March 20, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, AL — University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Associate Provost Louis Dale, Ph.D., was one of 10 individuals nationwide to receive the 2002 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 18. Six organizations also were recognized during the ceremony.
The Mentoring Awards identify individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to mentoring students and exciting America’s youth about science, mathematics and engineering. President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act highlights the need to increase access to quality education for underrepresented and disadvantaged students. The Mentoring Awards are an important part of this effort.
Dale, who is a professor of mathematics and associate provost for minority and special programs at UAB, was honored for his efforts to mentor minority faculty and graduate and undergraduate students through various university and National Science Foundation-funded programs. He directs the UAB Office of Minority and Special Programs and its Comprehensive Minority Faculty and Student Development Program (CMFSDP).
“That Dr. Dale was honored for his achievements comes as no surprise to anyone at UAB,” said UAB President Carol Z. Garrison, Ph.D. “Dr. Dale has secured some $10 million to provide financial and academic support for minority students. Largely as a result of his efforts, UAB has awarded 66 undergraduate degrees and nearly 50 graduate degrees to African-American students in the science, mathematics and engineering fields.”
“This award is a great honor,” said Dale, “and I’m extraordinarily pleased to be honored by President Bush for my work in mentoring students in mathematics, science and engineering. The award is a credit to UAB for providing the environment that fosters this type of activity.”
The Comprehensive Minority Faculty and Student Development Program (CMFSDP) was launched in 1989 and offers a range of undergraduate scholarships, graduate school fellowships and mentoring activities. In addition, the CMFSDP summer internship program gives promising high school students with an interest in mathematics, science or engineering the opportunity to conduct research under the guidance of their faculty mentors.
Dale’s work with the CMFSDP was honored in 2001, when he received the Minority Access National Role Models Award from Minority Access Inc., a non-profit educational organization that provides support and technical assistance to individuals, institutions, corporations and federal, state and local government agencies to improve the recruitment, retention and enhancement of minorities.
Dale also has directed and administered the Alabama Alliance for Minority Participation Program (AMP), an alliance of university and colleges in Alabama and Mississippi, led by UAB, that encourages minority students to pursue degrees in science, engineering and mathematics. Since 1989 Alabama AMP has received 12.5 million in NSF funding and more than 1,800 students have received science, mathematics, and engineering degrees through the AMP program.
The NSF’s annual Mentor Award includes a $10,000 grant and a Presidential commemorative certificate.
The 2002 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring awardees include:
Individual Award Winners
Dr. Enrique V. Barrera
Rice University
Houston, Texas
Dr. R. David Bynum
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Stony Brook, New York
Dr. Fiona M. Goodchild
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Dr. Robert M. Gray
Stanford University
Stanford, California
Dr. Steven G. Greenbaum
Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, New York
Dr. Chung-Chiun Liu
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio
Dr. Martha L. Mecartney
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, California
Dr. Sara J. Wadia-Fascetti
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Ms. Sara L. Young
Montana State University-Bozeman
Bozeman, Montana
Institutional Award Winners:
Arizona Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA)
Scottsdale, Arizona
Strengthening the Understanding of Mathematics and Sciences (SUMS)
SUMS Institute
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona
College/Pre-College Mentoring Engineering Program
Raytheon Company
Lexington, Mass
Timbuktu Academy
Southern University and A&M College
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, New Jersey
Shannon Point Marine Center
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington