Distinguished

Scholar Award

The Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes exceptional scholarly accomplishments by senior professors who have compiled a substantial body of research, as well as the work of younger faculty members who have demonstrated great scholarly potential. Recipients are nominated by their departments and chosen by a committee of senior faculty, including several past recipients of the award. Distinguished Scholars receive a $3,000 honorarium and a $20,000 research grant to be used during the next three years.

Prabir Dutta

A world-renowned researcher in the area of materials chemistry and characterization, Dutta has excelled as few have in applying basic research to problems of technological importance. His research has the potential to provide practical means of using solar energy to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen, creating a pollution-free fuel. He and his students also have made major strides in synthesizing zeolites, and he has worked with colleagues in the College of Engineering to develop new materials for the next generation of chemical sensors. Dutta is a prolific author, a popular teacher and an exceptional mentor. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in India, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. He has been a member of the Ohio State faculty since 1983.

L. James Lee

Lee virtually single-handedly built the polymer engineering program at Ohio State and is the principal investigator and director of an NSF-funded Center in Advanced Polymer and Composite Engineering. He has been successful in attracting major student and faculty talent, in linking his research to important industrial needs, in securing research funding and awards, in publishing journal articles, and in mentoring graduate students. In short, the quantity and quality of his work is unusual and outstanding. Lee has made significant contributions in advanced polymeric materials and processing. His work in liquid composite molding, thermoset polymer blends and sheet molding compounds is particularly noteworthy. A graduate of National Taiwan University, he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota and has been a member of the Ohio State faculty since 1982.

George Marzluf

Marzluf pioneered the study of gene expression in fungi. Rather than simply identifying new genes, he developed new biochemical techniques to reveal how genes control metabolic processes. As a result, his work led to an increased appreciation for the universality of biological processes from fungi to humans. The quality of his research is exemplified by the fact that the National Institutes of Health has funded his work steadily for more than 30 years. As chair of his department since 1986, Marzluf leads an advisory program to help junior faculty achieve excellence in teaching, research and service. A true Buckeye, he received his undergraduate degree from Ohio State, graduating summa cum laude, and earned his master's here, as well. He earned his Ph.D., with distinction, from Johns Hopkins University before returning in 1970 to join the Ohio State faculty.

Carter Findley

Findley is the reason that many of Turkey's best graduate students come to Ohio State to pursue doctorates in the history of their nation. One of the world's foremost authorities on the Ottoman Empire, Findley is the author of two widely praised and cited monographs on bureaucratic reform and the social history of civil officialdom in the late Ottoman Empire. At the same time, he has made major contributions to the field of world history, including co-authoring the leading textbook, The Twentieth Century World, now in its fourth edition. Currently, Findley is working on a large-scale history of the late Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. He writes and lectures in English, French and Turkish. A magna cum laude graduate of Yale, he earned his Ph.D. at Harvard University and has been a member of the Ohio State faculty for 28 years.

Barbara Andersen

Andersen is a leading researcher in the exciting and growing field of health psychology. She examines the relationships between psychological and behavioral factors in the progression of cancer, and has focused particularly on how stress affects cancer outcomes in women. Her research in the Stress and Immunity Breast Cancer Project has strong clinical impact, and thousands of patients have already benefited from it. In addition to being a first-rate, original scholar, Andersen is a highly regarded teacher, mentor and role model, who contributes to University and community service. She earned her bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Illinois, and served on the faculty of the University of Iowa for eight years before coming to Ohio State in 1989.

Richard Steckel

Formally a faculty member in two departments, Steckel extends his research to many disciplines, including history, demography and human biology as well as economics and physical anthropology. He has melded these diverse areas of study to create a new field: anthrometric history. His work on historical trends in health and nutrition is helping to shape today's health policies. His study of human height and its correlation to economic well-being, particularly in the American slave population, provided new understanding of the past. Steckel received his bachelor's degree in economics from Oberlin College and master's degrees in economics and mathematics from the University of Oklahoma. He earned another master's and a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Chicago under the direction of Nobel Laureate Robert Fogel before joining the Ohio State faculty in 1974.

Faculty Award for

Distinguished University Service

The Faculty Award for Distinguished University Service honors faculty who have made extensive contributions to the development and implementation of University policies and programs through nonadministrative roles. They are nominated by members of the University community and selected by a committee of faculty, administrators and previous recipients. They receive a $3,000 cash award and an increase of $1,200 to their base salaries.

Susan W. Fisher

Intelligence, discernment, tact and dedication are among the qualities that Fisher has brought to her participation in more than 50 Universitywide committees and subcommittees. Long active in University Senate, she has chaired the Steering Committee, the Executive Committee of Steering, and both Faculty Cabinet and Faculty Council. As chair of Faculty Council, she developed an action agenda that delineated the council's goals and successfully accomplished five of the seven items. Fisher's leadership was vital to the creation of the Secretary of the Faculty position, and to amendments to rules governing promotion and tenure that made them more responsive and humane. In addition, her service extends to college and departmental activities and to the public. An outstanding researcher, widely known for her work on zebra mussels, Fisher carries a full teaching load. She joined the Ohio State faculty in 1981, shortly after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.

Bunny C. Clark

There is perhaps no one more in demand to serve on important Universitywide committees than Clark. Universally admired for her intelligence, integrity and level-headed leadership, Clark has served on major search committees at all levels, including those that nominated the president of the University and the dean of her college. As a Distinguished University Professor, she is a member of the President's and Provost's Advisory Committee. She also was a member of the Accreditation Steering Committee when Ohio State underwent its last accreditation. Current activities include membership on the Committee to Evaluate Central Administrators and the Special University Marketing Task Force. She has been a member and chair of the Selective Investments Committee. In addition, she is an award-winning researcher and teacher, and an effective advocate and mentor for women in science. A member of the Ohio State family since 1969, first as a research associate and scientist, then as a faculty member, Clark earned her Ph.D. at Wayne State University and her B.S. and M.S. at Kansas State University.

Paul Allen Beck

Beck is a distinguished scholar, a dedicated teacher and an able administrator. On top of that, he is an exemplary University citizen whose service in many capacities has contributed enormously to raising Ohio State's standards of academic excellence. As a member of the Provost's Advisory Committee, chair of the Mershon Center Oversight Committee, and in his recently assumed position as chair of the Selective Investments Committee, Beck has always put academic quality first and been a thoughtful, probing and constructive participant in discussions and deliberations. He has also worked tirelessly on Universitywide committees focused on financial planning and budgetary accountability -- chairing both the Revenue Generation Advisory Committee and the University Senate Fiscal Committee. A member of the Ohio State faculty since 1987, he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan and previously taught at Florida State University and the University of Pittsburgh.

next page...