Faculty and students share awards, accolades Archived article from Jun 2, 2003   Faculty Barth Grant, an assistant professor in the molecular biology and biochemistry department in the Division of Life Sciences, has been named a 2003 Searle Scholar, an honor conferred annually on 15 researchers nationwide. He will receive $240,000 over three years in support of his research. Grant's work focuses on cellular transport processes — the means by which animal cells take in and sort large molecules such as proteins, as well as membranes and fluids. The Searle Scholars Program supports the independent research of exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry in selected institutions. Paul Falkowski, a professor at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences and the department of geological sciences, has been elected a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The academy is the nation's pre-eminent learned society and research institution, and the honor is considered second only to winning a Nobel Prize. The co-inventor of a fluorescence-sensing system for studying microscopic marine organisms, Falkowski heads Rutgers' environmental biophysics and molecular ecology program. His research efforts, which have resulted in more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, are directed toward understanding the co-evolution of biological physical systems. His interests span molecular evolution, paleoecology, photosynthesis, biophysics, biogeochemical cycles and symbiosis. Falkowski, a former Guggenheim Fellow, will be officially inducted into the academy in October. Martha Greenblatt, Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry, has received the Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal from the American Chemical Society (ACS), a medal awarded in recognition of significant achievements by women chemists in America. Greenblatt, a solid-state chemist, has published some 350 papers in prestigious journals in her field. Her research has been supported continuously by major outside funding, and she has served as a mentor to countless young women scientists and graduate students. Board of Governors Professor Yogesh Jaluria of the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering will receive the 2002 Max Jakob Memorial Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers at the ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference in July. The award is the highest international honor in the science of heat transfer and comes with a $1,000 honorarium. An expert on the movement and action of heat, Jaluria's work covers a wide range of areas, including fiber optics, materials extrusion and cooling of electronic equipment. Board of Governors Professor Joachim Kohn has received the 2003 Clemson Award for Basic Research, regarded as the highest honor given to a researcher in the field of biomaterials, from the Society of Biomaterials. Kohn, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology and director of the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials at Rutgers, received the award at the society's 29th annual meeting in April in Reno, Nev. The award is given specifically for contributions to the basic knowledge and understanding of the interaction of materials with tissue. Gabriel Kotliar, professor of physics, and Eviatar Zerubavel, professor of sociology, have been named Guggenheim Fellows for 2003. They are among the 184 chosen from nearly 3,200 applicants from the United States and Canada for awards totaling $6.7 million. The two Rutgers fellows are members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences–New Brunswick. Sponsored by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the fellowships are awarded to advanced professionals in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and creative arts so that they can continue their work with as much freedom as possible. Kotliar's $25,000 fellowship will fund studies in correlated electronic structure, an innovative technique that considers atomic principles in predicting the physical properties of materials used in such fields as medical imaging, high-efficiency energy storage, nuclear physics and more. His goal is to make it possible to improve material design. Zerubavel will receive $35,000 to work on his book "The Elephant in the Room," which examines the sociologies of silence and denial. Lesley Mandel Morrow, professor of education at the Graduate School of Education, was installed May 8 as the president of the International Reading Association at its annual convention in Orlando, Fla. Morrow, an international expert in adult and children's literacy, will serve in the position for one year. At Rutgers, Morrow coordinates graduate programs in literacy and teaches early literacy, children's literature and foundations of literacy theory and research. Zenon Pylyshyn, Board of Governors Professor of Cognitive Science, will receive the 2004 Jean Nicod Prize next May from the Jean Nicod Institute for his contributions in the discipline. Named for the French philosopher and logician, the Nicod Prize is awarded for contributions in the fields of psychology, philosophy, cognitive sciences or related fields. Pylyshyn has published more than 100 scientific articles and is the author of "Computation and Cognition: Toward a Foundation for Cognitive Science." The Paris-based institute promotes research on cognitive science that has philosophical significance and acquaints the French public with works published abroad on the topic. Philip Scranton, Board of Governors Professor of History at Camden, was awarded a highly coveted national fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The prestigious Charles A. Lindbergh chair in aerospace history allows one senior scholar per year to conduct research at the museum, which maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. Scranton will research aerospace and aircraft history in both the private and military sectors, addressing issues of technology, design and the manufacturing of highly specialized equipment. His research also includes an expedition across the nation to visit military bases and private aerospace production plants. Students Juliane "Julie" Comiskey has taken top honors as student employee of the year both at Rutgers and in the state of New Jersey. Comiskey, a Rutgers College junior majoring in psychology, served as an aide in the continuing education office of the Graduate School of Education for two years. She topped 61 nominees for the Rutgers honor. The state award was announced by the Northeast Student Employment Association, a regional professional organization. Etzer Darout, a third-year doctoral student in the graduate program in chemistry and chemical biology, has been awarded a United Negro College Fund (UNCF)-Merck Graduate Science Research Fellowship. Darout, whose research is in the field of synthetic organic chemistry, is the first student in any field at Rutgers to receive this fellowship, awarded annually to only 12 students nationwide. Given to students in their final one to three years of doctoral study, the award is designed to increase the number of outstanding African-American doctorates in the biomedical sciences. Darout, a resident of Roselle but born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, will receive a stipend of $30,000 and his department will receive an additional $10,000 to support his research and professional development. Rebecca Pigott, a Rutgers College first-year student, took first place in the first "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students held at the Sino Vision television studio in New York City. Junior Portia Hunt also participated. The students were tested on speech and knowledge of Chinese culture, law and politics. They also gave cultural performances.

For questions or comments about this site, contact Greg Trevor Last Updated: May 30, 2006 © 2012 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved.