Amelia Fuller Receives Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Amelia Fuller, has been awarded a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award for 2017 by The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation for excellence in research and dedication to education.
The award provides an unrestricted research grant of $60,000 to young faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions who are accomplished researchers and committed educators. Fuller is among six others who have been selected.
“Being named a Dreyfus Scholar is perhaps the greatest recognition a chemist at an undergraduate institution can receive,” said Eric Tillman, Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “It’s really a testament to the quality of research Dr. Fuller and her students are doing, and this prestigious award brings national exposure to our entire department.”
Fuller’s Henry Dreyfus project, New Functions of Biomimetic Oligoamides as Sensors for Water Contaminants, will engage SCU undergraduates in the preparation and study of biomimetic molecules to differentiate and detect potential water contaminants including by-products from oil production, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. The project’s long-term goal involves developing new methods that could ultimately be applied to direct remediation efforts or to enable sequestration of contaminants.
“I am very honored to be among the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar recipients this year,” said Fuller. “Over the course of the award, I will work with six student researchers on the project. One of the most gratifying aspects of working closely with students is watching how they evolve and mature from trying to find the "right" answer, as they often need to do for class work, to accepting the value of negative results—in research, they often need to solve problems iteratively. I’ve seen how these experiences can get students excited about new career choices in science or just make them better problem-solvers in whatever path they choose.”
About the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation
The purpose of the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., is to advance the science of chemistry, chemical engineering, and related sciences as a means of improving human relations and circumstances through the world. Established in 1946 by chemist, inventor, and businessman Camille Dreyfus as a memorial to his brother Henry, the Foundation became a memorial to both men when Camille Dreyfus died in 1956. Throughout its history the Foundation has sought to take the lead in identifying and addressing needs and opportunities in the chemical sciences. For more information, www.dreyfus.org.