Three TU professors earn USM Regents' Awards
Hemm and Wolfson, both in the Department of Biology, won awards for mentoring and public service, respectively. Miranda, a physics professor, won his award for teaching.
Towson University professors Matthew Hemm, Ph.D.; Rommel Miranda, Ph.D.; and Jane Wolfson, Ph.D. each won 2016 University System of Maryland Regents’ Awards.
"Congratulations to all three of our award recipients on earning these prestigious awards," said TU President Kim Schatzel. "One of our strengths as a university is our outstanding faculty and the tremendous work they do teaching and mentoring our students. The Regents' Faculty Awards represent the highest honor bestowed by the Board of Regents to recognize exemplary faculty achievement, and we could not be more proud of our 2016 honorees."
Hemm and Wolfson, both in the Department of Biology, won awards for mentoring and public service, respectively. Miranda, a physics professor, won his award for teaching.
"We are incredibly proud of our three faculty members who are being honored with these Regents' awards," said Provost Timothy Chandler. "In each case, the award recipients are being recognized for their outstanding work both in and out of the classroom. That all three are faculty members who teach in the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics underscores the importance of building a new science facility at Towson University that strengthens our programs in undergraduate research, STEM integration, and workforce preparation."
Hemm is a strong proponent of undergraduates conducting research, particularly in the classroom setting. His molecular biology laboratory class has facilitated the research of more than 200 undergraduates. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this work has led to the identification of at least 15 new small proteins and a soon-to-be-published article for the students who participated in the research. Further, undergraduates who pass the molecular biology lab class can conduct independent research in Hemm’s lab on the new small proteins. He won an Innovation in Teaching award from TU’s Office of Academic Innovation and has worked with other faculty members to integrate research into undergraduate lab classes.
Miranda has organized and facilitated 87 events (planetarium shows, star parties, classroom visits, and science fairs) in local schools and community partners with TU undergraduate students who participate in these events and learn about effective outreach. Dr. Miranda and his students have directly impacted 7,500 students in six Maryland school districts and the Baltimore Metropolitan area. He also serves as the co-director for the Project ASTRO institutional site at TU.
Dr. Jane Wolfson
Professor of Biology
Wolfson began TU’s Towson Opportunities in STEM (TOPS) program, which enabled at-risk students from underserved Baltimore metropolitan schools to succeed and graduate with a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degree. She has also built cross-campus sustainability initiatives and has worked to integrate climate literacy into many TU courses, especially those for pre-service teachers. Much of her public service work at Towson was supported by National Science Foundation grants.
“A number of faculty members in the Fisher College have received Regents’ Awards before but, to my knowledge, never three in one year,” said Jess & Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics Dean David Vanko. “I am very proud to be associated with all of these outstanding colleagues. They are a testament to the hard work being done at Towson University in research, teaching, mentoring and public service.”
The three honorees are the most for TU since 2010-11, when five Towson professors earned awards.
The Regents' Faculty Awards represent the highest honor bestowed by the Board of Regents to recognize exemplary faculty achievement. Each award carries a $1,000 prize, provided by the institutions and the University System of Maryland Foundation.
The awards are presented in four categories: public service; teaching; mentoring; and research, scholarship, and creative activity.
Institutional Faculty Nominating Committees make recommendations to the institutional presidents, who review nominations and supporting material and forward recommendations to the Chancellor. The Regents' Faculty Review Committee makes the final recommendations.