Urbana campus faculty members named University Scholars

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Six Urbana campus faculty members have been named University Scholars. The program recognizes excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. The faculty members will be honored at a campus reception Sept. 26 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the ballroom of the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.

Begun in 1985, the scholars program recognizes faculty excellence on the three University of Illinois campuses and provides $15,000 to each scholar for each of three years to enhance his or her academic career. The money may be used for travel, equipment, research assistants, books or other purposes.

“People all over the world associate the University of Illinois with the quality of our outstanding faculty,” said Barbara Wilson, executive vice president for academic affairs. “The University Scholars program honors a select group of faculty for their wide-ranging achievements as researchers, instructors, mentors and leaders of broader academic communities.”

The Urbana campus recipients:

Nicole Allen, a professor of psychology, is internationally recognized for her scholarship in the study of organized community efforts to address domestic violence and has been at the forefront of developing service learning courses for undergraduates. Her work has had a significant impact on the way in which communities view solutions to difficult social problems, and she participated in the continued development of a System of Care in Champaign County for children with complex mental health needs.

Scott Carney, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, is a world leader in the area of applied theoretical optics. A theorist who works with experimentalists to maximize the impact of his work, he has made many scholarly contributions, including the ability to translate foundational theory into applied technologies. He is committed to being a champion for all ECE ILLINOIS students through personal interactions, encouragement, outreach and innovative teaching.

Ioannis Chasiotis, a professor of aerospace engineering, has excelled in academic scholarship, teaching and community service. His research focuses on the competing roles of physical processes with different length and time scales controlling the mechanical deformation and fracture of the micro and nanoscale building blocks of materials. He has received all major awards at the stage of his career from all international technical and scientific societies in his field.

Waïl S. Hassan, a professor of comparative and world literature and English, is a major figure in Arabic and postcolonial studies known both as a critic and a translator. His groundbreaking research over the past decade has significantly expanded the scope of modern Arabic literary studies beyond its traditional parameters, and his broad range of interests converge around modern Arabic literature, Arab intellectual history, and Arab diaspora literatures and cultures.

Chad Rienstra, a professor of chemistry, is responsible for many of the breakthroughs that have transformed SSNMR spectroscopy into a useful technique for structural biology, developing SSNMR to the point where it is making major contributions to medicine. One of the leading scientists of his generation, he has proved equally innovative in the classroom, and he has assumed major leadership roles on campus in multiple capacities.

Rebecca Stumpf, a professor of anthropology, is a biological anthropologist with a research specialization in primatology. Her work examines the behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology of primate social systems, with a focus on mating and reproduction. An internationally recognized authority in her field, her path-breaking work is opening up entirely new areas of investigation in biological anthropology and comparative primatology.