This newsletter is full of accomplishments of students, faculty, and
alumni we wish to celebrate. First, read about our Goldwater Scholar,
Grant Ruehle, and a graduating senior in Molecular Biology, Caitlyn
Tivy, who is also a Driscoll Scholar. Then there are the
accomplishments of our faculty; Andrei Kutateladze from Chemistry
and Biochemistry is DU’s latest John Evan’s Scholar; John Kinnamon is
the United Methodist Church University Scholar/Teacher of the Year;
Barry Zink from Physics & Astronomy was recognized by NSF with a
Spring is finally here and the flowering trees are blooming.
Graduation will soon be here and our seniors will be leaving the
University of Denver. It is time for celebration.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Best wishes,
L. Alayne Parson
Dean, Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
I am very proud of all that we have to celebrate and hope that you are
too.
CAREER award; Andy Goetz from Geography was recognized with
the prestigious Edward L. Ullman Award; and Rick Ball from
Mathematics had the distinct honor of giving the University Lecture.
Finally, there are accomplished alumni like Tricia Colclaser graduate
from Mathematics who received The Raytheon Teaching Award and
Brent Frakes graduate from Geography who received DU’s
Distinguished Alumni award.
Letter from the Dean
Mathematics adds up to accolades,
and a bit of fame, for Math alum
When Tricia Colclaser left the University of Denver with her master’s degree
in mathematics, she knew she wanted to get back into the classroom, as a
teacher.
But she didn’t expect to end up in the Washington Post, an important part
of a massive project on education, and named one of the nation’s “Math
Heroes” by one of the biggest engineering companies in the country.
“Expect this? No,” Colclaser says, reflecting on the whirlwind year of 2009.
“I was thrilled. I was so thrilled. I couldn’t believe it.”
What thrilled the 2006 DU grad (M.S. mathematics) was an exciting
year that saw the Fairfax County, Va., high school math teacher star in a
Washington Post series where reporter Michael Alison Chandler sat in her
class for a full year and actually took Algebra II all over again from her, as a
student. And she wrote about it.
The year was punctuated by a major award, when Colclaser was received
one of just 32 national Raytheon “Math Hero” awards that recognize
teachers for their efforts to engage students in mathematics through creative
learning.
www.nsm.du.edu
303-871-2693
Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Colclaser (pronounced CALL-clay-zer), came to DU in 2004 after earning
her bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the University of Virginia. She was
teaching middle school math in Lakewood when she decided to pursue a
master’s.
Spring/Summer 2010
“I thought it would open more doors, help me to teach more challenging
courses,” she says. “I was thrilled to be able to go to DU because I was able
to get a teaching assistant position, so I could get experience teaching at a
higher level while earning my degree.”
Armed with that master’s degree, the advanced classroom experience, but
still with a sense of adventure and fun that drew her to teaching to begin
with, Colclaser found her way back east, where she is from, and landed
a job teaching in Fairfax County, a suburb of Washington, D.C., teaching
calculus and advanced mathematics in high school. Then, in 2008, the Post
came knocking.
The reporter, Chandler, was examining an emphasis in math in public
schools. And as an education reporter, she wanted to know first-hand what
it was like in the trenches and what were students learning.
An avowed math-hater, Chandler, wrote in her blog about how she
approached the algebra II class with trepidation. But ever the trooper, she
showed up every other day at 7:20 a.m. for 80 minutes of class with 27 high
school students … and Mrs. Colclaser.
Boettcher West 228
2050 E. Iliff Avenue
Denver, CO 80208
“Colclaser, 29, appeals to students with a high-octane energy and a sociable
demeanor. She wears a Fairfax Rebels football jersey on home game days,
and starts the Monday morning math conversation often by comparing NFL
scores,” Chandler wrote on her blog, describing her first day in school. “But
she’s strict, too, promising no extra credit, and checking homework every
class, taking note when students say they forgot or shrug it off.”
For her part, Colclaser says having a reporter from one of the nation’s most
influential newspapers in class was a test of her own.
Chemistry student strikes Gold(water) with prestigious award
The chemical formula for University of Denver
chemistry major Grant Ruehle’s success starts with
AuH20.
Ruehle, 20, a junior who plans to wrap up his
bachelor of science in chemistry in the next
academic year, was being true to his broad
intellectual curiosity last fall when he started
researching the late Arizona senator and one-time
Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater
when he came across information about the Barry
M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in
Education Foundation.
During his presidential run, Goldwater’s supporters
sported buttons and carried signs that incorporated
the chemical symbol for Gold (Au) and Water (H20).
Grant Ruehle is a junior at DU majoring in
chemistry and a 2010 Goldwater Scholar.
“I had no idea there was a foundation in his name
that gave out scholarships to people interested in
math and the sciences,” he says. “I read about it
and was really interested.”
The foundation, created by Congress in 1986, was
developed to “alleviate a critical current and future
shortage of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians,
and engineers,” the foundation’s website says.
Ruehle was one of less than 300 recipients of the
scholarship in the U.S. this year, and the sole DU
recipient.
The scholarship, up to $7,500 for qualified
sophomores and juniors, is aimed at encouraging
excellence in science and foster young scientists,
funded by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and
Excellence in Education Fund, which was established
in the Treasury of the United States. Funding for
awards and administrative expenses comes from
interest on the Goldwater Trust Fund.
After uncovering the application for the scholarship,
Ruehle went to work on the required essay, focusing
on his work at the Health Sciences Center at the
Anschutz Medical Center in Denver. There, he has
spent the past year studying RNA (Ribonucleic acid)
and the structure of one particular makeup of a viral
molecule that leads to the turnip yellow mosaic.
While that particular disease affects turnips,
Post reporter Michael Alison Chandler took Algebra II with Fairfax High School
teacher and DU Mathematics alumna Tricia Colclaser, pictured.
(By Dayna Smith For The Washington Post)
understanding it and the role of the RNA could lead
to breakthroughs in diseases that affect humans.
Ruehle comes from a scientific background – his
father, Ray, is a former professor of physics at
Western State College – as well as ties to DU, where
his older brother, Alex, collected a master’s in
business from the Daniels College of Business in
2008. His father, and mother, Nancy, as well as his
older brother, Joel, live in Ruehle’s hometown of
Gunnison, Colo. His commitment to education and
intellectual curiosity paid off even before coming to
DU, earning a prestigious Boettcher Scholar award
out of high school.
Rhuele says he came to DU with an eye toward
molecular biology, but he tackled his first year with
an open mind, exploring everything from philosophy
to a variety of sciences. Eventually he gravitated
toward chemistry.
“I think I’ve always had a passion and an interest for
science in general,” he says. “I’m interested in a lot
of things, learning how everything works together
and where that can lead us.”
After graduation, Rhuele says he has an eye on
attending graduate school before seeking a career in
the industrial chemical field. In his spare time,
Rhuele is a member of the DU club cycling team and
is learning to scuba dive.
When you’re a college student trying to pay tuition, winning a scholarship can
make your day. But if you’re Caitlyn Tivy, it can make your next two years.
It was while she was featured in those Post stories that Colclaser was also
nominated by a former DU classmate, Sarah Law, for the Raytheon award.
SCHOLARSHIP BRINGS STUDENT, DONOR TOGETHER
“It made me a little nervous in the beginning that I had a Washington Post
reporter in the classroom,” she says. “But then, I’m confident in my teaching
ability, and I really enjoy interacting with the students, that’s why I like high
school so much. By the end of the first couple of weeks I was accustomed to
it.”
“Math Hero awards reward teachers for promoting math to students in a
fun and challenging learning environment,” Raytheon says. “Teachers were
nominated by students, parents and faculty for their enthusiasm and interest
in teaching math to others.”
Colclaser says she was floored by the award and thrilled it came with a
$2,500 grant for her school. She used the grant to buy overhead digital
document projectors so she could work through homework problems with
her students.
“To be able to give something to the math department was fantastic,” she
says.
And as for Chandler. After struggling with a topic she admittedly struggled
with all year, including, Colclaser says, a lot of homework and plenty
of quizzes and tests, she earned an A. And all of her “classmates,” the
real high school students sharing Colclaser with her, passed Virginia’s
standardized algebra achievement tests.
In one of her final reports, Chandler wrote, “What I discovered at Fairfax
High was a hard-working teacher who knew her math, a fast-paced, toocrammed curriculum, and a group of teenagers who mostly tried their best.”
Colclaser slowed down her teaching for this past year, teaching part time
at a community college while she cares for her new son, Ryan. She lives in
Virginia with her husband, Rob.
The year Colclaser spent with a Washington Post reporter in her classroom is
detailed in a full blog at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/x-equals-why.
That’s what Tivy discovered when she won the Driscoll Family Scholarship, an
award that goes toward financial expenses in the final two years for an
outstanding student studying biology.
Tivy’s no stranger to scholarships. And when you consider her academic
achievements, it’s no surprise. She’s sporting a 3.99 GPA and will graduate in June
with a bachelor of science in molecular biology and two minors, chemistry and
Spanish. For her honor’s thesis, she researched the regulation of hormones in the
brain, specifically the effect of estrogen on the mechanics of secretion on prolactin
in the pituitary gland.
Tivy estimates she’s collected about 10 scholarships.
But the Driscoll award was special.
“It’s a great honor to win it. I was really touched to be picked for it … it meant so
much to me. School is incredibly expensive; it’s hard to find financial aide,” Tivy
says. “I’ll still have student loans after school, but getting this scholarship allowed
me to focus on school and not have to worry about being in debt until I’m 40. I
know I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I did without it.”
Something else Tivy liked about the Driscoll scholarship was that instead of just
getting a notice explaining she had won it, she actually got to meet, and lunch
with, Helen Driscoll, who heads the family scholarship and is the widow of Dr.
William Driscoll, who worked at DU for more than 30 years. (The school’s student
center is named for him.)
