Ian Gould Named 2012 Professor of the Year

Parents Association applauds 29 professors’ teaching and research excellence at annual event

The Arizona State University Parents Association honored Ian Gould, professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as the 2012 Professor of the Year for his lifelong commitment to science and his ability to inspire students to become innovative in often-difficult chemistry classes.

With his internationally recognized career and extensive ongoing research, Gould provides tremendous vision and direction to ASU students. Through passionate and inspirational classroom instruction, he demonstrates a powerful devotion to undergraduate students and inspires each to excel both in and out of the classroom.

“The students are number one. I’ve learned something from every one of them,” said Gould, receiving the honor before more than 200 ASU faculty, students, staff, administrators, parents, friends and other nominees at the Faculty Excellence Awards. “I didn’t prepare to win. There were a lot of nominees, and statistically it seemed improbable.”

Parents Association Special Recognition awards also were presented to Lenore Dai, professor of chemical engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, and Danwen Jiang, professor of music in the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts. Information and a video about the 29 nominees can be found at asu.edu/pty.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Gould has received honors for his distinguished work, including the Organic Chemistry Prize in 1977 from Manchester University and the Gramatacakis Neumann Award in 1985 from the European Photochemical Association. Gould also won a CLAS Distinguished Teaching Award in 2002 and appointment to ASU’s President’s Professors in 2005.

After a substantial research career at Eastman Kodak, Gould joined ASU in 1998 offering students a strong industry perspective of science, resulting in his on-site and online classes filling quickly. While teaching, Gould takes time from his personal life to ensure he allows for one-on-one meetings with any student that requires his assistance. Gould, who received his doctorate in 1980 from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, was promoted to full professor at ASU in 2004.

The ASU Parents Association awarded the first Professor of the Year in 1994. Thanks to the continued generosity of ASU families and the participation of ASU students, faculty and staff, the ASU Parents Association bestows this prestigious honor annually. Four undergraduate students and three faculty colleagues contributed letters in support of Gould’s nomination. These letters were considered by the committee of parents, other Professors of the Year and scholarship students in recognizing Gould.

By Lindsay Ivins, editorial intern, ASU Foundation for A New American University, livins@mainex1.asu.edu

Fromme receives Faculty Achievement Award

The 2012 ASU Faculty Achievement Awards honor 10 faculty university wide for accomplishments in two general areas: Excellence in scholarly and creative activities, and excellence in teaching/instruction. Professor Petra Fromme received this year's award for her innovative research.

The citation reads, “For pioneering research into new approaches for atomic structure determination of biological nanocrystals, and biomolecules including proteins, macromolecular structures, and viruses."

Leading a pioneering international research team alongside professor R. Bruce Doak and Regents’ Professor John C. H. Spence, Fromme’s work has led to the development of a revolutionary new approach to determining atomic structures utilizing pulsed X-ray laser radiation focused on a stream of micro-droplets containing nanocrystals or biomolecules. Fromme is being recognized for her extraordinary contributions developing methods for the preparation of biological nanocrystals and biomolecules, as well as X-ray diffraction analysis.

Alexandra Ros earned a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award

ASU faculty member, Alexandra Ros, has earned a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The CAREER program is NSF’s most prestigious recognition for young faculty. An award from this program supports the early career development activities of teacher-scholars who have shown themselves especially adept at integrating their research and teaching. It provides five-year grants to support their research and outreach activities.

Ros’s project is titled “DNA Analysis Based on Dielectrophoresis” and involves the separation and purification of large biomolecules like DNA. Separating a large variety of biomolecules is an essential component of research involving biomarker discovery, single cell analysis or even clinical diagnosis.

The separation and purification of novel macromolecular structures such as artificial DNA nano-assemblies, is also essential for successful nano-technological applications, for example, in DNA computing, in photonic devices, or in targeted diagnostics.

Ros’s project involves a mentoring plan for female undergraduate and graduate chemistry students in ASU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

The plan involves the encouragement and promotion of women, who are still underrepresented in chemistry at higher career stages. Included are individual mentoring activities as well as general activities for undergraduate women including research opportunities related to this project.

ASU names Hao Yan as inaugural Glick Chair

Arizona State University has named Hao Yan the Milton D. Glick Distinguished Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

The award is named for chemistry professor Milton Glick who passed away last year. Glick came to ASU in the early 1990s and worked as a provost and executive vice president before serving as president of the University of Nevada Reno from 2006 until his death.

Milt Glick understood the potential of science to solve some of our societal challenges,” says Crow who created the award to honor exceptional professors who will have dramatic impact on their areas of science and beyond. “Hao Yan’s inspiration of students and break-neck speed in developing new technologies that may spark entirely new solutions in medicine and energy make him the appropriate inaugural recipient.”

Honoree Hao Yan is a recognized leader in the fast-moving field known as structural DNA nanotechnology, or DNA origami. His research team at ASU’s Biodesign Institute® was the first to successfully construct closed 3-D DNA nanoforms.

The innovation of building closed structures out of DNA provides a type of basket made from the building blocks of life that opens doors to a wide array of future applications. Such DNA containers may be the lynch pin for developing ultra-tiny computing components and nanomedical sentries used to target and destroy aberrant cells or deliver therapeutics at the cellular or molecular level. Yan’s string of discoveries in DNA origami included constructing a DNA Mobius strip and programming an autonomous molecular robot made from DNA to start, move, turn and stop while following a DNA track. Such robots may one day be used for medical therapeutic devices.

“Hao is remarkably bright and energetic with a fantastic record of innovation,” says Stuart Lindsay, director of Biodesign’s Center for Single Molecule Biophysics, where Yan conducts his research. “It is fitting, that at 40, he is now probably one of the youngest holders of an endowed chair in the United States. This award is both a tribute to Hao and a sign of how much ASU values its star faculty.”

As a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Yan has created an interactive environment in undergraduate and graduate courses that allows students to participate in class discussions, developed graduate courses that integrate research advances in cutting-edge interdisciplinary classes, and mentored and inspired students to be original thinkers in both research and the classroom.

“Professor Yan has produced a rapid and constant stream of innovative ideas and patents, an extreme rate of first-rate publications, impressive new approaches to teaching and training and an astounding rate of winning research funding,” says nominator William Petuskey, chair of chemistry and biochemistry.

Since coming to ASU in 2004, Yan has been a blur of activity. Of the 101 peer-reviewed publications and nine book chapters he has published since his graduate school, 80 publications and five book chapters are based on the work he has done at ASU. Yan’s research has been cited more than 4,000 times, an average rate of 35 citations per publication. Yan’s research enterprise is externally funded at a rate of $1.6 million a year. After just four years as assistant professor at ASU, Crow selected him for tenure faculty exemplar, promoting Yan to full professor with tenure, a feat almost unheard of in academia.

Prior to three years at Duke University as assistant research professor in the Department of Computer Science, Yan completed a doctorate in chemistry at New York University. He earned a bachelor's in Chemistry at Shandong University in Jinan, China. Other honors for Yan have included an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (2008-10), National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2006-2011), Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award (2007-2010), and the Arizona Technology Enterprise Innovator of Tomorrow Award (2006).