Newswise — WASHINGTON, D.C.-Roger Rowlett, Gordon & Dorothy Kline Professor of Chemistry at Colgate University, has been elected to serve as the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) President for 2015-2016. CUR, with its close to 700 institutional members and more than 10,000 individual members, supports faculty and student development for high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.
Rowlett has been member of CUR since the organization’s first biennial conference, held at his home institution, in 1985. Since that time he has been dedicated to the idea that it is possible to do first-rate research with undergraduates, and has lived that dream for 31 years. In response to the news Rowlett stated, “CUR has served a pivotal role in my personal professional development as a scholar and teacher in the undergraduate education setting. I know I am not alone among faculty and undergraduate students whose research successes were made possible or enhanced by CUR in some way. I am thrilled to be able to contribute to CUR’s mission of supporting high-quality undergraduate research as President, and I am honored that my colleagues have entrusted me with this leadership responsibility.”
“Dr. Rowlett is a renowned biochemistry researcher, undergraduate research mentor, and scholar of undergraduate research practice,” said Elizabeth Ambos, Executive Officer for CUR. “His past volunteer work with CUR as a Division of Chemistry Councilor and Chair, as well as his co-leadership of the preparation of CUR’s Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research (COEUR) document, signify that he will bring a wealth of experience and multiple perspectives to bear during his Presidency.”
Rowlett has played an integral role in CUR leadership, CUR is looking forward to gaining from his continued work inspiring faculty, students, institutions, and funding entities to help build and sustain strong undergraduate research programs.
In June, at the close of the 2014 CUR Annual Business Meeting, Dr. Rowlett will begin his one year term as CUR President-elect, which will be followed by a year as President and a year as Past-President.
##Council on Undergraduate Research: The Council on Undergraduate Research (www.cur.org) supports faculty development for high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. Over 675 institutions and more than 10,000 individuals belong to CUR. CUR believes that the best way to capture student interest and create enthusiasm for a discipline is through research in close collaboration with faculty members.
Roger Rowlett serves as the Gordon & Dorothy Kline Professor of Chemistry at Colgate University. He joined the faculty at Colgate in 1982. His research, in which undergraduate students are integral, focuses on understanding the structure and function of enzymes using a broad array of methods, including X-ray crystallography, steady-state kinetics, and site-directed mutagenesis. Professor Rowlett has served as a Colgate University Presidential Scholar (2007-2009), Chair of the Department of Chemistry (1991-1993, 1998, 2001, 2003-2006), and as the institutional Coordinator of Undergraduate Research (1994-1996). He received his B.S. (Special Studies, Biochemistry) and Ph.D. (Chemistry) degrees from the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa). In 1981-1982 he held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida College of Medicine in the laboratory of Dr. David Silverman, and in 1996-1997 and 2002-2003 he served as a Special Volunteer at the National Institutes of Health, National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, in the laboratories of Dr. Edith Miles, and Dr. David Davies, respectively. In his 31 years at Colgate, Professor Rowlett has supervised the research of over 100 undergraduates in his laboratory, many of whom have been co-authors of peer-reviewed articles in Biochemistry, the Journal of Biological Chemistry, and other scientific journals. He has also been the recipient of numerous personal research and/or education grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (and others), and has been successful in securing institutional grants in support of undergraduate research from both federal sources and private foundations. He is a member of the Council of Undergraduate Research, where he serves as chemistry Councilor (2003-), Chair of the Program Review Committee (2011-) and has served as Chair of the Division of Chemistry and member of the Executive Board (2007-2009). He has also served as a facilitator for the CUR “Institutionalizing Undergraduate Research” and “Beginning a Research Program in the Natural Sciences at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution” institutes, and is a co-author of Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research.
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