Four distinguished scholars receive Provost’s Award

Scholarly recognition: Recipients of the 2007-2008 Provost’s Award for Scholarly Activity were honored on April 14 at a special luncheon held in the Alma Jennings Foundation Executive Conference Room at the School of Nursing and Health Studies. From left to right are David J. Birnbach, vice provost for faculty affairs, professor of anesthesiology and obstetrics and gynecology and associate dean at the Miller School of Medicine, and director of the UM/Jackson Memorial Hospital Center for Patient Safety, who led the Provost’s Award selection committee; award recipients Eugene F. Provenzo, Peter W. Glynn, Okhee Lee-Salwen, and David F. Graf; and Executive Vice President and Provost Thomas J. LeBlanc.

A scientist who established the link between coral bleaching and elevated seawater temperatures, an interdisciplinary scholar who focuses on education as a social and cultural phenomenon, a leading academic in the field of science education for minority children, and one of the world’s leading experts in the area of the ancient Near East are the winners of the 2007-2008 Provost’s Award for Scholarly Activity.

Created 12 years ago, the award recognizes extraordinary research and scholarly pursuits and includes a cash prize, which can be used toward continued research support. This year’s recipients: Peter W. Glynn, professor of marine biology and fisheries at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science; David F. Graf, professor of religious studies in the College of Arts and Sciences; and Okhee Lee-Salwen and Eugene F. Provenzo, professors of teaching and learning in the School of Education.

Since the early 1980s, Glynn’s research has focused on coral reef disturbance ecology in the equatorial eastern Pacific (Panama, Galapagos Islands, and Easter Island). Trained as a philologist and historian in both the “classical” and “Near Eastern” worlds, Graf studies the intersections of these two worlds in the pre-Islamic period. Lee-Salwen is nationally known for her innovative research that examines how culture and language affect the learning of science. Provenzo has pursued interests related to the impact of computers on contemporary children, education, and culture.