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Distinguished Scholar Awards for 2008-2009 have been presented to professors - Robert Applebaum, sociology and gerontology, James Creech, French and Italian, and Chris Makaroff, chemistry and biochemistry - in recognition of a substantial and continuing record of research or creative activity.
Michelle Boone, assistant professor of zoology, received the Distinguished Scholar Award for a junior faculty member who has demonstrated great potential as a scholar or artist.
The scholars, named by the committee on faculty research (CFR) and the office for the advancement of research and scholarship (OARS), receive a $2,000 stipend for the pursuit of further research or creative endeavor.
Applebaum, director of the Ohio Long-Term Care Project of the Scripps Gerontology Center, has a national reputation for his work to expand the continuum of long-term care options for older adults. He is noted for translating his research into policy; Applebaum has provided testimony related to long-term care policy at the federal and state levels more than 20 times. He recently was the only university representative to serve on the Governor’s Committee to Study Unifying Ohio’s Long-Term Care Budget.
He is author of four books, 58 reports, more than 65 peer reviewed articles, co-author of one book and an editor of the Encyclopedia on Aging. His research has been supported by $3.6 million in external research funding. Named Ohio Gerontological Researcher of the Year (1994), Applebaum has served as a section chair/vice president of the Gerontological Society of America, as chair of and current member of the editorial board of Generations, and serves on the editorial board of three other journals.
Creech, a specialist in eighteenth century French literature, has “moved forward in often unexpected and courageous ways,” in the more than 30 years since he has been at Miami, according to one of his nominators. His first book, Diderot: Thresholds of Representation, published early in his career, has remained a staple of Diderot scholarship. His second book, Closet Writing/Gay Reading: Herman Melville’s “Pierre” has influenced Queer and American literature studies. More recently, Creech has centered his research on the relation between shame and testimony in the first-person accounts of Holocaust survivors. He is currently preparing a book on the basis of this research and has presented work in this area at two colloquia in France.
Makaroff, chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry, “epitomizes a true Miami teacher/scholar where he excels in teaching both in the lab and in the classroom and directs one of the most productive research labs in the university,” says one of his nominators. He is recognized as an expert in the field of genetics and biochemistry of plants. His research has been supported by more than $4.5 million in external research and equipment grants (as PI or co-PI). He has also been awarded another $1.2 million in educational grants to support undergraduate students. He is author or co-author of approximately 50 research articles in top journals and three book chapters, and he holds a patent dealing with growth stimulation of plants.
Makaroff received the Sigma Xi Research of the Year award in 2004 and was named the Distinguished Scholar of the graduate faculty in 2005. He serves on the editorial board of Plant Signaling and Behavior, and served as director/co-director of the department’s National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program for nine years and initiated the chemistry department’s implementation of a biochemistry degree program.
Boone has achieved recognition for her work early in her career, both nationally and internationally. Her research on the effects of pesticides on amphibian populations has had a significant impact on the field of conservation biology, evidenced by her success at acquiring external funding, the quality of her publications and the large number of invitations to present research seminars. She has authored 25 peer-reviewed journal articles and eight book chapters and her research has been supported by $460,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Professional Golf Association.
She was a key participant in an international workshop sponsored by the Conservation International and the International Union for Concerned Scientists that resulted in a book publication and a synthesis paper in the journal Science. She also serves on the editorial board of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. After earning her doctorate in 2000 from the University of Missouri-Columbia, she was a postdoctoral research scientist at the Columbia Environmental Research Center. She joined the Miami faculty in 2004.
The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2009-2010 Distinguished Scholars is Nov. 2. For more information go to www.units.muohio.edu/oars.
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