“Normally I just get a letter about a scholarship and I don’t meet donors,” Tivy
says. “This was the first time I’d actually met a donor in person. It was nice to have
that opportunity to meet Mrs. Driscoll and thank her in person for her support and
to get to know her. I know her husband was incredibly important to the DU.
They’ve done so much for the school.”
Driscoll’s met Caitlyn three times and is impressed. “She’s done a great job in
biology, she’s a fantastic student and very personable,” Driscoll says.
Driscoll adds she’s proud to support DU and its students. She graduated from DU
in 1946, and she’s been giving money to the biology department for years. But 10
years ago decided to put her gifts toward the scholarship.
She says the family intentionally limited the scholarship to a student’s final two
years to be sure the students were genuinely interested in biology, and “not just
trying it out.”
Driscoll would like to see more people give money for scholarships.
“How many parents can pay 37,000 a year? I wouldn’t think very many,” Driscoll
says. “So the more we can help with scholarships, the better. I think that’s so
needed. I hope more people give money that way. If people have connections
with DU, I hope they support the school and students that way. It’s a good way to
spend money.”
Tivy is clear proof of that. After
graduating, she heads to
the National Institute of Health in
Bethesda, Md. for a two-year
internship working on immunology
issues in the Allergy and Infectious
Diseases Department.
Graduating in June with a bachelor’s
degree in molecular biology, Caitlyn Tivy,
will go on to the National Institute of Health
in Bethesda, Md. for a two-year internship.
After that, she’ll consider a dual
Ph.D. and M.D. track with specific
interest in cancer, immunology or
endocrinology.
If you are inspired to support our
students, please contact Erin Hegel
at 303-871-4385 for more
information or visit www.giving.
du.edu. Thank you for your
commitment to our students’
success.
Mathematics adds up to accolades,
and a bit of fame, for Math alum
But she didn’t expect to end up in the Washington Post, an important part
of a massive project on education, and named one of the nation’s “Math
Heroes” by one of the biggest engineering companies in the country.
During his presidential run, Goldwater’s supporters
sported buttons and carried signs that incorporated
the chemical symbol for Gold (Au) and Water (H20).
“Expect this? No,” Colclaser says, reflecting on the whirlwind year of 2009.
“I was thrilled. I was so thrilled. I couldn’t believe it.”
This newsletter is full of accomplishments of students, faculty, and
alumni we wish to celebrate. First, read about our Goldwater Scholar,
Grant Ruehle, and a graduating senior in Molecular Biology, Caitlyn
Tivy, who is also a Driscoll Scholar. Then there are the
accomplishments of our faculty; Andrei Kutateladze from Chemistry
and Biochemistry is DU’s latest John Evan’s Scholar; John Kinnamon is
the United Methodist Church University Scholar/Teacher of the Year;
Barry Zink from Physics & Astronomy was recognized by NSF with a
Spring is finally here and the flowering trees are blooming.
Graduation will soon be here and our seniors will be leaving the
University of Denver. It is time for celebration.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Best wishes,
L. Alayne Parson
Dean, Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
I am very proud of all that we have to celebrate and hope that you are
too.
CAREER award; Andy Goetz from Geography was recognized with
the prestigious Edward L. Ullman Award; and Rick Ball from
Mathematics had the distinct honor of giving the University Lecture.
Finally, there are accomplished alumni like Tricia Colclaser graduate
from Mathematics who received The Raytheon Teaching Award and
Brent Frakes graduate from Geography who received DU’s
Distinguished Alumni award.
Letter from the Dean
The year was punctuated by a major award, when Colclaser was received
one of just 32 national Raytheon “Math Hero” awards that recognize
teachers for their efforts to engage students in mathematics through creative
learning.
www.nsm.du.edu
303-871-2693
Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Colclaser (pronounced CALL-clay-zer), came to DU in 2004 after earning
her bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the University of Virginia. She was
teaching middle school math in Lakewood when she decided to pursue a
master’s.
Spring/Summer 2010
“I thought it would open more doors, help me to teach more challenging
courses,” she says. “I was thrilled to be able to go to DU because I was able
to get a teaching assistant position, so I could get experience teaching at a
higher level while earning my degree.”
Armed with that master’s degree, the advanced classroom experience, but
still with a sense of adventure and fun that drew her to teaching to begin
with, Colclaser found her way back east, where she is from, and landed
a job teaching in Fairfax County, a suburb of Washington, D.C., teaching
calculus and advanced mathematics in high school. Then, in 2008, the Post
came knocking.
The reporter, Chandler, was examining an emphasis in math in public
schools. And as an education reporter, she wanted to know first-hand what
it was like in the trenches and what were students learning.
An avowed math-hater, Chandler, wrote in her blog about how she
approached the algebra II class with trepidation. But ever the trooper, she
showed up every other day at 7:20 a.m. for 80 minutes of class with 27 high
school students … and Mrs. Colclaser.
“Colclaser, 29, appeals to students with a high-octane energy and a sociable
demeanor. She wears a Fairfax Rebels football jersey on home game days,
and starts the Monday morning math conversation often by comparing NFL
scores,” Chandler wrote on her blog, describing her first day in school. “But
she’s strict, too, promising no extra credit, and checking homework every
class, taking note when students say they forgot or shrug it off.”
For her part, Colclaser says having a reporter from one of the nation’s most
influential newspapers in class was a test of her own.
The chemical formula for University of Denver
chemistry major Grant Ruehle’s success starts with
AuH20.
Ruehle, 20, a junior who plans to wrap up his
bachelor of science in chemistry in the next
academic year, was being true to his broad
intellectual curiosity last fall when he started
researching the late Arizona senator and one-time
Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater
when he came across information about the Barry
M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in
Education Foundation.
When Tricia Colclaser left the University of Denver with her master’s degree
in mathematics, she knew she wanted to get back into the classroom, as a
teacher.
What thrilled the 2006 DU grad (M.S. mathematics) was an exciting
year that saw the Fairfax County, Va., high school math teacher star in a
Washington Post series where reporter Michael Alison Chandler sat in her
class for a full year and actually took Algebra II all over again from her, as a
student. And she wrote about it.
Chemistry student strikes Gold(water) with prestigious award
Grant Ruehle is a junior at DU majoring in
chemistry and a 2010 Goldwater Scholar.
“I had no idea there was a foundation in his name
that gave out scholarships to people interested in
math and the sciences,” he says. “I read about it
and was really interested.”
The foundation, created by Congress in 1986, was
developed to “alleviate a critical current and future
shortage of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians,
and engineers,” the foundation’s website says.
Ruehle was one of less than 300 recipients of the
scholarship in the U.S. this year, and the sole DU
recipient.
The scholarship, up to $7,500 for qualified
sophomores and juniors, is aimed at encouraging
excellence in science and foster young scientists,
funded by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and
Excellence in Education Fund, which was established
in the Treasury of the United States. Funding for
awards and administrative expenses comes from
interest on the Goldwater Trust Fund.
After uncovering the application for the scholarship,
Ruehle went to work on the required essay, focusing
on his work at the Health Sciences Center at the
Anschutz Medical Center in Denver. There, he has
spent the past year studying RNA (Ribonucleic acid)
and the structure of one particular makeup of a viral
molecule that leads to the turnip yellow mosaic.
While that particular disease affects turnips,
Post reporter Michael Alison Chandler took Algebra II with Fairfax High School
teacher and DU Mathematics alumna Tricia Colclaser, pictured.
(By Dayna Smith For The Washington Post)
understanding it and the role of the RNA could lead
to breakthroughs in diseases that affect humans.
Ruehle comes from a scientific background – his
father, Ray, is a former professor of physics at
Western State College – as well as ties to DU, where
his older brother, Alex, collected a master’s in
business from the Daniels College of Business in
2008. His father, and mother, Nancy, as well as his
older brother, Joel, live in Ruehle’s hometown of
Gunnison, Colo. His commitment to education and
intellectual curiosity paid off even before coming to
DU, earning a prestigious Boettcher Scholar award
out of high school.
Rhuele says he came to DU with an eye toward
molecular biology, but he tackled his first year with
an open mind, exploring everything from philosophy
to a variety of sciences. Eventually he gravitated
toward chemistry.
“I think I’ve always had a passion and an interest for
science in general,” he says. “I’m interested in a lot
of things, learning how everything works together
and where that can lead us.”
After graduation, Rhuele says he has an eye on
attending graduate school before seeking a career in
the industrial chemical field. In his spare time,
Rhuele is a member of the DU club cycling team and
is learning to scuba dive.
“It made me a little nervous in the beginning that I had a Washington Post
reporter in the classroom,” she says. “But then, I’m confident in my teaching
ability, and I really enjoy interacting with the students, that’s why I like high
school so much. By the end of the first couple of weeks I was accustomed to
it.”
SCHOLARSHIP BRINGS STUDENT, DONOR TOGETHER
It was while she was featured in those Post stories that Colclaser was also
nominated by a former DU classmate, Sarah Law, for the Raytheon award.
When you’re a college student trying to pay tuition, winning a scholarship can
make your day. But if you’re Caitlyn Tivy, it can make your next two years.
“Math Hero awards reward teachers for promoting math to students in a
fun and challenging learning environment,” Raytheon says. “Teachers were
nominated by students, parents and faculty for their enthusiasm and interest
in teaching math to others.”
Colclaser says she was floored by the award and thrilled it came with a
$2,500 grant for her school. She used the grant to buy overhead digital
document projectors so she could work through homework problems with
her students.
“To be able to give something to the math department was fantastic,” she
says.
And as for Chandler. After struggling with a topic she admittedly struggled
with all year, including, Colclaser says, a lot of homework and plenty
of quizzes and tests, she earned an A. And all of her “classmates,” the
real high school students sharing Colclaser with her, passed Virginia’s
standardized algebra achievement tests.
