Lawrence, KS—Joy Ward, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas, is a 2009 winner of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the White House announced today.
It is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a young scientist or engineer in the United States.
Ward researches plants that grew during the last ice age—about 18,000 years to 20,000 years ago—when low carbon dioxide levels may have been highly limiting for plant life.
According to the National Science Foundation, the PECASE awards "are intended to identify and honor outstanding researchers who are beginning their independent research careers, and to provide recognition of their potential for leadership across the frontiers of scientific knowledge during the 21st century." http://www.news.ku.edu/2009/july/9/ward.shtml
Deborah Smith, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, recently was honored with a 2009 Kemper Fellowship.
The W. T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence recognizes outstanding teachers and advisers at KU as determined by a seven-member selection committee. The W. T. Kemper Foundation was established in 1989 and is dedicated to continuing Kemper’s lifelong interest in improving the human condition and quality of life.
Smith joined KU in 1991 and teaches courses in organismal and evolutionary biology, the biology of insects and other areas. She is known for improving not only her students’ research skills and scientific knowledge but also their writing abilities.
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