Distinguished Professor Timothy D. Lash of the Department of Chemistry, who won the inaugural Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievement, is beyond doubt one of ISU’s most distinguished and celebrated scholars. “This individual’s scholarly record over the last year is truly humbling,” declared Olson. Lash supervised 8 undergraduate research projects and served on a number of other undergraduate committees; chaired or served on 8 master’s thesis committees and 6 other graduate projects; gave 22 presentations at regional and national conferences; directed 3 major grants totaling almost a half million dollars and submitted proposals for 2 grants totaling 1.3 million dollars; and published 11 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals. One external reviewer said that Lash’s scholarship is “outstanding on any measurement scale,” and another referred to Lash’s productivity as “a source of amazement and inspiration to us all.” In addition to his scholarly production, Lash was named chemist of the year by Illinois Heartland Section of the American Chemical Society.
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Dean's Award Recipient Dr. Ali Riaz and Honorable Mention Dr. Jon Friesen
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Professor Ali Riaz of the Department of Politics and Government earned the Dean’s Award in the “untenured” category. Riaz served on 6 master’s thesis committees; made presentations at 4 national and international conventions; had 4 refereed articles accepted or in press and submitted 2 others; and published 1 book and had a second accepted for publication. Writing about Riaz’s God Willing: The Politics of Islamism in Bangladesh, one external reviewer wrote, “I know of no author in recent years who has a more perceptive understanding of the politics of Islamism,” and another reviewer described the work as a “most sophisticated, nuanced, and discerning analysis.” Riaz credited his success to the support he’s received from the College and his Department.
Distinguished Professor Willard Bohn of the Department of Foreign Languages received an honorable mention in the “tenured” category. Recognizing Bohn is “no stranger to awards, having already won practically every award ISU has to offer,” Olson went on to explain that Bohn has presented 2 major speeches; received 2 external grants and submitted 2 others; published 5 scholarly articles in major journals and had 4 others accepted; published a book chapter and 2 encyclopedia entries; and published 1 book and has 2 others in press.
Professor Jon A. Friesen of the Department of Chemistry received an honorable mention in the “untenured” category. Friesen supervised 12 research projects; served on 10 master’s thesis committees and 3 doctoral committees; received ISU’s Research Initiative Award as well as the Teaching Initiative Award; gave 15 presentations at local, regional, and national forums; had 3 grant proposals funded for a total of almost a half million dollars; submitted 2 additional proposals for close to 1 million dollars; and published 3 articles in important scholarly journals.