PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 20, No. 6, Sept. 21, 2000

Campus Award for Excellence in Public Service
First recipients honored for public service, outreach

Two faculty members, one academic professional and three students are the campus’s first recipients of the Campus Award for Excellence in Public Service. The awards program was developed to recognize those who fulfill the university’s commitment to using their scholarly, creative or professional knowledge for the purpose of improving the well-being of Illinois citizens. Nominations were due last May and recipients were honored at a banquet Sept. 18. The program is an extension of the Partnership Illinois initiative and the Senate Committee on Continuing Education and Public Service.

Photo by Bill Wiegan

May R. Berenbaum, professor and head of entomology

Berenbaum has been active in public service since she arrived at UI in 1980. According to colleagues who nominated her, Berenbaum has an "extraordinary commitment to educating the public about complex issues in ecology and evolutionary biology." She has frequently been invited to participate in programs on insects, through local media and in area schools. She is widely known as the creator of the "Insect Fear Film Festival." As one letter supporting her nomination pointed out, "Professor Berenbaum does not come ‘down’ from the ivory tower to greet her public, but instead lifts everyone she touches to a higher plane of scientific appreciation, be they students or impressionable young children."

Photo by Bill Wiegand

Mats A. Selen, professor of physics

Selen joined the department of physics in 1993, and has since become known to the community as the "Pied Piper of Physics" for his development of the Physics Van program, one of the campus’s best known outreach programs. Currently, the Physics Van offers more than 25 demonstrations each semester. A recurring theme in letters of support for Selen has been his commitment to making physics activities exciting and interesting to both young and old. A colleague concurs, noting "Mats is an extraordinary creative force for public scientific literacy, and he has not merely served when asked, but has gone forward on his own initiative to make contacts and recruit prospective audiences. He has shown … the importance of taking physics education beyond the boundaries of our classrooms and laboratories."

Photo by Bill Wiegand

Thomas L. Moore, director, Psychological Services Center

For more than 25 years, Moore has been a leader of public service activities. As director of the Psychological Services Center, Moore has created professional, research and teaching opportunities in public service. He is a recipient of two Partnership Illinois grants to develop the Community Collaboration for Economic Development. According to a faculty member in psychology, "Thom is fantastically successful in facilitating and promoting meaningful and important public service activities … He brings out the best in others and by creating connections between them, facilitates their accomplishing together what none of them could have done alone."

Amanda Duff Keating, architecture, urban and regional planning
As a graduate student, Keating has been active in public service, beginning with her participation in the School of Architecture’s East St. Louis Action Research Project and most recently with the Office of Volunteer Programs, where she has been responsible for coordinating the annual Non-profit Career Fair and a new K-12/University partnership program.

Timothy A. Shedd, mechanical and industrial engineering
While pursing his doctoral degree, Shedd has dedicated himself to helping people in need through local and international volunteer work. In addition to helping minority youth succeed in science and academics, Shedd also is involved in helping young women and minority undergraduate engineering students achieve success.

Matthew C. Wenger, physics
Wenger became involved in public service in his freshman year by volunteering with the Physics Van outreach program. One of Wenger’s professors notes, "In a nutshell, I have never seen anyone as enthusiastic and hardworking as Matt when it comes to getting children excited about science."