Spirit of discovery celebrated at Faculty Research Recognition Reception

Seven Chapman University faculty members with research projects ranging from computational chemistry to e-commerce were honored at the 2013 Faculty Research Recognition Reception on Wednesday, May 1.

The awards were presented by Chancellor Daniele Struppa, who applauded the faculty’s role in supporting Chapman’s robust growth in scholarly work. Since 2010 the university’s sponsored research has nearly doubled, creating enormous opportunities for undergraduate involvement, Struppa said.

“What is fascinating in a university like Chapman is that we get our students involved with us. And that makes it even more fun, because not only do we advance our understanding but we help young minds understand the complexity of research. So all of you who are here, I want to thank you for doing that, thank you for contributing to an exciting and intellectual environment,” Struppa said.

This year’s honorees included:

• Fred Caporaso, Ph.D., Anuradha Prakash, Ph.D., both from Schmid College of Science and Technology, and Bart Wilson, Economic Science Institute, Ph.D., were each inducted into The Million Dollar Club. The honor recognizes faculty who have reached a cumulative $1 million level of sponsored funding. Caporaso and Prakash focus on food safety and irradiation. Wilson is an experimental economist who studies conflict and trust.
• Laurence Iannaccone, Ph.D., Argyros School of Business and Economics and director of the Institute for the study of Religion, Economics and Society, was awarded the Innovative Research Award. Iannaccone explores the impact of religion in the context of economics, society and culture.
• Tatiana Prytkova, Ph.D., Schmid College of Science and Technology, received the Young Investigator Award. Prytkova researches nanotechnology and materials with a particular interest in finding applications to advance solar engineering.
• Warren de Bruyn, Ph.D., Schmid College of Science and Technology, and Judith Montgomery, Ph.D., College of Educational Studies, were each presented a Faculty-Student Award for research with a strong emphasis on student involvement. De Bruyn’s work is focused on ocean chemistry and measuring its impact on atmospheric change. Montgomery was funded by Special Olympics International to research and create hearing screening tests.

The awards and reception were sponsored by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Administration in the Chancellor’s Office.