OVPR Honors Five for Scholarly Publications

03/09/2018

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) honored five faculty members for their scholarly accomplishments at the Second Annual Scholarly Works reception on Friday, March 2. The five honorees were selected from dozens of nominations by deans and department chairs. Award winners were drawn from across the university.

Chris Duncan, Ph.D., speaks at the Scholarly Works Reception on March 2.

Chris Duncan, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, speaks at the Second Annual Scholarly Works Reception on Friday, March 2. Photo by Eileen Gillespie

Chris Duncan, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, addressed the group about the importance of scholarly endeavors, calling out the Jesuit mission to find God in all things, including in academic research. While in many cases, the winning scholarly work was the result of many years of edits and examination, each has a particular relevance today. Rooted in SLU's Jesuit foundation and values, the scholarly works examine intersections of religion, public art, deportation policy and cellular-level biomedical activity.

Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., pointed out a common theme among the winners, noting that student participation and faculty research elevated each other's experience. She shared her own experience witnessing a deportation hearing and called on faculty and students to continue to use their scholarly research to address the most pressing questions affecting our neighborhoods, country and world.

Saint Louis University is in the midst of a five year campaign to grow the scale, eminence, and impact of faculty and student research.

2018 Scholarly Works Honorees

Torrie Hester, Ph.D., of the Department of History, for her book, Deportation: The Origins of U.S. Policy, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press
Ruben Rosario-Rodriguez, Ph.D., Department of Theological Studies, for his book, Christian Martyrdom and Political Violence: A Comparative Theology with Judaism and Islam, published by Cambridge University Press.
Nancy Bell, MFA, Department of Visual and Performing Arts, for her play, Blow, Winds: An Adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, for the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis.
Silviya Zustiak, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering, for twelve articles published in peer-reviewed journals and a book chapter.
Alessandro Vindigni, Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, for his article in Nature and two articles in Nature Communications.