September 20, 2010
CIRES Fellow Margaret Tolbert named a CU Distinguished Professor
The University of Colorado Board of Regents awarded Margaret Tolbert, Ph.D., a Fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), and two other CU professors the university’s highest faculty honor, designation as Distinguished Professor, Friday, Sept., 17, 2010.
Distinguished Professors are CU faculty members who are leaders in their fields and are recognized for their outstanding contributions in teaching, research and distinguished scholarship or creative work. To date, 56 professors across the CU system hold the title.
President Bruce D. Benson reviewed recommendations from colleagues and deans and recommended all three for the award to the CU Board of Regents during their September meeting on the Denver campus.
“These professors exemplify the best of what CU faculty can be,” said CU President Bruce D. Benson. “They are active scholars, engaged teachers and exceptional researchers. Our students are the beneficiaries of the professional excellence they demonstrate every day.”
Dr. Tolbert, a CIRES Fellow and a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Analytical, Environmental and Atmospheric Chemistry Division) earned several awards in recent years, including the Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology from the American Chemical Society, the Hazel Barnes Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and two NASA Group Achievement Awards. Dr. Tolbert is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Her research analyzes atmospheric chemistry, planetary atmospheres, and chemistry related to polar and global ozone depletion.
Todd Gleeson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, endorsed Tolbert, citing her outstanding record as a chemist, her plethora of national honors, and testaments from her students and peers describing Dr. Tolbert’s contributions to her field. “I’m not sure what more we would reasonably expect to see in a nominee’s record as an educator. Her record is outstanding,” Gleeson said.
The other two recipients of this award are Zoya Popovic, Ph.D., and Lorrie A. Shepard, Ph.D,. all of whom teach at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and were nominated by an academic committee of their peers.
The University of Colorado is a premier public research university with four campuses: the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. More than 57,000 students are pursuing academic degrees at CU. The National Science Foundation ranks CU eighth among public institutions in federal research expenditures in engineering and science. Academic prestige is marked by the university’s four Nobel laureates, seven MacArthur “genius” Fellows, 18 alumni astronauts and 19 Rhodes Scholars. For more information about the entire CU system, and to access campus resources, go to www.cu.edu.
Contacts:
Ken McConnellogue 303-815-8481or Ken.McConnellogue@cu.edu
Morgan Heim CIRES: 303-492-6289
Jim Scott University of Colorado at Boulder: 303-492-3114