In one of her final reports, Chandler wrote, “What I discovered at Fairfax
High was a hard-working teacher who knew her math, a fast-paced, toocrammed curriculum, and a group of teenagers who mostly tried their best.”
Colclaser slowed down her teaching for this past year, teaching part time
at a community college while she cares for her new son, Ryan. She lives in
Virginia with her husband, Rob.
The year Colclaser spent with a Washington Post reporter in her classroom is
detailed in a full blog at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/x-equals-why.
That’s what Tivy discovered when she won the Driscoll Family Scholarship, an
award that goes toward financial expenses in the final two years for an
outstanding student studying biology.
Tivy’s no stranger to scholarships. And when you consider her academic
achievements, it’s no surprise. She’s sporting a 3.99 GPA and will graduate in June
with a bachelor of science in molecular biology and two minors, chemistry and
Spanish. For her honor’s thesis, she researched the regulation of hormones in the
brain, specifically the effect of estrogen on the mechanics of secretion on prolactin
in the pituitary gland.
Tivy estimates she’s collected about 10 scholarships.
But the Driscoll award was special.
“It’s a great honor to win it. I was really touched to be picked for it … it meant so
much to me. School is incredibly expensive; it’s hard to find financial aide,” Tivy
says. “I’ll still have student loans after school, but getting this scholarship allowed
me to focus on school and not have to worry about being in debt until I’m 40. I
know I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I did without it.”
Something else Tivy liked about the Driscoll scholarship was that instead of just
getting a notice explaining she had won it, she actually got to meet, and lunch
with, Helen Driscoll, who heads the family scholarship and is the widow of Dr.
William Driscoll, who worked at DU for more than 30 years. (The school’s student
center is named for him.)
“Normally I just get a letter about a scholarship and I don’t meet donors,” Tivy
says. “This was the first time I’d actually met a donor in person. It was nice to have
that opportunity to meet Mrs. Driscoll and thank her in person for her support and
to get to know her. I know her husband was incredibly important to the DU.
They’ve done so much for the school.”
Driscoll’s met Caitlyn three times and is impressed. “She’s done a great job in
biology, she’s a fantastic student and very personable,” Driscoll says.
Driscoll adds she’s proud to support DU and its students. She graduated from DU
in 1946, and she’s been giving money to the biology department for years. But 10
years ago decided to put her gifts toward the scholarship.
She says the family intentionally limited the scholarship to a student’s final two
years to be sure the students were genuinely interested in biology, and “not just
trying it out.”
Driscoll would like to see more people give money for scholarships.
“How many parents can pay 37,000 a year? I wouldn’t think very many,” Driscoll
says. “So the more we can help with scholarships, the better. I think that’s so
needed. I hope more people give money that way. If people have connections
with DU, I hope they support the school and students that way. It’s a good way to
spend money.”
Graduating in June with a bachelor’s
Tivy is clear proof of that. After
degree in molecular biology, Caitlyn Tivy,
graduating, she heads to
will go on to the National Institute of Health
the National Institute of Health in
in Bethesda, Md. for a two-year internship.
Bethesda, Md. for a two-year
internship working on immunology
issues in the Allergy and Infectious
Diseases Department.
After that, she’ll consider a dual
Ph.D. and M.D. track with specific
interest in cancer, immunology or
endocrinology.
If you are inspired to support our
students, please contact Erin Hegel
at 303-871-4385 for more
information or visit www.giving.
du.edu. Thank you for your
commitment to our students’
success.
Boettcher West 228
2050 E. Iliff Avenue
Denver, CO 80208
Mathematics adds up to accolades,
and a bit of fame, for Math alum
But she didn’t expect to end up in the Washington Post, an important part
of a massive project on education, and named one of the nation’s “Math
Heroes” by one of the biggest engineering companies in the country.
During his presidential run, Goldwater’s supporters
sported buttons and carried signs that incorporated
the chemical symbol for Gold (Au) and Water (H20).
“Expect this? No,” Colclaser says, reflecting on the whirlwind year of 2009.
“I was thrilled. I was so thrilled. I couldn’t believe it.”
This newsletter is full of accomplishments of students, faculty, and
alumni we wish to celebrate. First, read about our Goldwater Scholar,
Grant Ruehle, and a graduating senior in Molecular Biology, Caitlyn
Tivy, who is also a Driscoll Scholar. Then there are the
accomplishments of our faculty; Andrei Kutateladze from Chemistry
and Biochemistry is DU’s latest John Evan’s Scholar; John Kinnamon is
the United Methodist Church University Scholar/Teacher of the Year;
Barry Zink from Physics & Astronomy was recognized by NSF with a
Spring is finally here and the flowering trees are blooming.
Graduation will soon be here and our seniors will be leaving the
University of Denver. It is time for celebration.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Best wishes,
L. Alayne Parson
Dean, Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
I am very proud of all that we have to celebrate and hope that you are
too.
CAREER award; Andy Goetz from Geography was recognized with
the prestigious Edward L. Ullman Award; and Rick Ball from
Mathematics had the distinct honor of giving the University Lecture.
Finally, there are accomplished alumni like Tricia Colclaser graduate
from Mathematics who received The Raytheon Teaching Award and
Brent Frakes graduate from Geography who received DU’s
Distinguished Alumni award.
Letter from the Dean
The year was punctuated by a major award, when Colclaser was received
one of just 32 national Raytheon “Math Hero” awards that recognize
teachers for their efforts to engage students in mathematics through creative
learning.
www.nsm.du.edu
303-871-2693
Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Colclaser (pronounced CALL-clay-zer), came to DU in 2004 after earning
her bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the University of Virginia. She was
teaching middle school math in Lakewood when she decided to pursue a
master’s.
Spring/Summer 2010
“I thought it would open more doors, help me to teach more challenging
courses,” she says. “I was thrilled to be able to go to DU because I was able
to get a teaching assistant position, so I could get experience teaching at a
higher level while earning my degree.”
Armed with that master’s degree, the advanced classroom experience, but
still with a sense of adventure and fun that drew her to teaching to begin
with, Colclaser found her way back east, where she is from, and landed
a job teaching in Fairfax County, a suburb of Washington, D.C., teaching
calculus and advanced mathematics in high school. Then, in 2008, the Post
came knocking.
The reporter, Chandler, was examining an emphasis in math in public
schools. And as an education reporter, she wanted to know first-hand what
it was like in the trenches and what were students learning.
An avowed math-hater, Chandler, wrote in her blog about how she
approached the algebra II class with trepidation. But ever the trooper, she
showed up every other day at 7:20 a.m. for 80 minutes of class with 27 high
school students … and Mrs. Colclaser.
“Colclaser, 29, appeals to students with a high-octane energy and a sociable
demeanor. She wears a Fairfax Rebels football jersey on home game days,
and starts the Monday morning math conversation often by comparing NFL
scores,” Chandler wrote on her blog, describing her first day in school. “But
she’s strict, too, promising no extra credit, and checking homework every
class, taking note when students say they forgot or shrug it off.”
For her part, Colclaser says having a reporter from one of the nation’s most
influential newspapers in class was a test of her own.
The chemical formula for University of Denver
chemistry major Grant Ruehle’s success starts with
AuH20.
Ruehle, 20, a junior who plans to wrap up his
bachelor of science in chemistry in the next
academic year, was being true to his broad
intellectual curiosity last fall when he started
researching the late Arizona senator and one-time
Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater
when he came across information about the Barry
M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in
Education Foundation.
When Tricia Colclaser left the University of Denver with her master’s degree
in mathematics, she knew she wanted to get back into the classroom, as a
teacher.
What thrilled the 2006 DU grad (M.S. mathematics) was an exciting
year that saw the Fairfax County, Va., high school math teacher star in a
Washington Post series where reporter Michael Alison Chandler sat in her
class for a full year and actually took Algebra II all over again from her, as a
student. And she wrote about it.
Chemistry student strikes Gold(water) with prestigious award
Grant Ruehle is a junior at DU majoring in
chemistry and a 2010 Goldwater Scholar.
“I had no idea there was a foundation in his name
that gave out scholarships to people interested in
math and the sciences,” he says. “I read about it
and was really interested.”
The foundation, created by Congress in 1986, was
developed to “alleviate a critical current and future
shortage of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians,
and engineers,” the foundation’s website says.
Ruehle was one of less than 300 recipients of the
scholarship in the U.S. this year, and the sole DU
recipient.
The scholarship, up to $7,500 for qualified
sophomores and juniors, is aimed at encouraging
excellence in science and foster young scientists,
funded by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and
Excellence in Education Fund, which was established
in the Treasury of the United States. Funding for
awards and administrative expenses comes from
interest on the Goldwater Trust Fund.
After uncovering the application for the scholarship,
Ruehle went to work on the required essay, focusing
on his work at the Health Sciences Center at the
Anschutz Medical Center in Denver. There, he has
spent the past year studying RNA (Ribonucleic acid)
and the structure of one particular makeup of a viral
molecule that leads to the turnip yellow mosaic.
While that particular disease affects turnips,
Post reporter Michael Alison Chandler took Algebra II with Fairfax High School
teacher and DU Mathematics alumna Tricia Colclaser, pictured.
(By Dayna Smith For The Washington Post)
understanding it and the role of the RNA could lead
to breakthroughs in diseases that affect humans.
Ruehle comes from a scientific background – his
father, Ray, is a former professor of physics at
Western State College – as well as ties to DU, where
his older brother, Alex, collected a master’s in
business from the Daniels College of Business in
2008. His father, and mother, Nancy, as well as his
older brother, Joel, live in Ruehle’s hometown of
Gunnison, Colo. His commitment to education and
intellectual curiosity paid off even before coming to
DU, earning a prestigious Boettcher Scholar award
out of high school.
Rhuele says he came to DU with an eye toward
molecular biology, but he tackled his first year with
an open mind, exploring everything from philosophy
to a variety of sciences. Eventually he gravitated
toward chemistry.
