Sept. 17, 2024
Distinguished, University and Morrill Professors
- Elected a fellow of the Medieval Academy of America in recognition of long-term scholarly achievements in the field, which include founding editor of the Magic and Witchcraft Journal.
- Authored five books and published four single-authored monographs, including "Battling Demons" and "Fearful Spirits, Reasoned Follies.”
- Provided leadership and stability as interim chair of the departments of history and world languages and culture departments, and served as interim director of the Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities.
- Recognized for excellence in teaching and making complex historical topics accessible and engaging for students as well as for contributions to graduate education.
- Contributed to History Channel documentaries and programs that explore historical events and phenomena.
- Invented advanced flow diagnostic techniques and became the world’s foremost expert on atmospheric icing physics and de-icing technology.
- Secured more than 60 competitive research grants from federal agencies and industrial sponsors, totaling approximately $18M in funded research.
- Developed and implemented advanced diagnostics, including the patented Molecular Tagging Velocimetry and Thermometry technology.
- Created new undergraduate and graduate courses, including Iowa State’s first graduate-level experimental aerodynamics course.
- Served as the departmental director for graduate education and increased Ph.D. student enrollment by 20% from 2015 to 2023.
- Pioneered the analysis of software requirements for safety-critical systems, leading to long-term use by NASA and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena to reduce critical failures in interplanetary spacecraft.
- Authored 126 publications and obtained more than $8 million in research grants, which has led to the development of innovative solutions in the field.
- Integrated safety analysis into software product lines, assuring the safe reuse of software modules for applications such as robots, pacemakers and airplane flight-management systems.
- Led the project to investigate nearly 200 software anomalies labeled as critical during the post-launch operations of seven NASA spacecraft.
- Dedicated to mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, especially those underrepresented in STEM fields, and providing them with research opportunities.
- Pioneered the "ab initio No Core Shell Model,” a major breakthrough in solving the complex problem of the quantum structures of the atomic nucleus.
- Developed the Quark-Cluster Model of nuclei, which has served as the foundation for applications in the field of nuclear physics.
- Mentored 25 Ph.D. and seven graduate students, with significant impacts on their careers, and provided research experiences for undergraduate students.
- Elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (1989) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2022).
- Solved the long-standing mystery of the anomalously long lifetime of carbon-14, a key theoretical paper proving the essential role of three-nucleon interactions.
- Helped establish and lead the first public plant transformation facility in the world, which has made a lasting impact on the field of plant biotechnology.
- Elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2020) for advances in genetic engineering in plants using Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
- Led groundbreaking research on using nanoparticles to deliver DNA into plant cells, opening new avenues for research and applications in plant genetic engineering.
- Secured more than $13 million in grants and funding for research that has provided valuable resources and infrastructure for the broader research community.
- Trained 21 graduate students, 22 postdoctoral research fellows, and 19 visiting scientists from 12 countries who continue to make significant contributions in the field.
- Planned and implemented 17 experimental courses in her department.
- Led the project (2010-23) to embellish the Biorenewables Research Laboratory Building with biobased artworks, fostering collaboration between the Design college faculty and lab researchers.
- Developed two high-impact, tenure-track positions: community arts specialist (with ISU Extension and Outreach) and in digital art and scientific visualization so the department offers skills that students need for their professional futures.
- Well known as a tireless collaborator with ISU faculty from various disciplines on lectures, symposia and exhibitions.
- Created site-specific public works for the university's Art on Campus Collection to visually transform the landscape at Iowa State (bas relief Enlightenment mural in Lagomarcino Hall and She Was The Best Listener in the Lagomarcino courtyard).
- Nomination letter: "She initiates change as well as embraces change from others, and assists in making a vibrant campus community for learning and research."
- Developed the sales certificate program available to all undergraduate students. It has grown from eight students in 2021 to 265 in 2024.
- Created Sales Forum to bring business executives to campus to interact, teach and develop bonds with students.
- Advocated to include (in the Gerdin building addition) the Houston Professional Sales Suite where students interact with business professionals and refine their sales pitch skills.
