Maine Perspective Front Page
Top UMaine Faculty Awards Presented
The University's highest honors to faculty for outstanding achievement in teaching, research and service to the public have been awarded.
The University of Maine General Alumni Association 1999 Distinguished Maine Professor is Brenda Power, professor of literacy education. The recipient of the Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award is Professor of Physics Charles Hess. Receiving the Presidential Teaching Award is Keith Hutchison, associate professor of biochemistry and cooperating associate professor of forest resources and biological sciences. The Presidential Public Service Achievement Award is presented to George Jacobson, director of the Institute for Quaternary Studies, professor of botany and Quaternary studies, and cooperating professor of wildlife.
- Brenda Power is described as a superb teacher and mentor, an independent thinker, a champion of K-12 teachers and students, a first-rate scholar, a prodigious worker and a contributor to important changes at the University and in the College of Education and Human Development. According to the College's nominating committee, Power has single-handedly "brought more energy, more new ideas and more actualized change to the College than any other single individual hired in the past decade." Currently, Power is involved in one of the most important developments in the College - modeling what tomorrow's faculty in education will need to be doing within the Professional Development School model. Her scholarship in the areas of teacher research and literacy education is nationally recognized. Power, acknowledged as the strongest voice in the country promoting the importance of teacher research, originated the Journal of Teaching Research. As a teacher and advisor, Power has distinguished herself with undergraduate to doctoral students.
- Charles "Tom" Hess came to UMaine in 1969 and has maintained an active research program involving many students ever since. Trained as a theoretical nuclear physicist, Hess also is an expert in experimental physics - a rare combination among physicists. He has been involved in teaching both nuclear physics and nuclear physics laboratory. Hess also has developed expertise in environmental radioactivity and associated health physics issues, a field ideally suited for interdisciplinary work. His pioneering studies involving radon have made him internationally known and have helped put his Orono laboratory on the map as a center for environmental radiation research. His research has produced a large number of publications in prestigious journals, has attracted more than $2 million in external funding, and has served as the training arena for both graduate and undergraduate students.
- Keith Hutchison's outstanding accomplishments in teaching are well-documented. In biannual evaluations in 1995 and 1997, Hutchison was evaluated by the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology Peer Committee and was ranked "Outstanding" for his teaching appointment. In 1996, he received the College of Sciences Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, and in 1998 the Department's newly initiated Teaching Award. Most recently, Hutchison was presented the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture 1999 Outstanding Teaching Award. Students take advantage of the open door policy in his office. They most often refer to his extensive knowledge of the subject matter and his enthusiasm in delivering the material in a classroom or lab, or via distance education. Hutchison changes the lives of many of the students he comes in contact with, instilling in them the courage needed to become the best scientists they can be.
- George Jacobson played a key role in the resurgence in public interest in the health of UMaine, the University of Maine System and the Maine Technical College System. He succeeded in focusing public attention on the economic importance of research and development, the central place of the state's major research university in R&D, and the high return on investment in education. For four years as a member of The Faculty Five, Jacobson worked tirelessly with citizens, educators and legislators toward developing a dialog about the role of higher education. His success stems from his experience working within federal government, his ability as a spokesperson, and the sincerity and unselfishness of his mission. In addition, Jacobson contributed significantly to organizing the faculty portion of the Campaign for Maine, and, since 1990, has been UMaine's faculty representative to the NCAA.