“I think I’ve always had a passion and an interest for
science in general,” he says. “I’m interested in a lot
of things, learning how everything works together
and where that can lead us.”
After graduation, Rhuele says he has an eye on
attending graduate school before seeking a career in
the industrial chemical field. In his spare time,
Rhuele is a member of the DU club cycling team and
is learning to scuba dive.
“It made me a little nervous in the beginning that I had a Washington Post
reporter in the classroom,” she says. “But then, I’m confident in my teaching
ability, and I really enjoy interacting with the students, that’s why I like high
school so much. By the end of the first couple of weeks I was accustomed to
it.”
SCHOLARSHIP BRINGS STUDENT, DONOR TOGETHER
It was while she was featured in those Post stories that Colclaser was also
nominated by a former DU classmate, Sarah Law, for the Raytheon award.
When you’re a college student trying to pay tuition, winning a scholarship can
make your day. But if you’re Caitlyn Tivy, it can make your next two years.
“Math Hero awards reward teachers for promoting math to students in a
fun and challenging learning environment,” Raytheon says. “Teachers were
nominated by students, parents and faculty for their enthusiasm and interest
in teaching math to others.”
Colclaser says she was floored by the award and thrilled it came with a
$2,500 grant for her school. She used the grant to buy overhead digital
document projectors so she could work through homework problems with
her students.
“To be able to give something to the math department was fantastic,” she
says.
And as for Chandler. After struggling with a topic she admittedly struggled
with all year, including, Colclaser says, a lot of homework and plenty
of quizzes and tests, she earned an A. And all of her “classmates,” the
real high school students sharing Colclaser with her, passed Virginia’s
standardized algebra achievement tests.
In one of her final reports, Chandler wrote, “What I discovered at Fairfax
High was a hard-working teacher who knew her math, a fast-paced, toocrammed curriculum, and a group of teenagers who mostly tried their best.”
Colclaser slowed down her teaching for this past year, teaching part time
at a community college while she cares for her new son, Ryan. She lives in
Virginia with her husband, Rob.
The year Colclaser spent with a Washington Post reporter in her classroom is
detailed in a full blog at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/x-equals-why.
That’s what Tivy discovered when she won the Driscoll Family Scholarship, an
award that goes toward financial expenses in the final two years for an
outstanding student studying biology.
Tivy’s no stranger to scholarships. And when you consider her academic
achievements, it’s no surprise. She’s sporting a 3.99 GPA and will graduate in June
with a bachelor of science in molecular biology and two minors, chemistry and
Spanish. For her honor’s thesis, she researched the regulation of hormones in the
brain, specifically the effect of estrogen on the mechanics of secretion on prolactin
in the pituitary gland.
Tivy estimates she’s collected about 10 scholarships.
But the Driscoll award was special.
“It’s a great honor to win it. I was really touched to be picked for it … it meant so
much to me. School is incredibly expensive; it’s hard to find financial aide,” Tivy
says. “I’ll still have student loans after school, but getting this scholarship allowed
me to focus on school and not have to worry about being in debt until I’m 40. I
know I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I did without it.”
Something else Tivy liked about the Driscoll scholarship was that instead of just
getting a notice explaining she had won it, she actually got to meet, and lunch
with, Helen Driscoll, who heads the family scholarship and is the widow of Dr.
William Driscoll, who worked at DU for more than 30 years. (The school’s student
center is named for him.)
“Normally I just get a letter about a scholarship and I don’t meet donors,” Tivy
says. “This was the first time I’d actually met a donor in person. It was nice to have
that opportunity to meet Mrs. Driscoll and thank her in person for her support and
to get to know her. I know her husband was incredibly important to the DU.
They’ve done so much for the school.”
Driscoll’s met Caitlyn three times and is impressed. “She’s done a great job in
biology, she’s a fantastic student and very personable,” Driscoll says.
Driscoll adds she’s proud to support DU and its students. She graduated from DU
in 1946, and she’s been giving money to the biology department for years. But 10
years ago decided to put her gifts toward the scholarship.
She says the family intentionally limited the scholarship to a student’s final two
years to be sure the students were genuinely interested in biology, and “not just
trying it out.”
Driscoll would like to see more people give money for scholarships.
“How many parents can pay 37,000 a year? I wouldn’t think very many,” Driscoll
says. “So the more we can help with scholarships, the better. I think that’s so
needed. I hope more people give money that way. If people have connections
with DU, I hope they support the school and students that way. It’s a good way to
spend money.”
Graduating in June with a bachelor’s
Tivy is clear proof of that. After
degree in molecular biology, Caitlyn Tivy,
graduating, she heads to
will go on to the National Institute of Health
the National Institute of Health in
in Bethesda, Md. for a two-year internship.
Bethesda, Md. for a two-year
internship working on immunology
issues in the Allergy and Infectious
Diseases Department.
After that, she’ll consider a dual
Ph.D. and M.D. track with specific
interest in cancer, immunology or
endocrinology.
If you are inspired to support our
students, please contact Erin Hegel
at 303-871-4385 for more
information or visit www.giving.
du.edu. Thank you for your
commitment to our students’
success.
Boettcher West 228
2050 E. Iliff Avenue
Denver, CO 80208
Geography alum receives Master Scholar award
Brent Frakes (BA ’93), was honored by DU as one of 15 outstanding alumni from various
academic units at the annual Masters Program Awards Dinner on Monday, April 12th. The
Masters Program is an annual event that recognizes alumni from all academic units who are
distinguished professionals in their fields. Frakes received his BA in geography from DU, and went on to receive a doctorate in
geography, with an emphasis in Synoptic Climatology and Hydrology, from Pennsylvania State
University. After teaching at Southern Illinois University and working as an environmental
consultant in Denver, opportunity and luck enable Frakes to take on a position with the
National Park Service in 2001. Currently Frakes has taken on a national level position
re-designing the information system within the NPS.
Geography alumnus Brent Frakes receives a Master Scholar
award from DU, pictured center. Also pictured are Dean Alayne
Parson, left, and Dr. Andy Goetz, chair of the Department of
Geography, right.
While visiting DU as a Master Scholar Frakes engaged with the current students and faculty in
the Department of Geography by participating in class lectures. Through the direct connection
with current DU students, Frakes was able to demonstrate how his professional achievements
and life experiences have built upon his time at DU and with students hearing first-hand
different ways a DU education can be applied in the years after college.
Tiny Measurements
Mean Big Things For
Physics Professor
After years of looking in the tiniest places for the materials that will make a
big difference, University of Denver assistant professor of physics Barry Zink
caught the eye of the nation’s authority on science.
Zink is being recognized with a National Science Foundation CAREER award,
a $550,000 funding grant that will further the research Zink and his students
do involving nanomaterials and measurements of heat transfer properties.
The award, officially known as the Faculty Early Career Development Award
but abbreviated as CAREER, reflects serious praise from the NSF, which notes
it is “the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support
of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who
most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the
mission of their organization.”
Zink’s award, technically for a project titled “Electrons, Phonons, and
Magnons in Nanostructures and Novel Materials” boils down, he says, to
“measuring the thermal properties of small stuff.”
The research starts with actually building the tiny tools needed to measure
heat transfer in tiny things. Zink and his students craft extremely small (a
microscope is needed to really see them well) “frames” of a sort called
thermal isolation platforms where small amounts of various materials are
suspended between known quantities, then heated.
“We’re always developing new tools along the way, it’s like, say you wanted
to build a barn and you come up with the idea of using a nail to hold it
together, then you have to come up with a tool to hit the nail,” Zink says.
“We’re always coming up with new tools, thinking up the next experiment
and looking off to new things on the horizon. A big part of what we do is
make very precise, very small instruments.”
Where others see numerals and equations,
University of Denver professor Rick Ball sees beauty
and elegance. Where some might see his office as a
private sanctuary for research, he sees it as an open
environment for teaching and sharing.
In recognition for his research into topology and
other areas of mathematics, Ball was named
University Lecturer at DU’s Convocation in October
2009.
Ball says he’s always strived to put students first, to
help them discover mathematics on their own terms
and to learn that nothing comes easy, but the prize
is worth the effort. The walls of his office are
obscured by chalkboards filled with sketched graphs
and complex equations — the product of private
sessions with students. On his door, an early
student’s hand-written course evaluation is posted
dead center at eye level.
“This isn’t my office, this is my students’ office,” he
says. “They come here and we work through
problems together. And you can’t really talk about
mathematics without a pencil in your hand or a
piece of chalk.”
Barry Zink is being recognized with a NSF CAREER
award and funding grant that will further his research
involving nanomaterials.
There are countless applications for materials that transfer heat from one
point to another efficiently. Imagine if there was a material to coat auto
engines and siphon all that heat pouring off the engine and put it to use. Or
on a smaller scale, Zink envisions something that could coat semiconductors
to conquer the huge problem of cooling super fast, super powerful
computers.
Zink makes sure to point out the CAREER award’s dual purpose, to
recognize both research and teaching. On a busy Friday, the lab across from
his office is buzzing with students. Zink says his work involves all levels of
students, from PhD. to undergraduates.
PhD. candidate Azure Avery says the study of materials and thermal
properties has her on an exciting, if as yet fully developed path to her
ultimate degree. The trick is, fully forming a desired outcome for her
research is difficult in such a rapidly emerging field.
“Every time I think I’ve learned something, it all changes,” she says with a
smile. “It’s always interesting, but there’s so much to study.”
The CAREER award will fund experimental new and unique methods of
exploring the thermal properties of novel materials. In applying, Zink
reported the properties he and his students uncover should provide valuable
information on “the electronic, virbrational and magnetic excitations” of a
system that have in the past been difficult to measure. It could be the
gateway to smaller computer chips and better information storage. And
through it all, teaching will remain a big part of the work.
