New Grants Promote Research, Teaching As Equally Important Duties

Seeking to promote teaching and research as equally important endeavors among university science faculty, the Research Corporation, a Tucson, Ariz.-based nonprofit foundation, recently named the recipients of its first-ever Cottrell Scholars awards. A total of 17 young academics in chemistry, physics, and astronomy (see accompanying list) were each granted $50,000, which they are expected to use to fund a research project while also involving their undergraduate students in scientific investigation. The awards program is designed to help third-year faculty at Ph.D.-granting institutions carry out their commitments to both teaching and research and bridge the gap that often exists between the two responsibilities. The grant recipients are not required to prepare budgets and have a great deal of flexibility in how they use their awards. Warren Findlay Beck, assistant professor, chemistry department, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. David Scott Bohle, assistant professor, chemistry department, University of Wyoming, Laramie Robert M. Bowman, assistant professor, chemistry department, University of Kansas, Lawrence David Mark Collard, assistant professor, chemistry and biochemistry department, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Peter K. Dorhout, assistant professor, chemistry department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins Herbert A. Fertig, assistant professor, physics and astronomy department, University of Kentucky, Lexington L. Michael Hayden, assistant professor, physics department, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Heinrich Martin Jaeger, assistant professor, physics department, James Franck Institute, University of Chicago Nancy Makri, assistant professor, School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana Ann McDermott, assistant professor, chemistry department, Columbia University, New York City Sanjib Ratan Mishra, associate professor, physics department, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. Lyman Alexander Page, Jr., assistant professor, physics department, Princeton University, New Jersey Lynmarie Agnes Posey, assistant professor, chemistry department, Van-derbilt University, Nashville Roger W. Romani, assistant professor, physics department, Stanford University, California Bradley Dennis Smith, assistant professor, chemistry department, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind. Lynmarie Kim Thompson, assistant professor, chemistry department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Reinrus (Rene) A.M. Walterbos, assistant professor, astronomy department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces "In the last half-dozen years, we've grown increasingly concerned that universities have underemphasized teaching," says Brian Andreen, vice president of the Research Corporation. "And there weren't many sources of support for broad scholarship. But there's a need for people who do both research and teaching. This is an attempt to identify people like that and give them the capital to preserve their work. "One of the problems has been that indirect support is so attractive to universities that research overwhelms everything " Andreen says. "This seemed to be a program where we could get more leverage for our dollars. "We feel that it's important for undergraduates, our future scientists, to be exposed to the best and brightest people and not be relegated to wait until they get into graduate school for this kind of benefit." The awards are named for Frederick Gardner Cottrell, who founded the Research Corporation in 1912, chartered "to make inventions more available and effective in the useful arts and manufactures" and "to provide means for scholarly research and experimentation." Recipients were chosen from among 123 applicants, who were judged by a panel of six outside academics and Research Corporation president John Schaefer. The recipients included 10 chemists, six physicists, and one astronomer from 16 different universities in 14 states; the program is limited to faculty in these three disciplines. Of overriding importance to the review panel was not only an applicant's mix of teaching and research ideas, but also a desire to explore new ground in such a way that their work influences students. "There are several [criteria]: creativity, evidence that their ideas can be implemented, impact, and the scope of innovation," says Arthur Ellis, a chemistry professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a member of the committee that chose the Cottrell Scholars. Adds another committee member, Robert Hallock, a physics professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst: "What we look for are people who present proposals for high- quality research and a high quality of teaching. One of the things you look for is an innovative approach to a scientific problem. But the bottom line is this: Will these people make a difference to their field and their students? They're judged as researchers and teachers." Hallock says: "I think these awards will help outsiders to recognize that high-quality teaching does take place. Certainly, the monetary award is large enough that people will take notice. Most scientists have one or two years of start-up money, but little by the third year. The Research Corporation is putting its money where its mouth is." Herbert Fertig couldn't agree more. The 32-year-old assistant professor in the physics and astronomy department at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, was among the first round of recipients of the Cottrell grants. "In my field, the teaching aspect has been missing--[the] emphasis is on research, and other awards place it there, too," he says. "It's part of the culture. Historically, teaching hasn't been emphasized all that much." With the award, he hopes to use computer simulation to examine electron systems. He expects his students to benefit from the new, sophisticated computer gear he plans to purchase. "And now, I'll be in a position to support a student," he adds. "It's a necessary thing." For those interested in next year's Cottrell Scholars awards, information and application forms are now available; the deadline for applying is September 1. Applicants must be qualified faculty members in chemistry, physics, and astronomy who accepted tenure-track positions in 1992. According to the Research Corporation, there is no fixed limit on the number of Cottrell Scholars awards. For more information, contact the Research Corporation, 101 N. Wilmot Rd., Suite 250, Tucson, Ariz. 85711-3332; Tel:(602) 571-1111. Fax:(602) 571-1119. E-mail: research@ccit.ariz.edu Edward R. Silverman is a freelance writer based in Millburn, N.J.

New Grants Promote Research, Teaching As Equally Important Duties

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of