Newest Academic Stars

By now you're probably getting used to me, announcing the newest Academic Stars in the College of Arts and Sciences. The campaign just celebrated its first birthday, yet each time we "launch" new stars I am delighted anew by the remarkable scholarship, teaching and research in the college.

This month, allow me to introduce you to Jeannette Eileen Jones, an assistant professor of history and ethnic studies who arrived at UNL in 2004. Jeannette is an outstanding example of a young faculty member who is accomplishing big things. A book she co-edited, "Darwin in Atlantic Cultures: Evolutionary Visions of Race, Gender, and Sexuality," will be released next month. Her research monograph, "In Search of Brightest Africa: Imagining Africa in America, 1884-1936," will be released in 2010 by the University of Georgia Press. In her own words, Jeannette "examines the ways in which 'race' as a popular and scientific category operated as a potent signifier of difference-cultural, biological, social, and political-in late nineteenth and early twentieth century America." Additionally, she has been a key organizer of UNL's Blacks in Film Festival, and is involved with the Women's and Gender Studies and African program and African American Studies. She is, most assuredly, "one to watch."

Our other new stars are a stellar faculty-and-student research team, assistant professor of geosciences Jun Wang and his graduate student, David Peterson. Jun has earned significant funding for his own cutting edge research on climate change, but I'm recognizing him also as an Academic Star for his role as a mentor to David and other students. He tirelessly searches for scholarship and research opportunities for his students, and encourages them to aim for the stars academically. His track record as an adviser is outstanding. Just one example: with Jun's guidance, David has received a $90,000 NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship to conduct his own research on wildfires. These two are unstoppable, and I believe they perfectly illustrate the power of teaching and mentoring on a college campus.

To learn more about Jun, David and Jeannette, and the Academic Stars campaign, visit http://ascweb.unl.edu/achievements/academicstars.asp. And, as always, I invite you to email me at dmanderscheid2@unl.edu or to follow me on twitter (dmanderscheid).