Four exceptional faculty members at West Virginia University have been named 2016 Benedum Distinguished Scholars in recognition of the high caliber of their research and scholarly activity:
· Dr. Katherine Aaslestad, professor of history in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
· Dr. Brad Humphreys, professor of economics in the College of Business and Economics
· Dr. Paul Lockman, professor and the Douglas Glover Endowed Chair for Pharmaceutical Sciences, interim associate dean for Research at West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, associate director for translational research at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center in the West Virginia University Cancer Institute
· Dr. Aldo Romero, associate professor of Physics and Astronomy in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
The Distinguished Scholars awards, funded by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, are given annually to faculty engaged in “creative research” in as many as four categories: behavioral and social sciences, biosciences and health sciences, humanities and the arts, and physical sciences and technology. This year, scholars have been selected in all four categories.
“I am always excited to read about our Benedum Distinguished Scholars, because even the barest outlines of their career achievements in their fields are tremendously impressive,” said Provost Joyce McConnell. “These are all scholars who are recognized nationally—or even internationally—for creative, game-changing work. We are very proud to have them here at WVU and to have the opportunity to recognize their achievements with this award.”
Katherine Aaslestad is a widely published and internationally recognized specialist on modern Germany history. Her most recent book, Revisiting Napoleon’s Continental System: Local, Regional, and European Experiences, presents essays by international scholars and analyzes the short and long-term consequences of economic warfare. She has also published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles in English, Spanish and German on republicanism, consumer culture, civilian war experiences, the commemoration of war, and war and gender. Aaslestad’s research has been funded by grants from numerous international sources, including the German Academic Exchange Service and the Fulbright Scholar Program. She serves on the editorial board of the journal Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift, on the Deutsche Presseforschung Beirat at the University of Bremen, in Germany and on an International Advisory Committee at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.
Brad Humphreys is a national leader in research on the economics and financing of professional sports and on the economics of gambling. He is editor-in-chief of Contemporary Economic Policy, a general interest economics journal, and serves on the editorial boards of several others. He has published more than 90 papers in peer-reviewed journals in economics and public policy and is the co-editor of the three- volume The Business of Sport, a comprehensive examination of sports business, economics and finance. This text was named an Outstanding Business Reference Source by the Business Reference Sources Committee of the American Library Association.
Paul Lockman’s work on mathematical modelling of drug entry into the brain has led to an understanding of how the specialized system of blood vessels in the brain can prevent chemotherapy from reaching some cancer at effective concentrations. He has published approximately 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts and or book chapters, which have collectively been cited more than 4000 times. Lockman has received more than $11 million dollars to help fund his or his collaborators’ research. He currently serves as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health. He also has received numerous awards for his teaching. He has won a President’s Excellence in Teaching award, a Chancellors Award for Excellence in Teaching and four School of Pharmacy Teacher of the Year awards at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-School of Pharmacy. Lockman was also awarded The Innovations in Teaching Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy in 2007.
Aldo Romero’s research program at WVU has focused on developing methods that predict the structure and properties of materials at the atomic scale. He has published more than 180 papers in high impact international journals such as Science, Physical Review Letters, and Nanoletters. Romero was named a fellow of the American Physical Society in 2014 and has served as assistant editor of the European Physical Journal B. He has helped organized many scientific conferences and workshops and was a co-organizer of the Mid-Atlantic Section of the American Physical Society Meeting that took place in Morgantown in 2015.
“The criteria for the Benedum Distinguished Scholar award specifies that the recipient have demonstrated excellence in ‘creative research,’ ” said Associate Provost CB Wilson, whose office oversees all faculty awards. “This year it was very clear to the selection committee that all four of these faculty members more than met that benchmark, clearly pursuing extremely distinguished and productive research careers.”
All four Benedum Distinguished Scholars will be recognized by President Gordon Gee and Provost McConnell at the faculty and staff awards dinner at Blaney House this April. Each scholar will also receive $5000 in professional development support from the Benedum Foundation and will deliver a public lecture on campus in fall 2017. Further information on these lectures, including the location and time of each one, will be forthcoming from the Provost’s Office this fall.
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CONTACT:
Ann Claycomb, Assistant Vice President for Strategic and Academic Communication
304.293.9919; ann.claycomb@mail.wvu.edu
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