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Arlington, TX 76019
College salutes faculty and staff for excellence at spring meeting
Winners of awards for teaching, research, advising and service recognized
College of Science faculty and staff members were recently honored for excellence in teaching, research, advising, and service for 2022-23 with awards and recognition at the College and University levels. Promotion and tenure recipients were also announced.
University-wide awards were presented at the Spring Meeting of the Faculty and Associates on April 25. College of Science awards were presented during the College’s annual Faculty and Staff Spring Meeting on May 5 in the Central Library 6th floor atrium.
College of Science Dean Morteza Khaledi thanked faculty and staff for their hard work and dedication to the College’s mission of providing a world-class education for students while strengthening UTA’s standing as an R1 and Tier I research institution.
“One reason we gather every spring is to celebrate your contributions to the College of Science, UTA and in support of our students,” Khaledi said. “It is truly an honor to be a part of this community and to work with such talented and dedicated people. I’m so proud that we have accomplished so much together. Your contributions have made a real difference in the lives of our students and I’m so grateful for your support. All of you play a part in what makes this College and this institution amazing.”
Khaledi also announced the departure of Perry Fuchs, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology. Fuchs earned his Ph.D. from UTA in 1994 and joined UTA as an assistant professor of psychology in 1998. He has served as department chair for 10 years. Fuchs is a three-time recipient of the College’s Research Excellence Award (2005-07) and his work in pain research and management has been funded by a variety of federal, state and private industry sources.
Linda Perrotti, interim associate dean for graduate studies and professor of psychology, will serve as the new Department of Psychology chair, Khaledi said. Perrotti earned her Ph.D. from the City University of New York in 2000 and came to UTA in 2006 as an assistant professor of psychology. Her primary research interests focus on the neural mechanisms underlying sex differences in the behavioral and molecular responses to psychostimulant and opioid drugs. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, among other sources.
College of Science award recipients
Excellence in Teaching Award, Tenure/Tenure Track Faculty
Jeffery Demuth, biology (tenured)
Excellence in Teaching Award, Tenure/Tenure Track Faculty
Hunter Ball, psychology (tenure track)
Excellence in Teaching Award, Teaching Faculty
Megan Korchinski, Earth and environmental sciences
Outstanding Achievement in Research Award
Luke Frishkoff, biology
Excellence in Advising Award
Andrew Gardner, biology
Mary Jane Goad Outstanding Administrative Staff Award
Linda Panther, Earth and environmental sciences
Outstanding Technical Staff Award
Roy McDougald, chemistry and biochemistry
Research Innovation Grant
Luke Frishkoff, biology
Ping Liu, physics
Suvra Pal, mathematics (PI)
Logan Watts, Michelle Martin-Raugh, and Jared Kenworthy, psychology
Faculty Development Award
Ping Liu, physics
Michaela Vancliff, mathematics
Innovative Teaching Grant
Heather Charles, biology: “Developing a new upper-level biology course for MCAT preparation and skills”
Sherri McFarland, chemistry and biochemistry: “CUREs to Address Educational Equity and Scientific Literacy”
Dylan Parks, biology: “UTA certificate in brewing and fermentation science”
Barbara Shipman, mathematics: “Capstone Experiences in Mathematics”
Whitney Tholen, biology: “Development of a capstone, career readiness program for improved student success and retention in the Biology Department”
Cara Boutte and Allison Martin, biology: “Increasing student learning of evolution through an educational game”
Ida Klang and Heather Charles, biology: “BIOL 1345 (Biology for nursing students): Implementing a case study-based curriculum”
Allison Martin, biology, and Evan Spencer, UTA library: “Development and assessment of an interdisciplinary evolution signature assignment for undergraduate biology non-science major students”
Promotion and tenure
Tenure and promotion to Associate Professor
Joseph Boll, biology
Yujie Chi, physics
Suvra Pal, mathematics
Promotion to Full Professor
Woo-Suk Chang, biology
Majie Fan, Earth and environmental sciences
University Award recipients
Academy of Distinguished Scholars
Wei Chen, physics
Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Nicholas Pollock, biology
Excellence in Doctoral Student Mentoring
Laura Mydlarz, biology
President’s Award for Excellence in Distance Education Teaching
Jeremy Glass, mathematics
Outstanding Staff Advisor Award, Undergraduate
Betsy Parchem, psychology
Research Enhancement Program (REP) Grants
Yujie Chi, physics, and Zui Pan, nursing: “Study the ionizing radiation-induced immune response at the cell and cellular microenvironment levels”
Un-Jung Kim, Earth and environmental sciences, and Byung Ran So, chemistry and biochemistry: “Occurrence and fate of microplastics in urban environmental systems and associated human exposure risk assessment”
Young-Tae Kim, bioengineering, and Subhrangsu Mandal, chemistry and biochemistry: “Novel blood-brain-barrier-crossing synthetic metal-free drugs with anti-GBM infiltration and pro-neuroprotection: analyzing their in-vitro and in-vivo efficacy”
McNair Scholars Program Faculty mentors
Clay Clark, biology
Peter Kroll, chemistry and biochemistry
Carl Lovely, chemistry and biochemistry
Faculty Mentors for Junior Faculty
Esther Betran, biology
Woo-Suk Chang, biology
Jeremy Glass, mathematics
Nicolette Hass, psychology
Tim Henry, biology
Jared Kenworthy, psychology
Robin Macaluso, chemistry and biochemistry
Mark Pellegrino, biology
Linda Perrotti, psychology
Michael Roner, biology
Nilakshi Veerabathina, physics
Professional Learning Community
Steve Gellman, health professions advisor (fellow)
Fajer Jaafari, physics (fellow)
Nilakshi Veerabathina, physics (facilitator)
Maverick Advantage Faculty Engagement
Xavier Aranda, biology (fellow)
Nicholas Pollock, biology (fellow)
Center for Service Learning
Cassie Argenbright, GTA, psychology (fellow)
Shanna Banda, mathematics (facilitator)
Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence
Frank Foss, chemistry and biochemistry (facilitator)
Faculty Development Leave
Woo-Suk Chang, biology
Guojun Liao, mathematics
Fred MacDonnell, chemistry and biochemistry
Kevin Schug, chemistry and biochemistry (Fulbright)
Serving on the College’s Research Committee this year were:
Wei Chen, physics
Paul Chippindale, biology
Majie Fan, Earth and environmental sciences
Junha Jeon, chemistry and biochemistry
Ren-Cang Li, mathematics
Linda Perrotti, psychology
Serving on the College’s Teaching Committee this year were:
Esther Betran, biology
Manfred Cuntz, physics
He Dong, chemistry and biochemistry
Majie Fan, Earth and environmental sciences
Theresa Jorgensen, mathematics
Walter Schargel, biology
Nilakshi Veerabathina, physics
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