Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence awards professors

Late in the fall semester, the Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence administered two awards for faculty achievements in scholarship and mentoring. Three faculty members received the CSCE Distinguished Early-Career Scholar Award, and one was honored with the CSCE Distinguished Undergraduate Mentoring Award.

The CSCE Distinguished Early-Career Scholar Award recipients were Nael Barakat, associate professor of engineering; Stephen Borders, assistant professor of public, nonprofit, and health administration; and Christopher Lawrence, assistant professor of chemistry. Robert Smart, director of the CSCE, said the recipients were chosen because they demonstrated mastery in their field while contributing to theory, research, and creative practice through outstanding achievements.

John Weber, associate professor of geology, received the CSCE Distinguished Undergraduate Mentoring Award for his dedication to mentoring undergraduate researchers and his support and encouragement of mentoring relationships. Weber said he enjoys mentoring students through projects, and that undergraduate research gives students a headstart in the workforce.

"I find that students who succeed at doing deep-level undergraduate research learn how to think critically, write well, work indepandantly, and solve real-life problems in the field and/or in the laboratory," Weber said.

The faculty members were honored during February's Faculty Convocation. Nominations for the CSCE awards were solicited from deans, department chairs, alumni, faculty colleagues, and current research students. For more information about the awards and nominations, visit www.gvsu.edu/csce.