CAREER awardees are selected on the basis of creative, career-development plans that effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their institution. Applicants are asked to illustrate a firm foundation for a lifetime of integrated contributions to research and education. Because the award requires proven potential in both teaching and scholarship, the application process is highly competitive and rigorous.
The award allows Ferrence to continue research involving rare-earth complexes and the coordination chemistry in early transmission metals and the lanthanides. The grant also funded a new solvent purification system for Ferrence’s lab and upgraded the Center for Structure Determination by providing a cryo-cooling unit (used to measure diffraction at low temperatures) and 24 laptop computers equipped with software to teach Ferrence’s x-ray crystallography course.
CAREER awards carry on average a $500,000 grant disbursed over a five-year period. Chemistry Professor Lisa Szczepura won the CAREER award in 2003 for her work with the removal of sulfur from crude oils. With her grant, Szczepura is advancing the training and mentoring of women and minorities in the sciences through the Enrichment Workshop Program. Professor of Physiology and Biophysics Craig Gatto received his CAREER award in 2003 for his research with plant Calcium-ATPases to examine diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis, Menkes disease, and Wilson's disease. His project was designed to actively involve undergraduates from underrepresented groups (principally African-American and Hispanics, but including Native Americans and Pacific Islanders) to make significant contributions to the understanding of plant P-type ATPases.
In all, the CAREER winners exemplify the kind of work valued at Illinois State and reflect what is best in the mission of the College of Arts and Sciences: faculty commitment to advancing the discovery and dissemination of knowledge through scholarly and teaching efforts.