Three faculty members have won the College Outstanding Service Award for their extraordinary service accomplishments: John Baldwin, School of Communication; Craig Gatto, Department of Biological Sciences; and Diane Zosky, School of Social Work and currently Interim Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Each year a committee selects one winner from each of the College's three divsions: sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Winners of the award are eligible to be nominated in future years for the Outstanding University Service Award. “When faculty are engaged in quality professional service, they are continuing a long tradition of scholars using their expertise for the greater good—to help the University govern itself, to enhance the quality of life in their community, to foster the growth of their professions,” said Senior Associate Dean Sam Catanzaro. “We’re very proud that our accomplished faculty are engaged in this important work.”

This fall, the College office is continuing to hear from various constituencies as it hosts forums for civil service employees, administrative-professionals, instructional faculty, and tenure-line faculty. The forums were created to open up lines of communication and as a means to draw on the collective wisdom of faculty and staff to discover ways to help the College operate more effectively and efficiently. The civil service forum was held on October 30, followed by the administrative professional forum on November 1. A forum for faculty is scheduled for November 6, and a forum for instructional faculty is scheduled for November 14. Click Read More for More Photos.

Geographic Information Science and Systems (GIS), remote sensing (satellite imagery, for example), digital cartography, and Global Positioning Systems lie at the heart of modern geospatial technologies. GIS provides sophisticated tools that help researchers and planners create, manage, and analyze digital data models of the complex natural and social world around us.

Three students from the College of Arts and Sciences have been named winners in the 2007 James L. Fisher Outstanding Thesis Award Competition at Illinois State University. Sharon Engel, representing the Department of Chemistry, is the overall University winner. Her thesis is titled “Hydridotris(3,5-Dialkyltriazolyl) Borates as Transition Metal and Lanthanide Complex Supporting Ligands.” “ISU is recognized nationally as having one of the best terminal chemistry master’s programs in America,” said Professor Gregory Ferrence, who served as the chair of the committee directing Engel’s thesis. “I was excited to learn that Ms. Engel’s thesis was chosen to represent our Department this year and am very pleased to see that her thesis was judged to be high quality and readable by both scientists and non-scientists alike.”

Engel is currently an Analytical Scientist for Insys Therapeutics, Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona. Insys focuses on the development and commercialization of innovative drug delivery systems to improve the clinical outcome of currently marketed drugs, primarily those for pain management and central nervous system disorders.

Noha Shawki, who is originally from Cairo, Egypt, joins the department of Politics and Government as assistant professor specializing in international relations. Noha received her PhD in Political Science from Indiana University in 2007. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Trier, Germany, where she also received an MA in Political Science. Prior to joining ISU, Noha taught for three years as a visiting instructor at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. Noha’s areas of teaching and research include transnational activism, global governance, international organizations, and human rights. In her free time, Noha enjoys reading, traveling and riding a tandem bicycle with her husband, Julian Westerhout, who also teaches in Politics and Government.