Zink says that exactly what will come out of the research isn’t known. The
research, he says, is “high risk, high reward.” And really, really, tiny.
Chemistry professor receives University’s
highest faculty award
Mathematics professor named
University Lecturer
Ball says it’s important for him to dispel a myth that
mathematics comes easy to those who choose it. He
freely admits he struggled in his school days to crack
the code and learn to understand the language of
computation. For students willing to embrace the
work it takes, Ball says he’s there to struggle
alongside them. In the classroom, he chooses
problems that interest him, and throughout a course
he’ll try to help students unravel the mysteries.
“We do it together. They see me struggling with a
problem,” he says. “We don’t get them all, maybe
we get 90 percent, but it’s wonderful for me to see
them in the halls
talking about the problem together, trying to figure
it out. It takes talk. There’s a social component to
mathematics. All of us reach a point where we can’t
see the full picture. That’s when you put down the
pencil, sleep on it, and then get together and talk
about it.”
Ball came to DU as a visiting professor in 1988 after
teaching at Boise State, the University of Kansas,
Wesleyan University in Connecticut and at the
University of Georgia. He landed a tenured position
at DU in 1991. His wife, Joan Winn, is a professor of
management at the Daniels College of Business.
Provost Gregg Kvistad, in bestowing the University
Lecturer award on Ball (who was studying in the
Czech Republic at the time of Convocation joked
about Ball’s modesty, noting how he has never been
one to tout his numerous accomplishments. Kvistad
remarked how when pressed to write something
about himself for his introduction, Ball responded, “I
consider myself an entirely unremarkable man.”
“He may, but we don’t,” Kvistad said. “Rick Ball is
one the most respected and serious faculty members
at the University of Denver.”
For University of Denver chemistry and biochemistry Professor Andrei
Kutateladze, success lies in making it easier to search the tiniest of haystacks for
an even tinier needle. And that could lead to big things.
Convocation ceremony, recognized Kutateladze’s 23 years of research and
teaching, calling him “a very quiet, very kind, very smart and very focused
colleague.”
For his work, Kutateladze was named John Evans Professor at DU’s Convocation
in October 2009. It’s the highest award the University bestows on faculty
members.
“In the process of his selection for this award, Andrei’s scholarship was
scrutinized by research specialists of the highest caliber from around the world,”
Kvistad said. “Their verdict was that Andrei’s research had unquestionably met
the threshold of extraordinary international distinction that the Evans
Professorship requires.”
“It is somewhat easier to evaluate the significance of one’s research within your
area of study,” Kutateladze says. “I am humbled and honored that my work was
recognized by the awards committee among various disciplines across the
campus.”
“I love the subject I teach. I love to teach it, and
what I love about DU is that we have the resources
to do that well,” Ball says. “You can really get to
know your students here. By the time you choose a
major, it’s like joining a family.”
Serious, perhaps, but with a great sense of humor
and a great appreciation for his craft and his
students. He says his affinity for DU lies in the
attention paid those students, no huge classes
packed into lecture halls, but rather attention to the
individual and one-on-one discussion.
The favorite evaluation Ball posted on his office
door, received after the second semester he ever
taught back in 1975, reads: “‘What are the
instructor’s good points?’ The handwritten
response: ‘His zest for attacking interesting
problems and occasional humor thrown into
them.’” ‘What are the instructor’s bad points?’ The
reply: ‘His inability to do those interesting
problems.’”
The University Lecturer award “recognizes
superlative creative and scholarly work,” but to hear
him speak, Ball freely shares so much of his time
that could be instead dedicated strictly to research
projects and writing. Sharing the subject is as much
what makes him tick as research.
Ball laughs when he thinks about the note,
recognizing it now as more insightful then he
thought at first. Mathematics and the quest for
elegant, beautiful solutions to problems that
continually challenge the mind never guarantees
success, but only opportunities to try.
In addition to leading both undergraduate and graduate students into the
fundamental field of organic photochemistry — which studies interactions of
organic molecules and light — Kutateladze and his team have developed a
number of promising and intriguing applications, helping scientists to better
“see” and understand how nanoscopic objects interact and what goes on at the
smallest molecular levels. By developing methods to pre-amplify the signatures of such interactions
involving biologically relevant molecules, his work provides valuable clues for the
identification of potential drug candidates.
“Scientists cannot possibly test every compound in mice or other animals. There
aren’t enough resources and it is inefficient,” he says. “We must at the beginning
of the testing know if the compound at least recognizes a molecule of interest.
Our ultra-high sensitive tools can assist in seeing how potential therapeutic
agents bind to their protein targets, helping to focus pharmaceutical research
without wasting time analyzing compounds that won’t ever work.”
Photochemical amplification of tiny molecular signals may also allow scientists to
design portable, yet powerful devices for use by medical doctors practicing in
remote areas, doing work once only possible with large, immobile laboratories.
Provost Gregg Kvistad, bestowing the John Evans Professorship at the University
Sandra Eaton, DU’s chair of chemistry and biochemistry, says Kutateladze excels
in both research and teaching, and she notes that his teaching extends from PhD
students to undergraduates.
“Some people are theoreticians, others do experiments. Dr. Kutateladze does
both,” she says. “He uses powerful computer software to interpret chemical
observations performed in his lab and provide explanations of why reactions
occur. He applies his extensive knowledge of synthetic organic chemistry to make
molecules with fascinating practical uses. In the past, people screened potential
drugs one by one. Dr. Kutateladze is developing methods to test the interactions
between multiple combinations of drugs and targets simultaneously.”
But it’s his commitment to teaching that creates a collaborative atmosphere,
Eaton says.
“Work in Dr. Kutateladze’s group provides a wonderful learning environment for
undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral research associates,” she
says. “They learn together how to design experiments and interpret data.”
Eaton, who was named John Evans Professor in 1997, says while it is a great
honor, the recognition also carries with it the responsibility to continue to excel in
research and to mentor junior colleagues.
Kutateladze is a University Distinguished Scholar, the author of 114 papers in
leading scientific journals and has five patents to his name. He earned his PhD in
1986 at Russia’s Moscow State University.
Biology professor has a taste of academic success
Geography professor receives peer recognition
Andrew Goetz, chair of the University of Denver’s
geography department, is getting the kind of award
that speaks volumes about his life’s work: recognition
by his peers.
The Association of American Geographers’ Transport
Geography Specialty Group (TGSG) will give Goetz
the Edward L. Ullman Award, which has been
presented each year since 1990 to recognize
outstanding achievement and contributions to the
field. The award is named for the late Edward
Ullman, who studied transport geography at the
University of Washington, focusing on special
interaction, railroads and commodity flows.
Goetz was nominated by Professor Tim Vowles of the
University of Northern Colorado.
“Professor Goetz is one of the world’s pre-eminent
air transportation geographers,” Vowles says. “(He) is
also one of the discipline’s leading authorities on
intermodal transportation.”
Goetz has published more than 30 articles on air
transport, intermodal transportation and transport
planning and has published two books, Airline
Deregulation and Laissez-Faire Mythology and Denver
International Airport: Lessons Learned, a
comprehensive overview of the grueling construction
of DIA, now one of the country’s busiest airports.
“I was thrilled to hear the news about the award
because I know that the list of prior recipients
includes the leading figures from the discipline,”
Goetz says. “My dissertation advisor at Ohio State,
Edward Taaffe, was the first recipient of the Ullman
Award, and another mentor of mine, Howard
Gauthier, won the award in 1992.”
The award boasts a long list of accomplished experts
as prior recipients.
“Although I never met Edward Ullman, I am very
familiar with his work, especially his pioneering
efforts in the field of transport geography,” Goetz
says. “It is a real honor to be receiving this award
named for Ullman because he and Harold Mayer
were the first to define the field of transport
geography in their landmark 1954 chapter in
American Geography.”
In addition to his duties teaching, writing and leading
the geography department, Vowles also lauds Goetz
for his efforts in founding DU’s nationally recognized
Intermodal Transportation Institute and the National
Center for Intermodal Transportation, a joint venture
shared with Mississippi State University.
“Being part of the creation of both centers allowed
Professor Goetz to further the impact of geography in
the field of intermodal transportation and
transportation overall,” Vowles says.
Not only does John Kinnamon have good taste — he has a passion for it.
fodder of a lot of sci-fi literature and movies.” A neuroscientist and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences,
Kinnamon received the United Methodist Church University Scholar/Teacher of
the Year Award at DU’s Convocation in October 2009.
He says a majority of science fiction is written about genetic engineering, aliens,
physics of time travel and artificial intelligence. Students in Kinnamon’s class
analyze sci-fi books from a biological perspective. They even have to create a
story about an alien — describing the biology of how its body functions and brain
works.
Kinnamon is a pioneer in the study of taste buds. Last year, he received a
five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to learn more about the
basic mechanisms of how taste works — including studying the synapses
between taste receptor cells and the brain.
But his tastes go beyond buds; he also teaches a popular DU First-Year Seminar
called Biology of Science Fiction. What does this have to do with taste?
“As an academic, I continually try to balance my efforts between teaching and
research,” Kinnamon says. “Getting a grant application funded is a great career
event, but the real rewards come from teaching. Occasionally we get a pat on
the back for our efforts, but we really live for the times when a student who
graduated years before calls to say how taking one of my courses or working in
my laboratory changed the direction of their career. These are the most gratifying
moments for me and are remembered forever. Now, to have the United
Methodist Church honor me with the University Scholar/Teacher of the Year
Award makes me feel appreciated in a way I have not experienced before,” he
says. “Being recognized for doing what you love is like having your cake and
eating it, too.” “Not a lot,” Kinnamon says. “I am a science fiction junkie, and biology is the
And tasting it.
“A lot of work on the five senses has centered on four of them: sight, smell,
hearing and touch,” Kinnamon says. “But not a lot of research has been done on
the sense of taste.”
