USM Announces 2008-2009 Elkins Professorships
Awards Fund Work in Conflict Resolution, Healthcare, and Renewable Energy
ADELPHI, Md. (July
22, 2008) - The
University System of Maryland (USM) announces the recipients of the Wilson H.
Elkins Professorships for the 2008-2009 academic year. First established at the
University of Maryland in 1978 and later extended to the newly created system in 1988, the
Elkins Professorships support professors and researchers who demonstrate exemplary
ability to inspire students and whose professional work and scholarly endeavors
make a positive impact beyond USM.
This year's award winners
are:
Brian Polkinghorn, associate professor and executive director of the Center for Conflict
Resolution at Salisbury University (SU), recipient of an $80,000 award to expand
the activities of the university's conflict analysis and dispute resolution program
to include a scholar-in-residence, visiting lecturers, and study abroad
opportunities for students. This is the second year that Dr. Polkinghorn has
received an Elkins award.
David Yager,
distinguished professor of visual arts at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), recipient of an $80,000 award to fund his
new project, the Innovation and Design Lab (IDL). IDL will be devoted "to
creating and publishing new knowledge in the health and wellness industries
through a holistic approach to innovation and design research that generates
products, tools, services, and solutions to improve health outcomes." Dr.
Yager routinely collaborates with the Erickson School at UMBC and the
Department of Pediatrics at the John Hopkins Medical Institutes.
Ilia Baskakov,
associate professor the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Medical Biotechnology Center, recipient of an $80,000 award to fund research into
the generation of electricity through photosynthetic microbial fuel cells. The
development of the technology promises a sustainable, completely
carbon-dioxide-free approach for producing electricity directly from the energy
of sunlight and the natural processes of bacteria.
"These talented faculty
members are reaching out of their respective disciplines to address some of the
most pressing issues of our time, from global conflict to renewable energy,"
said USM Chancellor William E. Kirwan. "Their research and scholarly activities
promise to offer benefits to the world beyond our university campuses. We are
proud to help further their vital work through the Elkins Professorship
awards."
Established in 1978 as the first permanently
endowed, university-wide professorship at the University of Maryland, the Elkins Professorship honors the late Wilson H. Elkins, who led
the University of Maryland to new levels of distinction as its president from 1954 to 1978. When
the University System of Maryland was created in 1988, Dr. Elkins agreed that
the endowed professorship should extend to all USM institutions. The Wilson H.
Elkins Endowment Fund supports the professorship awards in combination with institutional
and system resources. This endowment and others like it, further USM's mission
of teaching, research, and public service.
Candidates for the Elkins Professorship must
possess a solid record of achievement in their academic or professional disciplines;
demonstrate a desire and ability to lead and inspire undergraduate and graduate
students; show significant achievement beyond their traditional disciplines;
and demonstrate ability and intent to pursue scholarly or professional
endeavors beyond USM.
For more information, visit the Wilson H. Elkins
Professorship web page.
Contact: John Buettner
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: jbuettner@usmd.edu
