds, incorporated research activities into the courses they teach, and led efforts to institutionalize research on their campuses and across the nation. They also have served as role models for countless faculty and students.
Each recipient is awarded a CUR Student Research Fellowship, which goes to a deserving undergrad at the CUR Fellow’s college or university.
“Gil is a master teacher and prolific researcher who knows how to shepherd students through every stage of the research process,” said John Batson, chair of Furman’s psychology department. “Under his leadership, our department’s summer research program now regularly supports two dozen undergraduate students in full-time research in various areas of psychology. He is most deserving of the CUR Fellows Award.”
Einstein earned his doctorate at the University of Colorado and is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Psychology at Furman, where he has taught since 1977.
One of Einstein’s former students noted that he “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.”
The Furman professor has mentored countless undergraduates during his career. He has included 31 undergrad co-authors on his publications, and 140 students have co-authored more than 100 conference presentations at national, regional and state scientific meetings.
Winner of Furman’s Meritorious Teaching Award in 1985, Einstein has published six books, 18 book chapters and 57 journal articles, most of which focus on fundamental questions related to human memory.
Fostering undergraduate research on a national scale, Einstein served on the Board of Governors of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research from 1990-96. He was on the editorial board of the Proceedings of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research for 13 years.
In 1992, Einstein rallied psychologists nationwide to plan for a new Psychology Division of the CUR. The following year, the council unanimously approved the addition of a Psychology Division to its ranks. He served as At-Large and Psychology CUR Councilor from 1990-1997.
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