Dr. Nicole Bennett and Dr. Matthew Elrod of the Hope College chemistry faculty have both been named to the Project Kaleidoscope "Faculty for the 21st Century Network" Class of 2000.
The national network consists of faculty in
mathematics, engineering and the sciences who are in the
early stages of their careers and who have been identified
as able to play a leadership role in undergraduate science
at the local and national level. Bennett and Elrod are
among 112 faculty nationwide named to the program for 2000.
Established in 1989, Project Kaleidoscope is an
informal national alliance of individuals, institutions and
organizations committed to strengthening undergraduate
science, mathematics, engineering and technology education.
The "Faculty for the 21st Century Network," established in
1994, connects young faculty with colleagues and activities
to share insights on related topics. Events include the
network's annual National Assembly, which this year will be
held in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday-Saturday, Dec. 1-2.
Bennett, an assistant professor of chemistry,
joined the Hope faculty in 1996. Her primary area of
teaching is in organic chemistry, and her research focuses
on the synthesis of molecules related to Taxol, a drug used
to treat cancer. She completed her bachelor's degree at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1990, and her
doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996.
Elrod, an assistant professor of chemistry and a
Towsley Research Scholar at Hope, joined the faculty in
1996. His primary teaching responsibilities are in physical
chemistry and general chemistry, and his research emphasis
is on atmospheric ozone chemistry. He completed his
bachelor's at Grinnell College in 1989, and his doctorate at
the University of California at Berkeley in 1994.
Since 1994, more than 1,000 young faculty
representing approximately 470 institutions nationwide have
been named to the "Faculty for the 21st Century Network."
Other members of the Hope faculty named to the network since
its inception include Janet Andersen (mathematics), Brian
Bodenbender (geology and environmental science), John
Krupczak (engineering), Virginia McDonough (biology), Jon
Peterson (environmental science), Elizabeth Sanford
(chemistry) and Lois Tverberg (biology).