|
|
|
|
Faculty Updates...May R. Berenbaum, professor and head of entomology, was one of the first recipients of the Campus Award for Excellence in Public Service. The awards program was developed to recognize those who fulfill the university’s commitment to using their scholarly, creative, or professional knowledge to improve the well-being of Illinois citizens. Berenbaum has been active in public service since she arrived at UI in 1980. According to one of the nomination letters, she has an "extraordinary commitment to educating the public about complex issues in ecology and evolutionary biology." Another letter supporting her nomination pointed out, "Professor Berenbaum does not come ‘down’ from the ivory tower to greet her public, but instead lifts everyone she touches to a higher plane of scientific appreciation, be they students or impressionable young children." In 2000, Berenbaum’s term as a Swanlund Chair was extended by an additional 5 years in recognition of her continuing professional accomplishments and standing. Daniel R. Bush, professor of Plant Biology and chair of the Program in Physiological and Molecular Plant Biology, recently completed his second year as secretary of the American Society of Plant Physiologists. The Society’s 5,000 mem-bers are academic, government, and industry plant science research from the US and more than 50 other nations. Daniel R. Bush and Evan H. DeLucia were promoted to full professors in Plant Biology in August 2000. Akira Chiba, Cell & Structural Biology, and James M. Slauch, Microbiology and Basic Sciences (College of Medicine), were promoted to associate professors. Fred Delcomyn, professor of Entomology and director of the School of Integrative Biology, is one of the UI’s faculty athletic representatives. Along with Rose Mary Cordova-Wentling, he serves as liaison between the NCAA and campus and between the Big Ten and campus. Faculty members fill these positions to ensure that athletics on campus remains under faculty control. Susan Fahrbach, associate professor of Entomology, was selected as a University Scholar for 2000-01. David M. Kranz, professor of Biochemistry, was selected for this honor in 1999-2000. This program was created to honor and reward outstanding teachers and scholars. Since the program began in 1985, 345 scholars have been named and about $8 million awarded to support their teaching and research. Funding for the program comes from private gifts to the UI Foundation’s Advancement Fund. John A. Gerlt, professor and head of Biochemistry, was invited to present the Harland G. Wood lectureship in May 2000 at Case Western Reserve Medical School, Cleveland, OH. He was also an invited speaker at the Enzyme Structure-Function Meeting in Fraser Island, Australia, in September 1999. Martha U. Gillette, professor and head of Cell & Structural Biology, served as a member of the board of directors of the National Sleep Association and on the task force on the future of sleep for the American Sleep Disorders Association. In 1999, Gillette received a certificate of appreciation from the National Center for Sleep Disorders for her contributions to promoting sleep research. William Greenough, professor of psychology and neuroscience, was quoted in an August 15, 2000 New York Times story on the breakthrough by which researchers have been able to produce nerve cells in the lab. The story also appeared on excite.com, and in the Toronto Star and an Associated Press dispatch. Greenough was also recently named to the search committee for the new chancellor for the Urbana campus. Larry Hanks, assistant professor of Entomology, will receive the 2000 Entomological Society of America’s Recognition Award for Distinguished Achievements in Urban Entomology at the Society’s annual meeting in December in Montreal. Paul C. Lauterbur, Center for Advanced Study distinguished professor of Medical Information Sciences, Chemistry, Molecular & Integrative Physiology, Biophysics & Computational Biology, and Bioengineering, received the Doctor of Science degree, honoris causa, at the 170th commencement convocation of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, in May 2000. He was honored for his accomplishments and contributions to society, especially in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Lauterbur was also awarded the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Third Millennium Medal in June 2000. Gene Robinson, professor of Entomology, has won an Innovation Award in Functional Genomics from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) for research on the ritualized social activities of bees to associate individual genes with particular behaviors. Robinson, who recently was honored with a Certificate of Distinction from the Council of the International Congresses of Entomology, hopes that his BWF-funded study will link genes with aspects of complex social behavior, then extend this knowledge to better under-stand human behavior and dysfunction, such as social phobias. He also was invited as a plenary speaker at the annual International Genome Sequencing and Analysis Conference, Institute for Genomic Research. Robinson will also become director of the Neuroscience Program in January 2001. Tony Waldrop, professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, was appointed Vice Chancellor for Research for the Urbana campus, in March 2000. Waldrop had held the position on an interim basis since fall 1999. Chancellor Michael Aiken said, "He has played a key role in the development of plans for the new research park and I am impressed with his excellent ideas on ways in which to increase the amount of federal and corporate research dollars coming to campus." Dixie D. Whitt, instructor of microbiology, and Abigail A. Salyers, professor of microbiology, co-authored a new basic microbiology textbook, Micro-biology: Diversity, Disease and the Environment. The text was chosen as the main selection for July 2000 by the Library of Science Book Club. Benjamin D. Williams, assistant professor of Cell & Structural Biology, presented Signaling by Adhesion Receptors at the Gordon Research Conference in July 2000 in Newport, RI. He has been invited to co-chair a mini-symposium on Genetics and Genomics of Cell Adhesion at the 40th annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in December 2000. [back to top]
Lloyd Barr, professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, retired in August 2000. Barr received his PhD in physiology in 1958 from the University of Illinois. He joined the faculty in 1970. His research interests have involved the kinetics of sequences of events involved in the reception and spread of cellular signals and the regulation of intracellular processes. As emeritus professor, Barr continues to study activation mechanisms in smooth muscle.
Dennis E. Buetow, professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology and Plant Biology, retired in May 2000. He received his PhD in Zoology in 1959 from the University of California-Los Angeles. He came to the University of Illinois as an associate professor in 1965, and was promoted to professor in 1970. From 1983 to 1988, Buetow served as head of the physiology department. As emeritus professor, he is actively involved in a federal research project to produce edible vaccines. [back to top] This newsletter is published by the School of Integrative Biology and the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Editor: Jana Waite. Send comments and suggestions to j-waite@life.uiuc.edu Updated 12/07/00 |