Kinnamon says each taste bud is like a mini-brain that provides information about
the taste of the food being eaten whether it’s sour, salty, bitter, sweet, and
whether or not the food is palatable.
Geography alum receives Master Scholar award
Brent Frakes (BA ’93), was honored by DU as one of 15 outstanding alumni from various
academic units at the annual Masters Program Awards Dinner on Monday, April 12th. The
Masters Program is an annual event that recognizes alumni from all academic units who are
distinguished professionals in their fields. Frakes received his BA in geography from DU, and went on to receive a doctorate in
geography, with an emphasis in Synoptic Climatology and Hydrology, from Pennsylvania State
University. After teaching at Southern Illinois University and working as an environmental
consultant in Denver, opportunity and luck enable Frakes to take on a position with the
National Park Service in 2001. Currently Frakes has taken on a national level position
re-designing the information system within the NPS.
Geography alumnus Brent Frakes receives a Master Scholar
award from DU, pictured center. Also pictured are Dean Alayne
Parson, left, and Dr. Andy Goetz, chair of the Department of
Geography, right.
While visiting DU as a Master Scholar Frakes engaged with the current students and faculty in
the Department of Geography by participating in class lectures. Through the direct connection
with current DU students, Frakes was able to demonstrate how his professional achievements
and life experiences have built upon his time at DU and with students hearing first-hand
different ways a DU education can be applied in the years after college.
Tiny Measurements
Mean Big Things For
Physics Professor
After years of looking in the tiniest places for the materials that will make a
big difference, University of Denver assistant professor of physics Barry Zink
caught the eye of the nation’s authority on science.
Zink is being recognized with a National Science Foundation CAREER award,
a $550,000 funding grant that will further the research Zink and his students
do involving nanomaterials and measurements of heat transfer properties.
The award, officially known as the Faculty Early Career Development Award
but abbreviated as CAREER, reflects serious praise from the NSF, which notes
it is “the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support
of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who
most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the
mission of their organization.”
Zink’s award, technically for a project titled “Electrons, Phonons, and
Magnons in Nanostructures and Novel Materials” boils down, he says, to
“measuring the thermal properties of small stuff.”
The research starts with actually building the tiny tools needed to measure
heat transfer in tiny things. Zink and his students craft extremely small (a
microscope is needed to really see them well) “frames” of a sort called
thermal isolation platforms where small amounts of various materials are
suspended between known quantities, then heated.
“We’re always developing new tools along the way, it’s like, say you wanted
to build a barn and you come up with the idea of using a nail to hold it
together, then you have to come up with a tool to hit the nail,” Zink says.
“We’re always coming up with new tools, thinking up the next experiment
and looking off to new things on the horizon. A big part of what we do is
make very precise, very small instruments.”
Where others see numerals and equations,
University of Denver professor Rick Ball sees beauty
and elegance. Where some might see his office as a
private sanctuary for research, he sees it as an open
environment for teaching and sharing.
In recognition for his research into topology and
other areas of mathematics, Ball was named
University Lecturer at DU’s Convocation in October
2009.
Ball says he’s always strived to put students first, to
help them discover mathematics on their own terms
and to learn that nothing comes easy, but the prize
is worth the effort. The walls of his office are
obscured by chalkboards filled with sketched graphs
and complex equations — the product of private
sessions with students. On his door, an early
student’s hand-written course evaluation is posted
dead center at eye level.
“This isn’t my office, this is my students’ office,” he
says. “They come here and we work through
problems together. And you can’t really talk about
mathematics without a pencil in your hand or a
piece of chalk.”
Barry Zink is being recognized with a NSF CAREER
award and funding grant that will further his research
involving nanomaterials.
There are countless applications for materials that transfer heat from one
point to another efficiently. Imagine if there was a material to coat auto
engines and siphon all that heat pouring off the engine and put it to use. Or
on a smaller scale, Zink envisions something that could coat semiconductors
to conquer the huge problem of cooling super fast, super powerful
computers.
Zink makes sure to point out the CAREER award’s dual purpose, to
recognize both research and teaching. On a busy Friday, the lab across from
his office is buzzing with students. Zink says his work involves all levels of
students, from PhD. to undergraduates.
PhD. candidate Azure Avery says the study of materials and thermal
properties has her on an exciting, if as yet fully developed path to her
ultimate degree. The trick is, fully forming a desired outcome for her
research is difficult in such a rapidly emerging field.
“Every time I think I’ve learned something, it all changes,” she says with a
smile. “It’s always interesting, but there’s so much to study.”
The CAREER award will fund experimental new and unique methods of
exploring the thermal properties of novel materials. In applying, Zink
reported the properties he and his students uncover should provide valuable
information on “the electronic, virbrational and magnetic excitations” of a
system that have in the past been difficult to measure. It could be the
gateway to smaller computer chips and better information storage. And
through it all, teaching will remain a big part of the work.
Zink says that exactly what will come out of the research isn’t known. The
research, he says, is “high risk, high reward.” And really, really, tiny.
Chemistry professor receives University’s
highest faculty award
Mathematics professor named
University Lecturer
Ball says it’s important for him to dispel a myth that
mathematics comes easy to those who choose it. He
freely admits he struggled in his school days to crack
the code and learn to understand the language of
computation. For students willing to embrace the
work it takes, Ball says he’s there to struggle
alongside them. In the classroom, he chooses
problems that interest him, and throughout a course
he’ll try to help students unravel the mysteries.
“We do it together. They see me struggling with a
problem,” he says. “We don’t get them all, maybe
we get 90 percent, but it’s wonderful for me to see
them in the halls
talking about the problem together, trying to figure
it out. It takes talk. There’s a social component to
mathematics. All of us reach a point where we can’t
see the full picture. That’s when you put down the
pencil, sleep on it, and then get together and talk
about it.”
Ball came to DU as a visiting professor in 1988 after
teaching at Boise State, the University of Kansas,
Wesleyan University in Connecticut and at the
University of Georgia. He landed a tenured position
at DU in 1991. His wife, Joan Winn, is a professor of
management at the Daniels College of Business.
Provost Gregg Kvistad, in bestowing the University
Lecturer award on Ball (who was studying in the
Czech Republic at the time of Convocation joked
about Ball’s modesty, noting how he has never been
one to tout his numerous accomplishments. Kvistad
remarked how when pressed to write something
about himself for his introduction, Ball responded, “I
consider myself an entirely unremarkable man.”
“He may, but we don’t,” Kvistad said. “Rick Ball is
one the most respected and serious faculty members
at the University of Denver.”
For University of Denver chemistry and biochemistry Professor Andrei
Kutateladze, success lies in making it easier to search the tiniest of haystacks for
an even tinier needle. And that could lead to big things.
Convocation ceremony, recognized Kutateladze’s 23 years of research and
teaching, calling him “a very quiet, very kind, very smart and very focused
colleague.”
For his work, Kutateladze was named John Evans Professor at DU’s Convocation
in October 2009. It’s the highest award the University bestows on faculty
members.
“In the process of his selection for this award, Andrei’s scholarship was
scrutinized by research specialists of the highest caliber from around the world,”
Kvistad said. “Their verdict was that Andrei’s research had unquestionably met
the threshold of extraordinary international distinction that the Evans
Professorship requires.”
“It is somewhat easier to evaluate the significance of one’s research within your
area of study,” Kutateladze says. “I am humbled and honored that my work was
recognized by the awards committee among various disciplines across the
campus.”
“I love the subject I teach. I love to teach it, and
what I love about DU is that we have the resources
to do that well,” Ball says. “You can really get to
know your students here. By the time you choose a
major, it’s like joining a family.”
Serious, perhaps, but with a great sense of humor
and a great appreciation for his craft and his
students. He says his affinity for DU lies in the
attention paid those students, no huge classes
packed into lecture halls, but rather attention to the
individual and one-on-one discussion.
The favorite evaluation Ball posted on his office
door, received after the second semester he ever
taught back in 1975, reads: “‘What are the
instructor’s good points?’ The handwritten
response: ‘His zest for attacking interesting
problems and occasional humor thrown into
them.’” ‘What are the instructor’s bad points?’ The
reply: ‘His inability to do those interesting
problems.’”
The University Lecturer award “recognizes
superlative creative and scholarly work,” but to hear
him speak, Ball freely shares so much of his time
that could be instead dedicated strictly to research
projects and writing. Sharing the subject is as much
what makes him tick as research.
Ball laughs when he thinks about the note,
recognizing it now as more insightful then he
thought at first. Mathematics and the quest for
elegant, beautiful solutions to problems that
continually challenge the mind never guarantees
success, but only opportunities to try.
In addition to leading both undergraduate and graduate students into the
fundamental field of organic photochemistry — which studies interactions of
organic molecules and light — Kutateladze and his team have developed a
number of promising and intriguing applications, helping scientists to better
“see” and understand how nanoscopic objects interact and what goes on at the
smallest molecular levels. By developing methods to pre-amplify the signatures of such interactions
involving biologically relevant molecules, his work provides valuable clues for the
identification of potential drug candidates.
“Scientists cannot possibly test every compound in mice or other animals. There
aren’t enough resources and it is inefficient,” he says. “We must at the beginning
of the testing know if the compound at least recognizes a molecule of interest.
Our ultra-high sensitive tools can assist in seeing how potential therapeutic
agents bind to their protein targets, helping to focus pharmaceutical research
without wasting time analyzing compounds that won’t ever work.”
Photochemical amplification of tiny molecular signals may also allow scientists to
design portable, yet powerful devices for use by medical doctors practicing in
remote areas, doing work once only possible with large, immobile laboratories.
Provost Gregg Kvistad, bestowing the John Evans Professorship at the University
Sandra Eaton, DU’s chair of chemistry and biochemistry, says Kutateladze excels
in both research and teaching, and she notes that his teaching extends from PhD
students to undergraduates.
