UC Irvine's Academic Senate has honored eight professors with 2005-06 Distinguished Faculty Awards for their significant contributions to teaching, research and university service.
The awards are the most prestigious honor UCI senate faculty members can receive from their colleagues. Two lecture events, one in the fall and one in winter, will be hosted by the Academic Senate and will feature presentations by the honorees.
- The first evening of Distinguished Faculty Lectures will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the UCI University Club and will feature four honorees:
- Bernard Grofman, professor of political science - recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award for Research. A founding member of UCI's Center for the Study of Democracy, Grofman is a leading expert on American politics and the U.S. electoral system, as well as an international expert on issues of constitutional design. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics at the University of Chicago and his doctorate in political science at the University of Chicago. Grofman has been teaching at UCI since 1976, and his many honors include membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His lecture is titled "Does Redistricting Matter? A Look at the U.S. House 1962-2002."
- Hans S. Keirstead, associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology - recipient of the Distinguished Assistant Professor Award for Research. Keirstead is one of the nation's pioneers in the use of human embryonic stem cells in the study of spinal cord injuries. A neurobiologist at the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, he is investigating strategies to reduce or eliminate the enlargement of spinal cord injury sites that normally occurs after injury. He received his doctorate from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and has been at UCI since 2000. His lecture is titled "Developing Strategies for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries."
- Amelia C. Regan, associate professor of computer science and civil and environmental engineering - recipient of the Distinguished Mid-Career Faculty Award for Service. In addition to her appointment as an associate professor, Regan is associate dean for undergraduate education for the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences. Regan's primary interests are in the area of transportation logistics, freight and fleet management, and intermodal transportation systems - systems that combine several different modes of carrier for a single shipment. She received a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Texas and has been at UCI since 1997.
- Adam P. Summers, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology - Distinguished Assistant Professor Award for Teaching. Summers applies engineering principles to study the way animals function, with a special emphasis on the constraints and benefits of cartilage versus bone in fishes. His research interests have been influenced by a background in engineering and mathematics and a love of evolutionary biology - an enthusiasm that he shares in a monthly column in Natural History Magazine. He received his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts and has been a UCI faculty member since 2001. His lecture is titled "Adventures in Fish Biomechanics."
- The second evening of Distinguished Faculty Lectures will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006, at the UCI University Club and will feature four additional honorees:
- Wilson Ho, Donald Bren Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Chemistry - recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award for Research. Ho received bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1975 and his doctorate in physics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. He spent a year at the AT&T Bell Laboratories as a member of the technical staff and was on the faculty of Cornell University prior to joining UCI in 2000. At the forefront of nanoscience, Ho is focused on understanding how atoms and molecules combine to form more complex systems. His lecture is titled "The Virtues of Being Single: A Molecular View."
- Frank M. LaFerla, associate professor of neurobiology and behavior - recipient of the Distinguished Mid-Career Faculty Award for Research. LaFerla is also co-director of the UCI Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, whose goals include seeking to better understand and discover the causes of Alzheimer's disease. LaFerla received a doctorate in microbiology at the University of Minnesota, and joined UCI as a faculty member in 1995. His research has focused on understanding Alzheimer's disease. His lecture is titled "Fading Memories/Saving Memories: The Study and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease in Genetically-Modified Mice."
- Roger D. McWilliams, professor of physics and astronomy - recipient of the Daniel G. Aldrich Jr. Distinguished University Service Award. McWilliams earned his doctorate in 1980 from Princeton University and prior to finishing his doctorate joined the faculty at UCI. He has been recognized with multiple awards and honors, including being named the inaugural winner of the UC systemwide Presidential Faculty Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, which recognized his leadership in creating and overseeing undergraduate research opportunities. He is also founding director of the Campuswide Honors Program and founded the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
- Diane K. O'Dowd, professor of developmental and cell biology - recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching. O'Dowd received a doctorate from UC San Diego in 1985 and joined the faculty at UCI in 1989. O'Dowd is studying the activity of living neurons in the brains of both flies and mice, with her current experiments focused on gaining insight into the mechanisms involved in regulating activity in central circuits that process information during learning and that mediate responses to nicotine. Her lecture is titled "Introductory Biology at UCI: Enhancing the Freshman Experience."
A reception hosted by Chancellor Michael V. Drake will follow both events, which are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Carol Gardner at (949) 824-8340 or cgardner@uci.edu.
About the University of California, Irvine: Celebrating 40 years of innovation, the University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.