USM Board of Regents Faculty Awards Presented
Adelphi, Md. (April 13, 2012) -- The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of
Regents at its meeting today announced the recipients of the 2012 USM Regents'
Faculty Awards. The meeting was held on the campus of Frostburg State
University.
The awards are the highest
honor presented by the board to exemplary faculty members. Presented in four
categories, the awards honor excellence in mentoring, public service, scholarship,
and teaching. Each award carries a $1,000 prize provided by the institutions
and the University System of Maryland Foundation.
Following are the 2012 Regents' Faculty Award recipients, listed by category:
MENTORING
Dr. Patricia Alexander, Professor in the Department of
Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland,
College Park (UMCP). Dr. Alexander has a stellar research and scholarship
record, having authored or co-authored more than 270 publications, many of
which were written with students. In addition, she works with many students
whom she does not formally advise to help them develop their writing skills,
dissertation topics, and research trajectories. She has also been an active
mentor to junior faculty, frequently providing young scholars opportunities to
collaborate on research projects, co-author manuscripts, and to serve on
editorial boards.
Dr. Vanessa P. Fahie, Assistant Professor at the
University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) School of Nursing. Dr. Fahie has
devoted her career to developing projects that impact educationally and
environmentally disadvantaged students. Her three-fold approach has been to
prepare undergraduate nursing students to provide quality health care to
diverse populations, to increase the sensitivity of students in health professions,
and to encourage high school students to further their education by
participating in the college completer program which she designed and
spearheads. Fifty percent of those students in her Career Readiness Program now
take rigorous courses and 80 percent applied to and enrolled in colleges across
the nation.
Dr. Stella Porto, Professor and Program Director of
the Master of Distance Education and E-learning in the Department of Education
of the Graduate School of Management and Technology at University of Maryland
University College (UMUC). Dr. Porto
initiated and currently leads a growing community of more than 250 students and
alumni, who have become a powerful source of discussion, collaboration, and
projects in the field of distance education. Dr. Porto has authored and
published book chapters and articles, made numerous presentations worldwide,
and performed campus, professional, and community service.
Dr. Penny Rheingans, Professor of Computer Science and
Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Dr.
Rheingans has distinguished herself as an exceptional mentor to women and men
majoring in computer science, information systems, and engineering. Her
leadership as Director of the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) has
systematically helped to recruit quality students in science and engineering
fields, and develop programs that mentor both CWIT scholars and affiliates to
be successful graduates and professionals; most of these students are women. Her
mentorship is invaluable for encouraging more women to persist in the major. Her
efforts have resulted in a 90 percent retention rate for students in the
program.
PUBLIC SERVICE
Dr. Steven Phillips, Professor of History at Towson
University. Dr. Phillips worked as a
content specialist for the Fulbright Group Project abroad, seeking to enhance
the teaching of Asian studies in Maryland public schools. Dr. Phillips traveled
to China with groups of Maryland educators, offering expert lectures and
providing translation. Upon his return, Dr. Phillips helped to oversee the
construction of teaching unit plans based on the group's study in China. As
Maryland business and education leaders work to develop firmer partnerships
with China, they reach out for the counsel of Dr. Phillips, helping to bring
economic growth and jobs to the state of Maryland.
Margaret Johnson, Associate Professor of Law at the
University of Baltimore (UB) and founder of the UB School of Law's Annual
Feminist Legal Theory Conference. The
conference helps to perpetuate discussions on how to effectuate societal
change, with current topics such as parentage law, international human rights
law, poverty law, and other topics that have global impact. Professor Johnson
has made valuable contributions in the area of public service, with particular
focus on moving feminist legal theory into practice and on promoting access to
justice for low-income women and families.
Dr. Irmak Renda-Tanali, Associate Professor and Program
Director of Homeland Security Management and Emergency Management at UMUC's
Graduate School of Management and Technology. Dr. Renda-Tanali was instrumental
in founding the Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (JHSEM),
which provides researchers, academics, practitioners, and other professionals with
a scholarly means to contribute to these crucial fields. JHSEM has grown
exponentially and boasts a worldwide readership exceeding 80,000 subscribers.
As a member of the Governor's Emergency Management Advisory Council (GEMAC),
she advises Governor O'Malley on statewide matters related to emergency
planning and preparedness as well as homeland security measures.
