Professors Receive Distinguished Scholarship and Teaching Awards
Philip Costanzo, one of three 2014-15 award winners along with Lars Tomanek and
Todd Grundmeier, was honored with the Distinguished Scholarship award.
Cal Poly honored three professors from the College of Science & Mathematics for their work during the 2014-15 academic year: Lars Tomanek in the Biological Sciences Department and Philip Costanzo in the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department received the Distinguished Scholarship Award. Todd Grundmeier received the Distinguished Teaching Award.
Tomanek's research focuses on how marine organisms respond to climate change. Using a cutting-edge technique called environmental proteomics, Tomanek and his students analyze how environmental stresses affect protein production, which can predict an organism's reaction to climate change.
Since coming to Cal Poly in 2005, Tomanek has been awarded $2.4 million in grant funding, much of it from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Many of Tomanek's 23 peer-reviewed papers include his undergraduate and graduate students as co-authors, and his students have led NSF-funded workshops for faculty from other universities. Tomanek is also a co-leader of the Environmental Effects on Coastal Organisms network of CSU researchers.
"Lars' work not only provided opportunities for other biology faculty to branch out into new directions using his proteomics approach but also gave our students the opportunity to do work more often performed by doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers at other universities," said Chris Kitts, chair of the Biological Sciences Department.
Costanzo conducts wide-ranging research in the emerging field of polymers and nanomaterials. One of his major areas of focus is developing materials whose properties change when the configuration of the material's atoms changes. Various triggers, such as light or temperature, can cause a change in atomic configuration, which could, for example, erase scratches in paint.
All of Costanzo's numerous publications at Cal Poly have included student co-authors, many of whom have gone on to doctorate programs at top-tier universities. He has received more than $1 million in grant funding since his arrival in 2007.
"Phil shows what's possible with undergraduate researchers. He provides them a significant experience doing relevant, applied research in polymer chemistry," said Nanine Van Draanen, chair of the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department.
Grundmeier teaches mathematics to Liberal Studies students, who will be elementary teachers in the future. He was nominated by his students and recognized for his dedication to helping them thoroughly understand mathematical concepts. He also serves as a model of kindness and patience that students can emulate in their teaching careers.
"Taking a topic destined to be taught in elementary school and having our future teachers understand the mathematical constructs at a very deep and thoughtful level will clearly impact their ability to teach their future students," the award selection committee stated.
"Todd has been an exceptional instructor and mentor not only to our majors, but also to future mathematics teachers, and all other students in his courses," said Joe Borzellino, chair of the Mathematics Department.
The Distinguished Scholarship Award was established in 2003 to recognize faculty achievements in research, creative work and other professional development activities. The Distinguished Teaching Award was established to recognize faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching at Cal Poly.
