NSF PR 02-39 - May 8, 2002

NSF Director's Awards Recognize Connection Between Research and Teaching
Six faculty members receive $300,000 each to expand their work

Six university faculty members who have found significant ways to connect research with teaching will receive this year's National Science Foundation (NSF) Director's Awards for Distinguished Teaching Scholars (DTS) for imaginative teaching applications in such areas as multimedia visualization, online resources for the study of fractal geometry, and spectroscopy and photochemistry to teach chemistry.

Recognized for their outstanding contributions to research and for using their knowledge to contribute to the enhanced education of undergraduates, the scholars will receive the award at a ceremony June 19 at the National Academy of Science in Washington, D.C. Each will receive $300,000 over four years to continue and expand their work beyond their institutions.

This year's recipients are:

  • Tanya Atwater, Professor of Tectonics in the Department of Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Robert L. Devaney, Professor of Mathematics, Boston University
  • Christopher D. Impey, University Distinguished Professor at the Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
  • Richard McCray, George Gamow Distinguished Professor in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder
  • H. Vincent Poor, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University
  • Nicholas J. Turro, William P. Schweitzer Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Columbia University

The DTS awards were established last year by NSF Director Rita Colwell. The awards are part of NSF's efforts to promote an interest among academics for both disciplinary scholarship and for the education of undergraduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education -- including students not majoring in those fields.

"These faculty members have all used imagination to create projects that provide new insights for their students," said Judith Ramaley, NSF's assistant director for education and human resources."

"The contributions of these six remarkable individuals set a standard and provide models when we look for examples of outstanding teaching," she added. "Not only do these faculty members help their students learn new skills and ideas, but they also demonstrate the integration of research and education through their practice and inspire their students to conduct scholarship at the highest level."


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