- Oversees the Ivy Custom Education model offering training to business executives and their staffs on a range of topics from management, marketing, and finance and accounting.
- Produced 72 peer-reviewed journal articles, two books for practitioners and 17 other publications including case studies and book chapters. Accumulated more than 5,400 citations since 2018.
- An early innovator of team-based learning (TBL), he coordinated CELT's TBL faculty learning community for three years.
- Relaunched IE 572, Design and Development in Human-Computer Interaction, after it had not been taught for nine years, reestablishing it as a foundational class in the human factors program. It became an elective in four Engineering graduate programs.
- Implemented industry-based class projects in IE 361, Statistical Quality Assurance, leading to real-world impact and significant cost savings for industry clients.
- During the pandemic, led an international faculty team that produced an edition of "New Directions in Teaching and Learning" dedicated to online TBL, contributing to the global dissemination of best practices in active learning.
- Co-leads Game2Work, a network of educators, industry, and college and state administrators to apply games and gamification to learning and training. In three years, the consortium has generated more than $7 million in research funding, organized two one-day conferences, and conducted multiple game jams with students (middle school through college).
- Graduated eight Ph.D. and 13 MS students, served on another 53 graduate student committees, and mentored 62 undergraduate research assistants.
- Redeveloped the high-enrollment course AMD 165, Dress, Appearance, and Diversity in U.S. Society, and certified it with Quality Matters. It's a featured entry in the QM database. As part of the process, created an open-source digital textbook to increase accessibility to the materials that's been used on every continent.
- Developed three courses focusing on diversity in the fashion discipline.
- Worked (so far) with seven undergraduates to complete funded research internships, some of which led to curated exhibitions.
- Revolutionized the Textiles and Clothing Museum by creating positions and hiring and training students for them, and reimagined gallery exhibitions with a focus on student learning.
- Led the development and approval of the minor, Fashion, Culture, History and Social Justice.
- Created assignments in graduate courses that led to three peer-reviewed papers and 10 peer-reviewed conference presentations for her students. Published another 24 papers with students.
- Led the effort to develop ISU Extension and Outreach (E&O) Indicators Program to collect and share community economic, social and demographic data for more accurate decision making. It has generated more than 17,000 unique reports since 2015.
- Co-developed E&O's Geospatial Technology training program, training more than 1,650 participants since 2003 through workshops and online courses.
- Established Iowa State as the state's go-to resource to use GIS technology for everyday uses such as emergency response, flood mapping and ag productivity.
- Led a multi-state team of land-grant universities to develop Data Science for the Public Good Young Scholars summer program, where students work with local governments and agencies to find underutilized data to address societal issues. He piloted the program in Marshalltown in 2018 on city bus ridership.
- Collaborated with the state public health department to develop a multi award-winning kit that guides city councils and public works officials in identifying assets and barriers to walkability in their communities in the context of infrastructure.
- Pioneered the use of online GIS courses, restructuring the Introduction to GIS course to be fully online in 2006, well before the widespread adoption of online learning platforms.
- Wrote "Organic Chemistry 1 for Dummies" with more than 250,000 copies sold (and translated to German and Spanish), and wrote a free help website, Organic Chemistry Help!, that has received more than 20 million views.
- Received a grant to develop and test a set of 3D models to illustrate chemistry concepts that rely on 3D understanding. He uploaded the files to a public site so other universities could print them on their 3D printers.
- Co-led a new research initiative to involve ISU freshmen in multidisciplinary research (with a goal of higher retention of STEM majors).
- Runs a research lab of eight graduate students, three postdocs and two undergrads that focuses on developing light-activated compounds for targeted drug delivery.
- According to his students, he makes organic chemistry -- perceived by some as a weed-out class -- "more accessible and less overwhelming," and averages 4.63 of 5 on his students' teaching evaluations.
- Received multiple teaching awards: Wilkinson Undergraduate Teaching Award (2012), ISU Early Achievement in Teaching Award (2013), and the Cassling Family Faculty Teaching Award (2013).