Six faculty members to join ranks of Distinguished Professors

Six University of Colorado faculty members will be named Distinguished Professors, the most prestigious honor for faculty at the university.

Each year, the recognition goes to faculty members who demonstrate exemplary performance in research or creative work, a record of excellence in classroom teaching and supervision of individual learning, and outstanding service to the profession, university and its affiliates.

CU President Bruce D. Benson reviewed nominations from CU’s campuses; with the recommendation of a committee of Distinguished Professors, he forwarded the candidates’ names to the Board of Regents, which will vote on the nominations at the board’s Nov. 14-15 meeting.

The 2012 honorees are:

Christopher N. Bowman, Ph.D., professor and Patten Chair of chemical and biological engineering; College of Engineering and Applied Science; University of Colorado Boulder. He is considered the world’s leading expert in photo-induced polymerization reactions (think of dental work using polymer paste cured by ultraviolet light). At CU since 1992, Bowman is the founding director of the Materials Science and Engineering Program, and his leadership has led to rapid growth in his department and college. He also is a clinical professor of dentistry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He has mentored more than 150 undergraduate students, 50 doctoral students and 20 postdoctoral associates in his research lab.

Robert “Bob” Camley, Ph.D., professor of physics in the Department of Physics; College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; University of Colorado Colorado Springs. The pioneering Camley-Barnas model, which he produced with Jozef Barnas, is included in physics textbooks used everywhere; the theory explained experimental work on Giant Magnetoresistance, which led to a 2007 Nobel Prize in physics for Albert Fert and Peter Grunberg. Part of the university since 1982 and a President’s Teaching Scholar since 1999, Camley’s frequent organization of scientific conferences and editing of handbooks make him a leader in the international physics community.

Richard F. Hamman, M.D., Dr.PH, professor and founding dean emeritus, Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, CU Anschutz Medical Campus. With CU since 1979, Hamman is a chronic disease epidemiologist with an interest in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, especially in U.S. minority populations. His research has established him as a leader in the field of diabetes epidemiology. Hamman was instrumental in leading the creation of the Colorado School of Public Health, and served as its founding dean beginning in 2007. During the four years he served in the role, the school saw substantial growth in faculty, student enrollment and research resources.

James “Casey” Hynes, Ph.D., professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; College of Arts and Sciences; CU-Boulder. A leader in the theory of chemical reaction dynamics in solution and at interfaces, his work has provided microscopic-level understanding and insight. Hynes’ scientific accomplishments have led to national and international recognition, including A.P. Sloan and J.S. Guggenheim Fellowships, the Hirschfelder Award in Theoretical Chemistry and the American Chemical Society’s Joel Hildebrand Award in the Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry of Liquids. Hynes has been at CU since 1971 and he has made hundreds of appearances as invited lecturer across the globe.

Richard D. Krugman, M.D., vice chancellor for health affairs for the University of Colorado Denver, dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. His work has had significant impact on scientific inquiry, public policy and educational advancement in the area of child abuse and neglect. His chairmanship on a national advisory board helped launch a national, evidence-based agenda for child abuse prevention and intervention. Having begun at CU as an intern in 1968, Krugman now is the longest-serving dean of a medical school in the U.S. He was appointed acting dean in 1990; dean in 1992. The leadership team Krugman created has advanced the School of Medicine’s research mission, revamped the school curriculum and planned and completed the school’s relocation from Denver to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.

Pierre Schlag, J.D., Byron R. White Professor of Law, Law School, CU-Boulder. His legal scholarship is known internationally, having been translated into French, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian. His work inspired a 2003 University of Miami Law School symposium, “Beyond Right and Reason: Pierre Schlag, the Critique of Normativity and the Enchantment of Reason.” At CU since 1989, Schlag has published four books, more than 35 law review articles and numerous review essays, book reviews and shorter publications. While serving as associate dean for research, he created the Colorado Law summer workshop series and other initiatives.

The addition of these six designees brings the total of CU Distinguished Professors to 71 since the program began in 1977.