Science, engineering honorary presents awards UNL faculty

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chapter of Sigma Xi, the science and engineering honorary research society, presented its 2009 awards for outstanding researchers, graduate student, high school science teacher and support of research at its annual awards and initiation banquet April 23.

Winners are:

Outstanding Scientist Award: Rick Bevins, professor, Department of Psychology, for international recognition as a leader in research excellence bridging the areas of psychology, psychopharmacology, behavioral neuroscience and immunology. He presented a brief talk at the banquet on his many innovative contributions to understanding acquired environment-drug associations, acquired motivation and choice behavior, drugs as conditioning clues and immunotherapies for nicotine addiction.

Outstanding Young Scientist Award: David Carter, assistant professor, Department of Entomology, for his excellent research contributions in forensic taphonomy and his outstanding contributions to forensic science education.

Outstanding Graduate Student Award: John Shiel, Department of Chemistry, for developing an ultrafast immunoextraction procedure and use of high performance affinity chromatography for measuring pharmacological compounds, hormones and the kinetics of protein-hormone binding.

Outstanding High School Science Teacher: Alan Dappen, Omaha North Magnet School, was selected for the Outstanding High School Science Teacher Award. He teaches physics and was cited for his dedication to preparing all students by helping them achieve a firm grasp on mathematical skills through creating an environment of excellence through inspiration and creativity.

Support for Research: LI-COR Biosciences Inc. of Lincoln, manufacturer of instrumentation systems for environmental research, plant physiology, analytical genetics and biotechnology applications. The company's instrumentation has contributed significantly to climate change research in which carbon and carbon dioxide flux is measured at several scales, to measuring evapotranspiration from vegetative surfaces, and to enhance undergraduate education.

Sigma Xi is an international honorary scientific research society whose programs and activities promote the health of the scientific enterprise and honor scientific achievement. There are nearly 60,000 Sigma Xi members in more than 500 chapters at colleges and universities, industrial research centers and government laboratories. The University of Nebraska Chapter was organized in 1897. For further information on the UNL chapter, visit www.sigmaxi.org/chapters/web/Nebraska.