FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Susie P. Gonzalez

susie.gonzalez@trinity.edu

Nov. 12, 2009

Trinity University Chemist Named 2009 Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar

Adam R. Urbach

SAN ANTONIO – Trinity University chemist Adam R. Urbach is one of only seven recipients of the 2009 Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. The awards were announced earlier this month by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation in recognition of talented young faculty in the chemical sciences at primarily undergraduate institutions.

This discretionary award – which includes an unrestricted $60,000 grant – will support the ongoing research program of Professor Urbach. His group is analyzing individual weak interactions between molecules and how they can work in concert to produce strong interactions.  This behavior is commonly observed in living systems, such as when a virus attacks a cell, and it is important for “bottom-up” approaches in nanotechnology.  

Undergraduate institutions throughout the United States annually nominate A faculty member as a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar who is an accomplished researcher and committed educator. The nominee is a professor at an early stage in his or her career. Previous recipients at Trinity have been chemistry professors Chris Pursell and Michelle Bushey and associate professor Bert Chandler. Chemistry professor Nancy Mills, former professor Mike Doyle, and emeritus professor Benjamin Plummer received similar Dreyfus awards in later stages of their careers.

“Research support at undergraduate institutions is very important,” said Mark J. Cardillo, executive director of The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation.  “Nearly half the chemists who earn a doctorate degree receive their bachelor’s degree from an undergraduate institution. And research is a fundamental part of chemistry education.”

The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation is a leading non-profit organization devoted to the advancement of the chemical sciences.  It was established in 1946 by chemist, inventor, and businessman Camille Dreyfus, who directed that the foundation's purpose be “to advance the science of chemistry, chemical engineering, and related sciences as a means of improving human relations and circumstances around the world.”

For more information about the program and The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, see http://www.dreyfus.org.

--30--