UMD News Releases

The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) has announced the recipients of the 2003 Faculty Awards.

Jean G. Blehart Distinguished Teaching Award..........Richard Davis
-This honor is given each year to a faculty member who has made extraordinary contributions to the teaching mission of UMD.

Richard Davis is an associate professor of Chemical Engineering in the UMD Department of Chemical Engineering. Professor Davis received his B.S. in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. from the University of California Santa Barbara. Dr. Davis held a post-doctoral research fellowship at USCB prior to coming to UMD as an Assistant Professor in 1992. While at UMD, he has distinguished himself in the areas of teaching, program development, and educational leadership. Professor Davis is a past recipient of the UMD Outstanding Advisor Award as well as the Omega Chi Epsilon Honor Society Service Award for his contributions to students. As a teacher, Professor Davis incorporates the results of his scholarly activities into the classroom and has recently given his students hands-on opportunities to build devices based on their own designs.

Chancellor's Distinguished Research Award..........Erik Brown
-This award is given each semester to recognize the research contributions of a UMD faculty member and as a tool to present developing research to a broad UMD audience.

Erik Brown is an associate professor in the UMD Department of Geological Sciences. He received his A.B. in Chemistry from Princeton University in 1985 and his Ph.D. in Oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography in 1990. In 1995, Professor Brown joined the UMD faculty in the Department of Geological Sciences and the Large Lakes Observatory. During 2001-2002 he was a Fulbright Scholar in France. Professor Brown has undertaken fieldwork in over a dozen countries including Mongolia, Zaire, China, Australia, and the United States. After receiving his award on April 30, Professor Brown presented his lecture: "How Fast do Mountains Move? Views of Himalayan Tectonics and Links to Past Climate."

Outstanding Faculty Advisor Awards
-These awards are given each year to five faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding service to their students.

Ron Caple is a professor in the UMD Department of Chemistry. He meets regularly with the UMD Pre-pharmacy Club, as well as with prospective students, and at all times and places with his advisees.

Jonathan Conant is an associate professor and Head of the UMD Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. He shares his knowledge and advice with incoming students as well as his own advisees, and encourages other faculty to become well informed advisors.

Dan Glisczinski is an instructor in the UMD Department of Education. He is a model of the Learner-Sensitive Professional, and is known for his energy and enthusiasm when working with students.

Patricia Merrier is a professor in the UMD Department of Finance and Management Information Sciences. She is known as an advisor and a mentor, and assists students in making career choices as well as considering decisions within their chosen careers.

Robert Repinski is an associate professor in the UMD Department of Art and Design. He is an advisor who realizes that advising is much more than knowing the regulations. He guides students through the sometimes difficult decision making process throughout their college careers.

Albert Tezla Teacher/Scholar Award..........Gloria Brush
-This honor is given annually to a faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Fine Arts who has an exceptional and effective style of teaching that emphasizes the worth of research in a learned discipline and the maturing impact scholarly activity has on the development of human attributes and values.

Gloria Brush is a professor in the UMD Department of Art and Design. She received her Bachelor's and M.F.A. Degrees at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. Professor Brush has been awarded Minnesota State's Arts Board and McKnight Foundation fellowships, plus other awards in support of her creative work. Her evolution from silver-based photography to digital has shown that she has the drive to constantly evolve her work along with emerging technologies. Professor Brush's research and artistic work has had a profound effect on her present and former students. She is a role model that inspires her students to do their own research and creative activities.