Dr. Karen Kauffman, Associate Professor of Nursing and
Chair of the Department of Family and Community Health at UMB's School of
Nursing. As a member of the National Public Policy committee, Dr. Kauffman
served to propose advocacy strategies for federal, state, and local public
policy issues and was instrumental in expediting access for people with
early-onset Alzheimer's to Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security
Incomes. A board-certified gerontological nurse practitioner, Dr. Kauffman's
work reaches far beyond Maryland and national borders. She recently chaired a
committee task force to update the statements of ethics written for
professionals around the world.
SCHOLARSHIP
Dr. John T. Fourkas, the Millard Alexander Professor of
Chemistry and Biochemistry at UMCP. In
the past three years, Dr. Fourkas has authored and co-authored 138 articles and
has been co-PI or worked on research grants totaling more than $11 million. He
is a senior editor for the Journal of Physical Chemistry and referees for 50
journals including the top in his field. He has received fellowships from the
American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of
Science.
Dr. Arthur L. Allen, Associate Professor in the
Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences within the School of
Agricultural and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
(UMES). Dr. Allen's dynamic research is largely centered on reducing soluble
phosphorus losses in drainage ditches while using synthetic gypsum and a
technology that involves applying poultry litter beneath surface soil. In the
past three years, Dr. Allen has published a total of 37 scientific articles
with two book chapters. Within the same time frame, he was responsible for
securing or helping to secure approximately $4.3 million in grant funds.
Dr. W. Michael Kemp, Professor at the Horn Point Laboratory
at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). The primary focus of Dr. Kemp's research
concerns understanding the biological structure and production of coastal
ecosystems situated at the interface between continents and oceans. His recent
and most notable research contributions include finding that the reason sea
grasses in the Chesapeake Bay are disappearing is because the Bay is being
"fertilized to death" rather than the use of herbicides in no-till agriculture,
as many had suggested. Because of his scientific contributions, he has won the
2009 Odum Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Coastal and Estuarine
Research Federation.
Dr. Bimal Sinha, Professor of Mathematics and
Statistics and founder of the statistics program at UMBC. Dr. Sinha has been
developing statistical methods to measure and model studies of climate changes,
pollutions, and ecosystem degradations. In the past few years, he has published
two critical, seminal texts aimed precisely at tackling the challenges of
evaluating multidisciplinary data related to human interactions with the
natural world. He has been elected Fellow of the International Statistical
Institute, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and the American
Statistical Association where he has also received a Distinguished Achievement
Medal Award.
TEACHING
Dr. Thomas Abrams, Associate Professor in the
Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at UMB. Starting six years ago, Dr. Abrams engineered
a critical overhaul of graduate education through a revision of the Graduate
Program in Life Sciences (GPILS). This program-a collaboration among the School
of Medicine, Dental School, and Graduate School-awards Ph.D. and M.S. degrees
in basic, clinical, and population research.
It serves eight distinct Ph.D. and three M.S. granting units. The new
program has improved student retention rates, increased training grants, and
improved mean time to graduation. It is also noteworthy for its effective use
of new technologies and for the integration of instructors across 12
departments.
Dr. Kenneth Thomas Kiger, Associate Professor of Mechanical
Engineering at UMCP. Dr. Kiger's research in heat transfer and multi-phase flow
has produced dozens of articles in top journals. A full 25 percent of
Mechanical Engineering students take his courses and he has played a key role
in fundamental revisions to "Introduction to Engineering Design," "Dynamics,"
and "Fluid Mechanics." The theme of his teaching has been to introduce new
learning tool, develop projects, and to involve students in teamwork. His
students do not simply learn fundamental engineering concepts from a textbooks
and lectures, but rather learn to think critically and independently to solve
complex problems.
Dr. Leslie M. Pang, Professor and Program Director of
Information and Technology Systems in the Graduate School of Management and
Technology at UMUC. Dr. Pang is best known
for his innovative use of technology in order to create a rich learning
environment. He possesses a cutting-edge knowledge of technology systems and is
generous in sharing his knowledge with others.
He was the recipient in 2004 of the prestigious Stanley J. Drazek
Teaching Excellence Award. This year, he received national teaching awards from
both the United States Distance Learning Association and the National
University Technology Network.
Dr. B. Blair Taylor, Clinical Assistant Professor of
Computer and Information Science at Towson University. Dr. Taylor's focus on educating students
about cyber-security has made her a national leader in curriculum development
in this area. She is the author of several papers on educating for security and
the recipient of a major National Science Foundation award for curriculum
development: "Building Security In: Injecting Security throughout the
Undergraduate Computing Curriculum." Students and colleagues alike are
impressed by her passion for the subject and her regard for her students.
Writing Credit: Linnita Hosten, USM
Office of Communications
Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu
