ORONO -- Five University
of Maine professors, each with international reputations in their
academic disciplines and many years of distinguished service to UMaine
and its students, were announced this afternoon as the winners of
UMaine's annual top faculty awards. The awards are part of the annual
Academic Honors Convocation, traditionally held the day before
commencement. Today's event was at Alfond Arena.
For the first time since
the award's 1963 inception, two faculty members share the University of
Maine Alumni Association Distinguished Maine Professor award, presented
by the alumni association in recognition of outstanding achievements in
teaching, research and public service.
Prof. Janice Kristo,
professor of literacy education in UMaine's College of Education and
Human Development and Prof. John Vetelino, University of Maine Trustee
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, share the
Distinguished Maine Professor award. Each will provide remarks at
UMaine's Saturday commencement ceremonies.
Kristo joined the UMaine
faculty in 1982. As the senior faculty member specializing in literacy,
she has a leadership role that has an impact throughout Maine and
beyond. Kristo is a prolific scholar and researcher who has co-authored
or co-edited ten books, co-authored ten book chapters, written 24
published articles, and given more than 110 presentations, almost half
of them at national and international conferences or meetings. Regional
and national recognition includes the New England Reading Association's
2003 Special Recognition Award and membership in the National Conference
on Research in Language and Literacy. Described by her colleagues as
"one of (UMaine's) preeminent teachers, Kristo teaches both
undergraduate and graduate students. Her scholarly work focuses on
children's literature in K-8 classrooms, and she spends a great deal of
time in Maine schools working directly with teachers and students. With
her colleague Rosemary Bamford, Kristo received UMaine's Presidential
Research and Creative Achievement Award in 2000.
Vetelino, a UMaine
professor since 1969, is also a founding member of UMaine's
interdisciplinary Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology (LASST).
He has long been among UMaine's faculty leaders in acquiring funding for
sponsored research. Vetelino has received more than 100 grants and
awards, totaling more than $25 million. An international expert on
sensor technology, he has some 200 publications to his credit, and he
has presented more than 150 papers at professional meetings. Vetelino's
work in sensor technology development has led to the creation of four
spinoff businesses, leading to jobs and economic development. Vetelino's
colleagues note is initiative in developing new courses and course
materials, keeping UMaine students on top of emerging technologies and
new knowledge. The 1980 winner of UMaine's Presidential Research and
Creative Achievement Award, Vetelino has also developed a series of
educational grants to extend UMaine's expertise and resources to Maine's
middle school and high school teachers and students.
The 2008 Presidential
Research and Creative Achievement Award was presented to Prof. Mary
Ellen Camire of the UMaine Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition. In
her 19 years on the UMaine faculty, Camire has helped lead the
department's growth and its impact on several fronts, including expert
assistance to Maine agricultural and food producers. Her research has
had a particular impact on Maine's blueberry industry, ash she had
helped develop new products and processing techniques. An expert on
functional foods, Camire created UMaine's Consumer Testing Center, for
the sensory evaluation of food products. A Institute of Food
Technologists (IFT) Fellow, Camire received the prestigious Babcock-Hart
Award from that group and the International Life Sciences Institute in
2006. That award recognizes those who have made significant
contributions to food technologies that improve public health. She has
published 57 peer reviewed journal articles and 11book chapters, and her
work as an IFT Food Science Communicator has helped the public
understand important issued in this field.
Prof. Alan Cobo-Lewis of
the UMaine psychology faculty received the 2008 Presidential Public
Service Achievement Award. Cobo-Lewis joined the UMaine faculty in 1998,
and he was recognized in particular for his research, public service and
advocacy on related to improving the lives of Maine's children. He has
applied his skills and energy to solving specific problems, leading to
new public policy that benefits Maine families. During 2006-2007, Cobo-Lewis
served as co-chair of Maine's Subcommittee to Study Early Childhood
Special Education, and effort that led to improvements in Maine's early
childhood special education and intervention system. A member of Maine's
Task force on Early Childhood and the Maine Developmental Disabilities
Council, Cobo-Lewis has earned praise for his work and his approach from
state leaders and children's advocacy groups. Because of his effective
advocacy, Cobo-Lewis received the Autism Society of Maine's 2007 service
award and the 2007 Maine Children's Alliance Giraffe Award (for people
who "stick their neck out" to help children).
The Presidential Teaching
Award was presented this afternoon to Prof. Gail Werrbach, a UMaine
social work professor since 1988. Known for her collegiality and
positive impact on her faculty colleagues and her students, Werrbach was
recognized for her efforts to teach and mentor her students, while also
working to find ways to expand the delivery of social work education in
Maine and beyond. Her successful initiatives include the creation of a
master's program in social work at UMaine's Hutchinson Center in
Belfast, the development of distance education courses in the School of
Social Work and the development of international student exchange
programs with institutions in Belgium, Denmark and Spain. In recent
years, Werrbach has worked to expand social work education opportunities
for Native American students studying for both bachelor's degrees and
master's degrees. Her colleagues say that she is eminently respected by
her fellow faculty members and by her students, who consistently express
their appreciation for her effective teaching through course
evaluations.
