Category: Creative Research Medal

Creative Research Medal 2016

Pete Bettinger, professor of forestry and natural resources, is known and widely respected for his extensive contributions to the development and application of forest planning and resource assessment models. These models are critically important for land management and the sustainable use of forest resources. Through his research, Bettinger has developed forest plans that mitigate risks from wind or fire damage; he has developed methods to protect wildlife habitats; and he has used his expertise to promote urban tree growth as a means to increase carbon sequestration. His research group uses advanced techniques, including global positioning systems, geographic information systems and remote sensor imagery to provide high-quality objective information necessary for advanced decision-making. Bettinger is also widely celebrated for his books, including Forest Plans of North America, Introduction to Forestry and Natural Resources, and Forest Management and Planning.

Creative Research Medal 2015

Jan Westpheling, professor of genetics, has made extensive contributions to the emerging field of bioenergy. Working as part of the BioEnergy Science Center, one of three Bioenergy Research Centers funded by the Department of Energy for biofuels research, Westpheling developed genetic methods for the previously uncharacterized bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor bescii and used those tools to engineer a pathway for ethanol production. This unusual organism grows best in the heated waters around hydrothermal vents, thriving in temperatures around 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Her laboratory engineered a version of this bacterium that is capable of converting switchgrass—a nonfood, renewable feedstock—directly into ethanol without conventional pretreatment of the biomass. Removing the necessity of pretreatment not only saves time, it also significantly reduces costs, one of the major obstacles to sustainable biofuel production. Westpheling’s discovery could pave the way for the rapid introduction of new biofuels to the market using sustainable biomass feedstocks, reducing dependence on non-renewable fuel sources such as petroleum, and limiting the production of greenhouse gasses.

Previous Award

Creative Research Medal 2001

Creative Research Medal 2015

Robert Cooper, professor of wildlife ecology and biometrics, is recognized for his innovative research involving advanced quantitative and other methods to assess and advance decision making involving the conservation of bird populations. His outstanding work has influenced how this important natural resource is managed in the southeast, and has had a lasting impact on how wildlife conservation is taught. A particular theme of Cooper’s work is the study of how insectivorous bird populations interact with and control populations of their prey, which has advanced the understanding of how the insect food base drives bird survival and population dynamics. More recently, Cooper has broadened his research to understand the effects of climate change and other human impacts on a variety of bird habitats and species. He is currently co-leading a team of scientists, land managers and policy makers to develop a biodiversity monitoring program for coastal habitats along the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Creative Research Medal 2015

Shiyou Chen, associate professor of physiology and pharmacology, has made numerous important contributions to our understanding of smooth muscle development, which is important for both cardiovascular development and the onset of several major cardiovascular diseases. Chen developed two powerful cell model systems that have been very useful to study the molecular mechanisms controlling smooth muscle development. These two models allow scientists to identify the fundamental regulatory mechanisms governing the different functional properties of vascular smooth muscle cells and how diversity in these cells may contribute to the onset of cardiovascular diseases. His other works have identified several molecular targets useful for the development of new drug-eluting stents, which are coated with medicine that prevents scar tissue from growing into the artery. Chen’s discoveries will allow the development of new drugs to regulate the proliferation of smooth muscle and endothelial cells, and could also lead to new coatings on stents that reduce blood clot risk.

Creative Research Medal 2015

Scott Ardoin, professor of educational psychology, has been a pioneer in the application of new methods for improving upon a popular reading intervention commonly referred to as repeated readings (RR). Although the procedure is recommended as a best practice by the National Reading Panel, the majority of research supporting RR demonstrates its effectiveness in helping students to read materials that they practice, rather than new, unpracticed material. Concerned with these limited generalization effects, Ardoin created innovative procedures to increase the probability that the intervention schools were providing to struggling readers would result in greater classroom gains. Whereas other RR procedures require one-on-one instruction, the modified procedures produced significant gains in students’ reading fluency with a 1:3 teacher student ratio, allowing the intervention to be provided to more students without the need of additional resources. More recently, Ardoin has employed previously unused technology, such as eye-tracking devices, to better understand how and why students’ reading improves.

Creative Research Medal 2014

Michael Usher, associate professor of mathematics, is recognized for his breakthrough development of a new tool known as “boundary depth,” which helps mathematicians working in the field of symplectic geometry better understand the intricacies of an important geometric space known as the group of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms. While Usher’s contributions are in pure mathematics, the field of symplectic geometry was born from and is strongly tied to applications in physics. Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms of symplectic manifolds provide a unified perspective on the dynamics of physical systems according to the laws of classical mechanics. They are used to mathematically model those physical systems in which energy is preserved. Greater insight into these transformations has improved our understanding of turbulent fluid flow, the stability of the solar system, the foundations of quantum mechanics and many other phenomena. In a series of five papers, Usher helped settle many longstanding problems in this field, but he also introduced new concepts that help bridge gaps between fundamental mathematical theories.