President Bush Honors Mentors

AWARDS

President George W. Bush last week announced the winners of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics & Engineering Mentoring. The nine individuals who won include three chemists: Barbara A. Burke, California State Polytechnic University; John C. Warner, University of Massachusetts, Lowell; and Steven F. Watkins, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. The five institutions that won awards include the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).

At a ceremony presided over by John H. Marburger III, director of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, each winner received a presidential commemorative certificate and a $10,000 grant to apply to mentoring activities. The group also met briefly with Bush.

The National Science Foundation administers the award program, which it says "honors individuals and institutions that have enhanced the participation of underrepresented groups--such as women, minorities, and people with disabilities--in science, mathematics, and engineering education."

Burke, a chemistry professor and director of a program that promotes diversity among students in Cal Poly's College of Science, "has directly mentored a number of Hispanic, African American, and Native American students," according to NSF. "She involves her students in peer-mentoring groups, campus organizations, professional societies, and community service to develop leadership skills and self-esteem."

Warner, a chemistry professor and director of his university's Center for Green Chemistry, provides guidance and peer-mentoring programs that have influenced many underrepresented minority students--many of whom go on to graduate school, NSF says.

Research projects in green chemistry engage students' innate passion to make a difference, Warner says. "When students are doing research with a broader purpose, where they feel that they are solving important problems facing society--eliminating hazardous materials from manufacturing processes--it helps in all facets of their education and development," he explains.

Watkins, an associate professor and director of graduate studies, "is considered an indispensable force in programs that produce the largest number of African American chemistry doctorates of any university in the country," NSF notes.

Watkins says he delights in helping students cope with the rigors and anxieties of university life. "The one-on-one contact, the successful resolution of bureaucratic or personal problems, the growth of independence and confidence, and the final success of the degree--it's like being a parent and watching your child succeed," he explains. "There is no greater reward than that."

Through its mentoring activities at scientific meetings, teacher workshops, and its annual conference, SACNAS provides "opportunities for students to strengthen their presentation skills [and] self-confidence and to make connections with scientists," according to NSF. "An ongoing project to develop biographies of Hispanic/Latino and Native American scientists serves as an inspiration to students from these populations."