Ten Faculty Receive Awards for Early Excellence

Ten recently tenured University of Wisconsin–Madison professors have been rewarded for early excellence in their fields by receiving prestigious 1997 Romnes Fellowships.

The $50,000 fellowships, funded by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), help bridge the gap between grant support programs for new faculty and those in mid-career. Eligible faculty received tenure within the past four years.

The Romnes Fellowships recognize that recently tenured faculty, who often are busy establishing research programs, need additional financial support. These fellowships are typically used to supplement outside grants. Established in 1975, they are named for the late H.I. Romnes, former chairman of the board of AT&T and former president of the WARF Board of Trustees.

The research committee of the Graduate School selected the winners from 31 nominees in a variety of disciplines. They are:

• Colleen Dunlavy, associate professor of history. Dunlavy is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of comparative business and technological history. Her recent book on early railroads in the United States and Prussia was described in reviews as “richly detailed, theoretically bold, and a joy to read.”
• Roxann Engelstad, professor of mechanical engineering. In conjunction with her research at UW–Madison’s Center for X-ray Lithography, Engelstad has become a national leader in the analysis of distortions in lithographic processes used to pattern integrated circuits. She has developed sophisticated computer models to simulate the mechanical and thermal response of mask structures that are used to transfer patterns to devices. Leading companies such as Motorola, IBM, Lucent Technologies and SEMATECH are using her results to develop the next generation of integrated circuits.
• Paul D. Friesen, associate professor of biochemistry and the Institute of Molecular Virology. Friesen’s many contributions to biochemistry include early work in understanding baculoviruses. Those are a group of insect-infecting DNA viruses of considerable interest in their ability to direct high levels of gene expression. The work has been important in providing the tools needed to engineer foreign gene expression in insect cells. He also is internationally recognized for studies of apoptosis, or programmed cell death.
• Vanessa Northington Gamble, associate professor of history of medicine and family medicine. Gamble is a pioneer is the developing field of research devoted to the history of race and medicine. Her recent book on the history of the black hospital movement has been described as a “masterful contribution” that is “beautifully researched and thoroughly documented.” Gamble is director of the center for the study of race and racism in medicine.
• Mark D. Hill, associate professor of computer science and electrical and computer engineering. Hill’s work targets the memory systems of shared-memory multiprocessors and high-performance uniprocessors. He currently co-leads the Wisconsin Wind Tunnel project, whose tools cull the design space of parallel supercomputers similar to how aeronautical engineers use wind tunnels to design airplanes.
• Judith Deutsch Kornblatt, associate professor of Slavic languages. Kornblatt is a scholar of modern Russian cultural and literary studies. She has published widely on the Cossack myth in Russian literature, and on Solov’ev and Russian religious thought. Her scholarly interests stand at the crucial intersection between religion/religious philosophy and literature. She is currently writing two scholarly books.
• Kirin Narayan, associate professor of anthropology and South Asian studies. Narayan is both a scholar and distinguished fiction writer whose most recent research has been on women’s oral traditions in the Himalayan foothills. Her 1989 first book, Saints and Scoundrels: Folk Narrative in Hindu Religious Teaching, explored the relationship between religion and narrative. Her 1994 novel about Indian-Americans and U.S. academe,Love, Stars and All That was featured in Barnes and Nobles’ “Discover Great New Writers” program. Her next book will be released this summer.
• Robin Pemantle, associate professor of mathematics. Pemantle’s research concerns an area of discrete probability theory known as “random combinatorial structures.” One example is the connectivity theory of random networks, also known as percolation theory. Pemantle’s teaching accomplishments include the creation of a problem-solving and cooperative sequence of math courses for pre-service teachers; a problem-based pre-calculus course, and a liberal arts math course.
• Laurence O. Trussell, associate professor of neurophysiology. Trussell has made one of the past decade’s biggest contributions to understanding new principles governing synaptic transmission, or the process by which nerve impulses are sent and received. His studies have also provided seminal observations on the neurophysiology of hearing. Trussell has been cited as an accomplished lecturer who has made significant contributions to the Medical School’s teaching mission.
• Thaleia Zariphopoulou, associate professor of mathematics and finance, investment and banking. Zariphopoulou has an international reputation in mathematical financial modeling. Her research concerns mathematical finance issues such as portfolio management and asset pricing, and concentrates on pricing models in financial environments. She holds the H. and M. Laun Chair in Finance.