The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has recognized five exemplary educators as its 2024 Eminent Faculty class.
The UL Lafayette Foundation sponsors the annual awards. They are the highest recognition the University confers on faculty. Established in 1965, the awards honor educators for their research, teaching effectiveness, and contributions to their professions and to campus life.
“The Eminent Faculty Awards have for many years acknowledged faculty members who display an unwavering commitment to their students, to innovative research and to service,” said John Blohm, vice president for University Advancement and the Foundation’s CEO.
“This year’s honorees are no exception. They embody attributes and ideals that are central to the University’s core mission, and represent the exemplary educators and scholars you’ll find in every corner of campus,” he added.
Dr. Terrence Chambers and W. Geoff Gjertson are this year’s Distinguished Professor Award honorees. The award recognizes faculty for their research accomplishments, teaching effectiveness and contributions to their profession and campus life.
Chambers is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering. Gjertson is a professor in the School of Architecture and Design in the College of the Arts.
The Dr. Ray P. Authement Excellence in Teaching Award is named for the University’s fifth president. It has recognized faculty commitment to teaching and innovation since 1992.
This year’s recipients are Marissa Lajaunie and Dr. August Gallo. Lajaunie is a senior instructor who teaches a range of courses for the Department of Health Sciences in the College of Nursing & Health Sciences. Gallo is a professor in the Department of Chemistry in the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences.
The Leadership Service Award recipient is Scott Durbin, an assistant professor in the School of Music and Performing Arts in the College of the Arts.
The Foundation first presented the award in 2016. It honors a faculty member who combines service learning with classroom instruction to forge skills and knowledge that students can apply to community leadership opportunities.
The University selects the honorees based on recommendations from a faculty committee. Each recipient receives a $5,000 stipend.
Profiles of the recipients follow.
Distinguished Professor Award
Dr. Terrence Chambers Donald and Janice Mosing Board of Regents Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering. His research of solar and renewable energies was integral in the creation of the Louisiana Solar Energy Lab at University Research Park and the Cleco Alternative Energy Center in Crowley, La. His wide-ranging expertise in solar energy technologies includes photovoltaics, solar thermal, thermal energy storage and systems design. He also leads the University’s Green Hydrogen Center of Excellence.
W. Geoff Gjertson is a professor of architecture for the School of Architecture and Design in the College of the Arts. He is a licensed architect and director of the University’s Building Institute. The institute offers students instruction and hands-on experience in designing and building sustainable homes. It also helps to coordinate a range of community-focused projects in urban neighborhoods. Gjertson’s research interests include design pedagogy, community and professional practice engagement, and building science and material research.
Dr. Ray P. Authement Excellence in Teaching Award
Marissa Lajaunie is a senior instructor who teaches a range of courses for the Department of Health Sciences in the College of Nursing & Health Sciences, including a health education course that focuses on professional values, ethics and legal issues. She is faculty advisor for the Health Information Management Society student organization. Lajaunie is a registered health information administrator. She has held leadership positions with the Louisiana Health Information Management Association, and earned the association’s Outstanding Volunteer Award.
Dr. August Gallo is a professor and an accomplished researcher in the Department of Chemistry in the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences. His interests in the field of organic chemistry include researching heterocyclic compounds, which have structural entities found in many pharmaceutical drugs. Another research interest is natural products chemistry, particularly native Louisiana plants that exhibit pharmacological activity. Gallo also conducts interdisciplinary research, examining the formation of biodiesel from feed stocks such as alligator fat.
Leadership Service Award
Scott Durbin holds the Drs. Chuck and Sue Lein Board of Regents Endowed Professorship in Music Business in the College of the Arts. The program provides students with instrument training coupled with instruction in areas such as music production, management, entrepreneurship and marketing. Durbin’s extensive industry experience includes co-founding and performing in the Emmy Award-winning children’s TV show “Imagination Movers,” which aired on the Disney Channel.
Photo caption: This year’s Eminent Faculty Award honorees at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette are, top row, from left: Dr. Terrence Chambers, W. Geoff Gjertson and Dr. August Gallo. Bottom row, from left, Marissa Lajaunie and Scott Durbin. Image credit: University of Louisiana at Lafayette