Lincoln (Neb.) - Dec. 20, 2001 - The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has selected 10 of its leading scholars to become the university's first Charles Bessey and Willa Cather professors.
Those selected were Ruma Banerjee (biochemistry), Peter Dowben (physics and astronomy), Keith Jacobshagen (art and art history), Clinton Jones (veterinary and biomedical sciences), Carole Levin (history), Marjorie Lou (veterinary and biomedical sciences), Svata Louda (biological sciences), Shashi Verma (natural resource sciences), Roger Wiegand (mathematics and statistics) and Xiao Cheng Zeng (chemistry).
"The Bessey and Cather professorships were created last summer to recognize distinguished scholarship and creative activity," said Chancellor Harvey Perlman. Perlman made the final selection after a field of 38 candidates were reviewed by the University Professorships committee, which also reviews applications for the rank of University Professor, the university's highest designation for faculty.
"The establishment of the Bessey and Cather professorships is an important element in the university's efforts to retain its top faculty. We're very proud of the 10 new Bessey and Cather professors. They are all highly accomplished scholars whose research and creativity carry on in the tradition of Charles Bessey and Willa Cather, two of the outstanding individuals in the history of the University of Nebraska."
Bessey served as chair of botany at Nebraska from 1884 until 1915 and made NU one of the nation's leading centers for botanical research. Cather was an 1895 graduate who went on to become one of the outstanding novelists of her generation and one whose work continues to resonate with readers all over the world.
The Bessey and Cather professorships, which will vary in number of appointments from year to year, are open to all full professors (regardless of academic discipline) who do not already hold another named professorship or chair. The appointments are for five years and are renewable upon review. Each includes a $2,500 annual stipend. Each professor has the option to be either a Bessey or Cather professor.
Banerjee, whose internationally recognized research focuses on the structure and function of key enzymes involved in human metabolism, has been a member of the Nebraska faculty since 1991 and has served as acting head of the department of biochemistry since May. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at Delhi University in India and her doctorate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and taught at the University of Michigan before coming to Nebraska.
Dowben's main area of expertise is condensed matter physics, but he is also known internationally for his research in several other areas, including surface science and organic materials. A member of the Nebraska faculty since 1995, he earned his bachelor's degree at Haverford (Pa.) College and his doctorate at the University of Cambridge in England. He came to Nebraska from Syracuse University.
Jacobshagen is known as one of the "Heartland Painters," contemporary artists who revived the idea of American Regionalism, depicting dramatic landscapes of the plains. A native of Wichita, Kan., he received his formal college education at Wichita State University, the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, the Kansas City Art Institute (BFA, 1965) and the University of Kansas (MFA, 1968). He joined the Nebraska faculty in 1968.
Jones, who came to Nebraska from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1989, has performed groundbreaking research in the study of bovine herpesvirus that in recent years has led him to undertake related work on the human pathogen, herpes simplex virus. Jones earned his bachelor's degree at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan., and his doctorate at the University of Kansas.
Levin has been at the forefront of a revolution in historical research that has incorporated women's history and non-traditional sources into mainstream scholarly narratives. Her most-recent book, "The Reign of Elizabeth I," is due out this month from Palgrave Publishers in London. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society and specialist in the late medieval and early modern history of England and Europe, Levin joined the Nebraska faculty in 1998. She earned her bachelor's degree at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and her master's and doctorate at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.
Lou, who came to Nebraska in 1994 from Alcon Laboratories in Fort Worth, Texas, has earned an international reputation as a leading eye researcher, especially on the formation of cataracts. She earned her bachelor's degree in agricultural chemistry at National Taiwan University, her master's in biochemistry and nutrition at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the her doctorate in biochemistry at the Boston University Medical Center.
Louda's research has revolutionized biologists' understanding of the impact of herbivorous insects on plant populations and communities, including the impact of non-native insects that have been released for weed control. A member of the Nebraska faculty since 1983, Louda earned bachelor's degrees in economics at Pomona (Calif.) College and zoology at the University of Washington, a master's degree in biology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a doctorate in ecology in a joint program at the University of California at Riverside and San Diego State University.
Verma, who joined the Nebraska faculty in 1972, has an international reputation for excellence in micrometeorology research and has been a leader in studying the greenhouse gas effect and its potential impact on agriculture. He earned his bachelor's degree at Ranchi University in India, his master's at the University of Colorado in Boulder and his doctorate at Colorado State University.
Wiegand is an internationally acclaimed mathematician and is regarded as one of the top five scholars in the world in the areas of commutative algebra and representation theory of orders. One of his major contributions was the complete solution in the 1970s of the long-unsolved Kaplansky problem. A member of the Nebraska faculty since 1972, he earned his bachelor's degree at Princeton University and his master's and doctorate at the University of Washington.
Zeng has produced groundbreaking research in nanoscale ice, creating
the first models of two-dimensional and one-dimensional ice, and causing
water to shrink and form glass instead of ice when subjected to extremes
of pressure, cold and confinement. He joined the Nebraska faculty as an
assistant professor in 1993 and reached the rank of full professor this
year. He earned his bachelor's degree in physics at Peking University and
his doctorate in condensed matter physics at Ohio State University.
For questions regarding these releases, contact:
tsimons1@unl.edu
(402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825