UWG News Archive

Professor receives research award

October 10, 2003

UWG News Photo CARROLLTON, GA - Dr. Andrew Leavitt, associate professor of chemistry at the University of West Georgia, is one of eight chemists from throughout the nation to be presented an Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award by the Indiana University Department of Chemistry for 2003.

Leavitt accepted the award in September at the Symposium for Excellence in Undergraduate Chemical Research at Indiana University, an annual event that recognizes faculty from four-year colleges who have made significant contributions to research and to the mentorship of chemistry undergraduates. During the symposium, he also gave a talk titled “Surface Chemistry at West Georgia.”

“While I am delighted to be singled out for this honor, I recognize that receiving this award is only made possible through the direct encouragement, opportunities and resources made available by the University, and I thank the administration for their continued support,” he said. “Undergraduate research is the cornerstone of the educational experience our students receive in the Department of Chemistry. All of our faculty are research active with undergraduate students.”

Leavitt is faculty advisor to UWG’s student research organization, the Association for Research and Creative Humanities (ARCH), and he worked with ARCH and the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs to create the University’s annual research event, “The Big Night! An Evening of Student Scholarship,” in 1999.

Designed to stimulate and reward student research, Big Night is one of the only research competitions at a U.S. University that is open to students in all academic areas and at all class and grade-point levels. It showcases winners in six areas — the arts, business, education, the humanities, the sciences and the social sciences — making multimedia presentations of their research to both University and community members. Other student research is displayed in exhibits following the presentations.

Dr. Thomas Hynes, UWG vice president for academic affairs, said, “Andy Leavitt has been a leader in achieving excellence in undergraduate research at UWG for many years. His leadership for great public events such as Big Night is well known and acclaimed. But his constant efforts to make students central to these activities, as well as to praise and to provide forums for the works of other faculty and students on campus, has been the real importance of his work on this campus. This is a very well-deserved award, and we are grateful that there is now some national recognition for what has been known here for a long time.”

Leavitt was accompanied on the trip by three chemistry students: Logan Leslie, a freshman from Carrollton; Bryan Cox, a sophomore from Suwanee; and Amy Herber, a junior from Douglasville. Leavitt acts a research advisor for Leslie and Herber.

Other faculty honored were Thomas Clayton of Knox College (Illinois), Lisa Lewis of Albion College (Michigan), Robert Milosky of Fort Lewis College (Colorado), William Polik of Hope College (Michigan), Thomas Smith of Williams College (Massachusetts), Lisa Szczepura of Illinois State University and Carl Wigal of Lebanon Valley College (Pennsylvania).

-30-

Use your browser's BACK button to return to the previous page.
Or find more news & info at the Communications & Marketing site.