Female faculty receive awards

Honoring the accomplishments of women on campus, the Office of Women's Affairs announced the recipients of five awards Friday, including the Gros Louis Special Recognition Award, named for Bloomington Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis. Betty Jo Kish Irvine, librarian in the School of Fine Arts and Fenton Martin, librarian in the Department of Political Science were co-recipients of this award.\nThe honor is given to individuals on campus who exemplify the spirit of collaboration and the connection between research and teaching, Women's Affairs Dean Jean Robinson said. Irvine said the award was special to her because of her friendship with Kenneth and Diana Gros Louis. Fenton said she was honored to be a co-recipient.\n"It's an honor to share this award with B.J., and I want to dedicate this award to my mother," Fenton said. "She's always been supportive and has had an unswerving dedication to higher education."\nThe Office of Women's Affairs Distinguished Scholar Award went to Lisa Pratt, associate dean for science and research. Describing Pratt's accomplishments, Gros Louis said she is one of the best researchers in the world and is the reason IU is on the map for bio-geochemistry. \n"As a role model, she's a superb example of a woman achieving her goals," Gros Louis said. "She is a hero in the eyes of students and is one of the most effective mentors for this profession."\nPratt said she attributes her success to the science department and said it is the reason she has grown and thrived as a researcher.\n"I've had the extraordinary good fortune of being surrounded by dedicated people," Pratt said. "It's been such a privilege to work with so many remarkable students and researchers who have been the foundation of my science reputation. They've been my hands, eyes and ears in the lab."\nAfter Gros Louis presented Pratt with the final award of the evening, he received a surprise from Robinson. Announcing the establishment of a new lecture series called the Gros Louis Woman of Distinction Lecture, Robinson said the series of events will bring prominent women to campus to speak on issues related to women's lives.\n"The speaker might be a scholar, an artist, a writer and definitely a change agent," Robinson said. "The depth of appreciation for Ken Gros Louis runs deep and this commemorative series will be a living legacy of his enduring contributions."\nOther award recipients included Sgt. Leslie Slone of the IU Police Department for the Outstanding Staff Award and graduate student Patrick O'Day as the winner of the Women's History Month Essay Contest. First place for the Eva Kagan-Kans Graduate Research Paper Award was given to graduate student Kathleen Roberts of the Department of Folklore and second place was given to graduate student Scott Sanborn of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.