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CUR Fellows
Awards Recipients for 2006 - Nancy
Mills
N ANCY MILLS
PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY
TRINITY UNIVERSITY
Dr. Nancy Mills received her BA in chemistry and American
studies at Grinnell College in 1972. She pursued her doctoral degree under the
direction of Dr. Robert B. Bates at the University of Arizona and did
postdoctoral work with Dr. P.Y. Johnson at Illinois Institute of Technology.
Her first teaching position was at Carleton College. In the fall of 1979 Dr.
Mills moved to Trinity University where she is, according to a colleague, “one
of the most effective faculty members at Trinity in attracting students into
research.” This statement is backed up by the involvement of 160
undergraduates in her research group since 1979, with an average group size of
5 or 6 students during the school year and a “Mills dozen” in the summer.
Dr. Mills provided a number of these students with research experiences early
in their careers, with about one-third of them working in the research lab for
two years or more. This ability to involve undergraduate students in her
cutting-edge, extramurally-funded research on hydrocarbon dication chemistry
is even more impressive when one considers the 35 undergraduate names that
appear among the co-authors on her publications. Dr. Mills has summed up her
philosophy about undergraduate research by saying, “The bedrock of what
researchers do at undergraduate institutions is to demonstrate with our own
students that research makes the most effective teaching.”
In addition to making a very convincing demonstration of
research as teaching, Dr. Mills has an important national presence in
promoting undergraduate research. She has served as a CUR councilor for 12
years from 1990 to 2003. During her time as a CUR councilor, Dr. Mills
served a term as the chair of the chemistry division. She has also chaired the
membership, nominations, and outreach committees. One of the accomplishments
that Dr. Mills is most proud of (and rightly so) is the organization and
co-ordination of the Chemistry Mentor Network. This Mentor Network was the
first of its kind in the CUR organization and led to several other divisions
developing similar networks. She has also served as the co-organizer or
organizer of two CUR Institutes aimed at mid-career faculty, one on “Issues
of Mid-Career Faculty” and the other on “Vital Faculty-Issues after Tenure”.
Complementing her work with CUR, Dr. Mills has been actively involved with
promoting undergraduate research at the National Science Foundation as well as
at the American Chemical Society (ACS) on the ACS Committee on Professional
Training and the canvassing committee for the ACS Award for Research at an
Undergraduate Institution.
Dr. Mills has many awards and honors to her name including:
National Merit Finalist (1968), Sears Roebuck Foundation Teaching Excellence
and Campus Leadership Award (1990), Z. T. Scott Faculty Fellowship for
Teaching and Service (1992), Camille and Henry Dreyfus Scholar/Fellow (1995),
and the Piper Professor, State of Texas (1999). However, Dr. Mills
accomplishments are best summed up by a colleague of hers who wrote, “Nancy
Mills may be more of phenomenon than a faculty member. She takes a high
energy, positive approach to all of her pursuits. Her passion for chemistry,
research, and students is ever apparent. She is the consummate
teacher-scholar. Seamlessly blending research with teaching, science
with mentorship, countless students and faculty have benefited from her as a
role model.”
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