Professor honored for work

Chemistry professor Milos Novotny will be awarded the Tracy M. Sonneborn Award tonight at the Indiana Memorial Union. \nThe award is presented to IU faculty members who have contributed not only to the University and the community, but to national and international groups, as well. \nTo be honored with the Sonneborn award, professors are first nominated by a fellow faculty member. After nominations, a committee made of past award winners and the vice chancellor decide who receives the award.\n"There are several nominees, and the committee looks over all of them," said Cyndi Connelley, in the office of dean of the faculties. "They read through supporting letters of recommendation explaining why the nominees are eligible and then decide." \nNovotny has won numerous awards in the past for research and teaching.\n"I participated in designing the experiment that is part of the analysis of martian soil," he said. "I have done a lot of work in other institutions, including the Institution for Pheromone Research and the Programics Center." \nNovotny will present his lecture, "Enhancing Interdisciplinary Thought and Methodologies: Biochemical Complexity In and Around Us," at 4 p.m. after he receives a plaque from the chancellor and the vice chancellor. After the lecture, there will be a reception, all taking place in the Frangipani Room of the IMU.\n"Part of the award is giving the lecture," Novotny said. "It will be a more general lecture for students, the staff and the community."\nThe speech will explain how to teach research skills, or "how to make scientists."\nNovotny, a European native, has been teaching at IU for 32 years after being educated in Europe. He was nominated for several reasons, one being his involvement in research programs at IU and another being his background in chemistry and biochemistry.\nIn addition, Novotny was selected to be the first director of the new Proteomics Research and Development Facility in 2002.\nNovotny's reception is open to anyone interested in attending.\nThe annual award was initiated in 1985 by the Office of the Dean of the Faculties to honor a faculty member who achieves special distinction as a teacher and as a scholar.\n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.