FACULTY
& STAFF
HIGHLIGHTS
from around COSAM
Meir Appointed Temporary
Program Director at the
National Science Foundation
Two Professors Named Recipients
of Endowed Positions
Associate Professor Orlando Acevedo was selected
the inaugural S. D. and Karen Worley Professor in
the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
The five-year term of the appointment began in
August. Emeritus Professor and Mrs. Worley
created the endowed professorship to support
superior faculty who teach in the fields of organic,
physical, or polymer chemistry, to strengthen
the research and teaching programs of the
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and
to recognize strong commitment to instruction,
research, and service of high quality.
Acevedo is an organic chemist who researches
the application and development of new
computational tools that target organic
and enzymatic catalyst design, alternative
environmentally friendly solvent design, and drug
discovery. His research group probes fundamental
problems in organic and medicinal chemistry, such
as elucidation of enzymatic reactions, controlling
enantioselectivity for chiral compounds, transition
structure prediction, de novo drug design of highaffinity inhibitors, and origins of solvent effects.
Acevedo received his doctorate at Duquesne
University in 2003 and was a postdoctoral
associate at Yale University from 2003-06.
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Journey/2014
Associate Professor Christopher Easley was
selected as the first C. Harry Knowles Professor for
Leadership in Research or Outreach to Enhance
Science Teaching and Learning in the College
of Sciences and Mathematics. The five-year term
began in August 2013.
Knowles, a COSAM alumnus, created the
endowed professorship to recognize and reward an
outstanding COSAM professor who, through his or
her research or outreach efforts, plays a leadership
role in preparing skilled middle or high school
science teachers, and/or motivates students at
middle school, high school, and university levels to
pursue careers in the sciences or science education.
Easley is an analytical chemist who is involved in
numerous research and outreach efforts related
to middle school teacher training. He is working
on a National-Science-Foundation-funded Math
and Science Partnership grant titled, “A NanoBio
Science Partnership for the Alabama Black Belt
Region,” which is focused on training middle
school science teachers in Alabama’s underserved
Black Belt region. The grant is a team effort that
includes primary investigator Professor Curtis
Shannon, the Andrew T. Hunt Professor of
Chemistry, and Virginia Davis, associate professor
of chemical engineering. During the project, the
team has developed new curriculum modules that
explore various aspects of nanoscience and biology
concepts. The modules are intended to be complete,
stand-alone resources for teachers to use in the
classroom and consist of multiple components,
including hands-on student activities, PowerPoint
presentations, lesson plans, videos, and handouts.
In addition to developing curriculum modules for
the Math and Science Partnership grant, Easley
has participated in teacher training activities and
designed two websites that pertain to teaching and
outreach activities.
Easley is also active with COSAM’s Office of
Outreach and has volunteered with the Summer
Youth Experiences in Science Camp, the Boosting
Engineering Science and Technology robotics
competition, and AU Explore. He has also been
involved with module development for the Auburn
University Science in Motion program.
Easley’s research spans several scientific disciplines,
from fundamental analytical chemistry to
molecular and cell biology, conducted through
combinations of novel and traditional techniques,
including: microfluidics, fluorescence microscopy
and spectroscopy, passive flow control, molecular
biology, aptamer selection, and electrophoresis.
Two from COSAM Receive
NACADA Excellence in
Advising Awards
Professor A.J. Meir of the Department of
Mathematics and Statistics was appointed
as a temporary program director, also
known as a “rotator,” at the National Science
Foundation’s Division of Mathematical
Sciences. He spent the 2013-14 academic
year at NSF headquarters in Arlington, Va.
As a temporary program director, Meir made
recommendations about which proposals to
fund; influenced new directions in the fields of
science, engineering, and education; supported
cutting-edge interdisciplinary research; and
mentored junior research members. Meir
received a bachelor of science in aeronautical
engineering from Technion – Israel Institute
of Technology, and a doctorate in mathematics
from Carnegie Mellon University. He has
a strong research interest in numerical and
computational mathematics. Specifically,
he conducts research in numerical partial
differential equations, or the numerical analysis
of methods for approximating solutions of
partial differential equations, and the modeling
and simulation of complex-coupled problems.
The National Academic Advising Association
selected Elizabeth Yarbrough, PhD, and Kathryn
Milly West for 2014 Region 4: Excellence in
Advising awards. The awards are presented to
individuals who have demonstrated qualities
associated with outstanding academic advising of
students.
Yarbrough, the director of student services for
COSAM, is the recipient of the NACADA
Region 4 Excellence in Advising: Advising
Administration award. She also received the
Certificate of Merit of the Outstanding Advising
Award - Academic Advising Administrator, which
is a national recognition.
West, who has been the coordinator of the
Laboratory Science and Medical Laboratory
Science degree programs since 1996, is the
recipient of the 2014 Region 4 Excellence in
Advising – Faculty Role Award and the national
Outstanding Advising Award - Faculty Academic
Advising Winner. The Faculty Academic Advising
category includes those individuals whose primary
responsibility is teaching and who spend a portion
of their time providing academic advising services
to students. She will be honored and presented
with the national award in Minneapolis during
the NACADA Annual Conference this fall.
Established in 1983, the NACADA Annual
Awards Program for Academic Advising honors
individuals and institutions making significant
contributions to the improvement of academic
advising. NACADA is a representative and
advocate of academic advising and those
providing the service to higher education. The
awards were announced at the NACADA
regional conference in April in Savannah, Ga.
Easley received his doctorate at the University of
Virginia and was a National Institutes of Health
postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University
Medical Center from 2006-08.
College of Sciences and Mathematics
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