“Some people are theoreticians, others do experiments. Dr. Kutateladze does
both,” she says. “He uses powerful computer software to interpret chemical
observations performed in his lab and provide explanations of why reactions
occur. He applies his extensive knowledge of synthetic organic chemistry to make
molecules with fascinating practical uses. In the past, people screened potential
drugs one by one. Dr. Kutateladze is developing methods to test the interactions
between multiple combinations of drugs and targets simultaneously.”
But it’s his commitment to teaching that creates a collaborative atmosphere,
Eaton says.
“Work in Dr. Kutateladze’s group provides a wonderful learning environment for
undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral research associates,” she
says. “They learn together how to design experiments and interpret data.”
Eaton, who was named John Evans Professor in 1997, says while it is a great
honor, the recognition also carries with it the responsibility to continue to excel in
research and to mentor junior colleagues.
Kutateladze is a University Distinguished Scholar, the author of 114 papers in
leading scientific journals and has five patents to his name. He earned his PhD in
1986 at Russia’s Moscow State University.
Biology professor has a taste of academic success
Geography professor receives peer recognition
Andrew Goetz, chair of the University of Denver’s
geography department, is getting the kind of award
that speaks volumes about his life’s work: recognition
by his peers.
The Association of American Geographers’ Transport
Geography Specialty Group (TGSG) will give Goetz
the Edward L. Ullman Award, which has been
presented each year since 1990 to recognize
outstanding achievement and contributions to the
field. The award is named for the late Edward
Ullman, who studied transport geography at the
University of Washington, focusing on special
interaction, railroads and commodity flows.
Goetz was nominated by Professor Tim Vowles of the
University of Northern Colorado.
“Professor Goetz is one of the world’s pre-eminent
air transportation geographers,” Vowles says. “(He) is
also one of the discipline’s leading authorities on
intermodal transportation.”
Goetz has published more than 30 articles on air
transport, intermodal transportation and transport
planning and has published two books, Airline
Deregulation and Laissez-Faire Mythology and Denver
International Airport: Lessons Learned, a
comprehensive overview of the grueling construction
of DIA, now one of the country’s busiest airports.
“I was thrilled to hear the news about the award
because I know that the list of prior recipients
includes the leading figures from the discipline,”
Goetz says. “My dissertation advisor at Ohio State,
Edward Taaffe, was the first recipient of the Ullman
Award, and another mentor of mine, Howard
Gauthier, won the award in 1992.”
The award boasts a long list of accomplished experts
as prior recipients.
“Although I never met Edward Ullman, I am very
familiar with his work, especially his pioneering
efforts in the field of transport geography,” Goetz
says. “It is a real honor to be receiving this award
named for Ullman because he and Harold Mayer
were the first to define the field of transport
geography in their landmark 1954 chapter in
American Geography.”
In addition to his duties teaching, writing and leading
the geography department, Vowles also lauds Goetz
for his efforts in founding DU’s nationally recognized
Intermodal Transportation Institute and the National
Center for Intermodal Transportation, a joint venture
shared with Mississippi State University.
“Being part of the creation of both centers allowed
Professor Goetz to further the impact of geography in
the field of intermodal transportation and
transportation overall,” Vowles says.
Not only does John Kinnamon have good taste — he has a passion for it.
fodder of a lot of sci-fi literature and movies.” A neuroscientist and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences,
Kinnamon received the United Methodist Church University Scholar/Teacher of
the Year Award at DU’s Convocation in October 2009.
He says a majority of science fiction is written about genetic engineering, aliens,
physics of time travel and artificial intelligence. Students in Kinnamon’s class
analyze sci-fi books from a biological perspective. They even have to create a
story about an alien — describing the biology of how its body functions and brain
works.
Kinnamon is a pioneer in the study of taste buds. Last year, he received a
five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to learn more about the
basic mechanisms of how taste works — including studying the synapses
between taste receptor cells and the brain.
But his tastes go beyond buds; he also teaches a popular DU First-Year Seminar
called Biology of Science Fiction. What does this have to do with taste?
“As an academic, I continually try to balance my efforts between teaching and
research,” Kinnamon says. “Getting a grant application funded is a great career
event, but the real rewards come from teaching. Occasionally we get a pat on
the back for our efforts, but we really live for the times when a student who
graduated years before calls to say how taking one of my courses or working in
my laboratory changed the direction of their career. These are the most gratifying
moments for me and are remembered forever. Now, to have the United
Methodist Church honor me with the University Scholar/Teacher of the Year
Award makes me feel appreciated in a way I have not experienced before,” he
says. “Being recognized for doing what you love is like having your cake and
eating it, too.” “Not a lot,” Kinnamon says. “I am a science fiction junkie, and biology is the
And tasting it.
“A lot of work on the five senses has centered on four of them: sight, smell,
hearing and touch,” Kinnamon says. “But not a lot of research has been done on
the sense of taste.”
Kinnamon says each taste bud is like a mini-brain that provides information about
the taste of the food being eaten whether it’s sour, salty, bitter, sweet, and
whether or not the food is palatable.
Geography alum receives Master Scholar award
Brent Frakes (BA ’93), was honored by DU as one of 15 outstanding alumni from various
academic units at the annual Masters Program Awards Dinner on Monday, April 12th. The
Masters Program is an annual event that recognizes alumni from all academic units who are
distinguished professionals in their fields. Frakes received his BA in geography from DU, and went on to receive a doctorate in
geography, with an emphasis in Synoptic Climatology and Hydrology, from Pennsylvania State
University. After teaching at Southern Illinois University and working as an environmental
consultant in Denver, opportunity and luck enable Frakes to take on a position with the
National Park Service in 2001. Currently Frakes has taken on a national level position
re-designing the information system within the NPS.
Geography alumnus Brent Frakes receives a Master Scholar
award from DU, pictured center. Also pictured are Dean Alayne
Parson, left, and Dr. Andy Goetz, chair of the Department of
Geography, right.
While visiting DU as a Master Scholar Frakes engaged with the current students and faculty in
the Department of Geography by participating in class lectures. Through the direct connection
with current DU students, Frakes was able to demonstrate how his professional achievements
and life experiences have built upon his time at DU and with students hearing first-hand
different ways a DU education can be applied in the years after college.
Tiny Measurements
Mean Big Things For
Physics Professor
After years of looking in the tiniest places for the materials that will make a
big difference, University of Denver assistant professor of physics Barry Zink
caught the eye of the nation’s authority on science.
Zink is being recognized with a National Science Foundation CAREER award,
a $550,000 funding grant that will further the research Zink and his students
do involving nanomaterials and measurements of heat transfer properties.
The award, officially known as the Faculty Early Career Development Award
but abbreviated as CAREER, reflects serious praise from the NSF, which notes
it is “the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support
of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who
most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the
mission of their organization.”
Zink’s award, technically for a project titled “Electrons, Phonons, and
Magnons in Nanostructures and Novel Materials” boils down, he says, to
“measuring the thermal properties of small stuff.”
The research starts with actually building the tiny tools needed to measure
heat transfer in tiny things. Zink and his students craft extremely small (a
microscope is needed to really see them well) “frames” of a sort called
thermal isolation platforms where small amounts of various materials are
suspended between known quantities, then heated.
“We’re always developing new tools along the way, it’s like, say you wanted
to build a barn and you come up with the idea of using a nail to hold it
together, then you have to come up with a tool to hit the nail,” Zink says.
“We’re always coming up with new tools, thinking up the next experiment
and looking off to new things on the horizon. A big part of what we do is
make very precise, very small instruments.”
Where others see numerals and equations,
University of Denver professor Rick Ball sees beauty
and elegance. Where some might see his office as a
private sanctuary for research, he sees it as an open
environment for teaching and sharing.
In recognition for his research into topology and
other areas of mathematics, Ball was named
University Lecturer at DU’s Convocation in October
2009.
Ball says he’s always strived to put students first, to
help them discover mathematics on their own terms
and to learn that nothing comes easy, but the prize
is worth the effort. The walls of his office are
obscured by chalkboards filled with sketched graphs
and complex equations — the product of private
sessions with students. On his door, an early
student’s hand-written course evaluation is posted
dead center at eye level.
“This isn’t my office, this is my students’ office,” he
says. “They come here and we work through
problems together. And you can’t really talk about
mathematics without a pencil in your hand or a
piece of chalk.”
Barry Zink is being recognized with a NSF CAREER
award and funding grant that will further his research
involving nanomaterials.
There are countless applications for materials that transfer heat from one
point to another efficiently. Imagine if there was a material to coat auto
engines and siphon all that heat pouring off the engine and put it to use. Or
on a smaller scale, Zink envisions something that could coat semiconductors
to conquer the huge problem of cooling super fast, super powerful
computers.
Zink makes sure to point out the CAREER award’s dual purpose, to
recognize both research and teaching. On a busy Friday, the lab across from
his office is buzzing with students. Zink says his work involves all levels of
students, from PhD. to undergraduates.
PhD. candidate Azure Avery says the study of materials and thermal
properties has her on an exciting, if as yet fully developed path to her
ultimate degree. The trick is, fully forming a desired outcome for her
research is difficult in such a rapidly emerging field.
“Every time I think I’ve learned something, it all changes,” she says with a
smile. “It’s always interesting, but there’s so much to study.”
The CAREER award will fund experimental new and unique methods of
exploring the thermal properties of novel materials. In applying, Zink
reported the properties he and his students uncover should provide valuable
information on “the electronic, virbrational and magnetic excitations” of a
system that have in the past been difficult to measure. It could be the
gateway to smaller computer chips and better information storage. And
through it all, teaching will remain a big part of the work.
Zink says that exactly what will come out of the research isn’t known. The
research, he says, is “high risk, high reward.” And really, really, tiny.
Chemistry professor receives University’s
highest faculty award
Mathematics professor named
University Lecturer
Ball says it’s important for him to dispel a myth that
mathematics comes easy to those who choose it. He
freely admits he struggled in his school days to crack
the code and learn to understand the language of
computation. For students willing to embrace the
work it takes, Ball says he’s there to struggle
alongside them. In the classroom, he chooses
problems that interest him, and throughout a course
he’ll try to help students unravel the mysteries.
“We do it together. They see me struggling with a
problem,” he says. “We don’t get them all, maybe
we get 90 percent, but it’s wonderful for me to see
them in the halls
talking about the problem together, trying to figure
it out. It takes talk. There’s a social component to
mathematics. All of us reach a point where we can’t
see the full picture. That’s when you put down the
pencil, sleep on it, and then get together and talk
about it.”
Ball came to DU as a visiting professor in 1988 after
teaching at Boise State, the University of Kansas,
Wesleyan University in Connecticut and at the
University of Georgia. He landed a tenured position
at DU in 1991. His wife, Joan Winn, is a professor of
management at the Daniels College of Business.
Provost Gregg Kvistad, in bestowing the University
Lecturer award on Ball (who was studying in the
Czech Republic at the time of Convocation joked
about Ball’s modesty, noting how he has never been
one to tout his numerous accomplishments. Kvistad
remarked how when pressed to write something
about himself for his introduction, Ball responded, “I
consider myself an entirely unremarkable man.”
“He may, but we don’t,” Kvistad said. “Rick Ball is
one the most respected and serious faculty members
at the University of Denver.”
For University of Denver chemistry and biochemistry Professor Andrei
Kutateladze, success lies in making it easier to search the tiniest of haystacks for
an even tinier needle. And that could lead to big things.
Convocation ceremony, recognized Kutateladze’s 23 years of research and
teaching, calling him “a very quiet, very kind, very smart and very focused
colleague.”
For his work, Kutateladze was named John Evans Professor at DU’s Convocation
in October 2009. It’s the highest award the University bestows on faculty
members.
“In the process of his selection for this award, Andrei’s scholarship was
scrutinized by research specialists of the highest caliber from around the world,”
Kvistad said. “Their verdict was that Andrei’s research had unquestionably met
the threshold of extraordinary international distinction that the Evans
Professorship requires.”
“It is somewhat easier to evaluate the significance of one’s research within your
area of study,” Kutateladze says. “I am humbled and honored that my work was
recognized by the awards committee among various disciplines across the
campus.”
“I love the subject I teach. I love to teach it, and
what I love about DU is that we have the resources
to do that well,” Ball says. “You can really get to
know your students here. By the time you choose a
major, it’s like joining a family.”
Serious, perhaps, but with a great sense of humor
and a great appreciation for his craft and his
students. He says his affinity for DU lies in the
attention paid those students, no huge classes
packed into lecture halls, but rather attention to the
individual and one-on-one discussion.
The favorite evaluation Ball posted on his office
door, received after the second semester he ever
taught back in 1975, reads: “‘What are the
instructor’s good points?’ The handwritten
response: ‘His zest for attacking interesting
problems and occasional humor thrown into
them.’” ‘What are the instructor’s bad points?’ The
reply: ‘His inability to do those interesting
problems.’”
The University Lecturer award “recognizes
superlative creative and scholarly work,” but to hear
him speak, Ball freely shares so much of his time
that could be instead dedicated strictly to research
projects and writing. Sharing the subject is as much
what makes him tick as research.
Ball laughs when he thinks about the note,
recognizing it now as more insightful then he
thought at first. Mathematics and the quest for
elegant, beautiful solutions to problems that
continually challenge the mind never guarantees
success, but only opportunities to try.
In addition to leading both undergraduate and graduate students into the
fundamental field of organic photochemistry — which studies interactions of
organic molecules and light — Kutateladze and his team have developed a
number of promising and intriguing applications, helping scientists to better
“see” and understand how nanoscopic objects interact and what goes on at the
smallest molecular levels. By developing methods to pre-amplify the signatures of such interactions
involving biologically relevant molecules, his work provides valuable clues for the
identification of potential drug candidates.
“Scientists cannot possibly test every compound in mice or other animals. There
aren’t enough resources and it is inefficient,” he says. “We must at the beginning
of the testing know if the compound at least recognizes a molecule of interest.
Our ultra-high sensitive tools can assist in seeing how potential therapeutic
agents bind to their protein targets, helping to focus pharmaceutical research
without wasting time analyzing compounds that won’t ever work.”
Photochemical amplification of tiny molecular signals may also allow scientists to
design portable, yet powerful devices for use by medical doctors practicing in
remote areas, doing work once only possible with large, immobile laboratories.
Provost Gregg Kvistad, bestowing the John Evans Professorship at the University
Sandra Eaton, DU’s chair of chemistry and biochemistry, says Kutateladze excels
in both research and teaching, and she notes that his teaching extends from PhD
students to undergraduates.
“Some people are theoreticians, others do experiments. Dr. Kutateladze does
both,” she says. “He uses powerful computer software to interpret chemical
observations performed in his lab and provide explanations of why reactions
occur. He applies his extensive knowledge of synthetic organic chemistry to make
molecules with fascinating practical uses. In the past, people screened potential
drugs one by one. Dr. Kutateladze is developing methods to test the interactions
between multiple combinations of drugs and targets simultaneously.”
But it’s his commitment to teaching that creates a collaborative atmosphere,
Eaton says.
“Work in Dr. Kutateladze’s group provides a wonderful learning environment for
undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral research associates,” she
says. “They learn together how to design experiments and interpret data.”
Eaton, who was named John Evans Professor in 1997, says while it is a great
honor, the recognition also carries with it the responsibility to continue to excel in
research and to mentor junior colleagues.
Kutateladze is a University Distinguished Scholar, the author of 114 papers in
leading scientific journals and has five patents to his name. He earned his PhD in
1986 at Russia’s Moscow State University.
Biology professor has a taste of academic success
Geography professor receives peer recognition
Andrew Goetz, chair of the University of Denver’s
geography department, is getting the kind of award
that speaks volumes about his life’s work: recognition
by his peers.
The Association of American Geographers’ Transport
Geography Specialty Group (TGSG) will give Goetz
the Edward L. Ullman Award, which has been
presented each year since 1990 to recognize
outstanding achievement and contributions to the
field. The award is named for the late Edward
Ullman, who studied transport geography at the
University of Washington, focusing on special
interaction, railroads and commodity flows.
Goetz was nominated by Professor Tim Vowles of the
University of Northern Colorado.
“Professor Goetz is one of the world’s pre-eminent
air transportation geographers,” Vowles says. “(He) is
also one of the discipline’s leading authorities on
intermodal transportation.”
Goetz has published more than 30 articles on air
transport, intermodal transportation and transport
planning and has published two books, Airline
Deregulation and Laissez-Faire Mythology and Denver
International Airport: Lessons Learned, a
comprehensive overview of the grueling construction
of DIA, now one of the country’s busiest airports.
“I was thrilled to hear the news about the award
because I know that the list of prior recipients
includes the leading figures from the discipline,”
Goetz says. “My dissertation advisor at Ohio State,
Edward Taaffe, was the first recipient of the Ullman
Award, and another mentor of mine, Howard
Gauthier, won the award in 1992.”
The award boasts a long list of accomplished experts
as prior recipients.
“Although I never met Edward Ullman, I am very
familiar with his work, especially his pioneering
efforts in the field of transport geography,” Goetz
says. “It is a real honor to be receiving this award
named for Ullman because he and Harold Mayer
were the first to define the field of transport
geography in their landmark 1954 chapter in
American Geography.”
In addition to his duties teaching, writing and leading
the geography department, Vowles also lauds Goetz
for his efforts in founding DU’s nationally recognized
Intermodal Transportation Institute and the National
Center for Intermodal Transportation, a joint venture
shared with Mississippi State University.
“Being part of the creation of both centers allowed
Professor Goetz to further the impact of geography in
the field of intermodal transportation and
transportation overall,” Vowles says.
Not only does John Kinnamon have good taste — he has a passion for it.
fodder of a lot of sci-fi literature and movies.” A neuroscientist and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences,
Kinnamon received the United Methodist Church University Scholar/Teacher of
the Year Award at DU’s Convocation in October 2009.
He says a majority of science fiction is written about genetic engineering, aliens,
physics of time travel and artificial intelligence. Students in Kinnamon’s class
analyze sci-fi books from a biological perspective. They even have to create a
story about an alien — describing the biology of how its body functions and brain
works.
Kinnamon is a pioneer in the study of taste buds. Last year, he received a
five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to learn more about the
basic mechanisms of how taste works — including studying the synapses
between taste receptor cells and the brain.
But his tastes go beyond buds; he also teaches a popular DU First-Year Seminar
called Biology of Science Fiction. What does this have to do with taste?
“As an academic, I continually try to balance my efforts between teaching and
research,” Kinnamon says. “Getting a grant application funded is a great career
event, but the real rewards come from teaching. Occasionally we get a pat on
the back for our efforts, but we really live for the times when a student who
graduated years before calls to say how taking one of my courses or working in
my laboratory changed the direction of their career. These are the most gratifying
moments for me and are remembered forever. Now, to have the United
Methodist Church honor me with the University Scholar/Teacher of the Year
Award makes me feel appreciated in a way I have not experienced before,” he
says. “Being recognized for doing what you love is like having your cake and
eating it, too.” “Not a lot,” Kinnamon says. “I am a science fiction junkie, and biology is the
And tasting it.
“A lot of work on the five senses has centered on four of them: sight, smell,
hearing and touch,” Kinnamon says. “But not a lot of research has been done on
the sense of taste.”
Kinnamon says each taste bud is like a mini-brain that provides information about
the taste of the food being eaten whether it’s sour, salty, bitter, sweet, and
whether or not the food is palatable.