Barthell, Charlevoix, Nath, Resendes, and Tiwari Will Take Board Seats in Summer 2020
The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) announced the results of its recent Executive Board election. The following individuals will take their board seats in summer 2020:
Photos (from left to right): John F. Barthell, Donna Charlevoix, Niharika Nath, Karen K. Resendes, Binod Tiwari.
• Council Representatives:
Niharika Nath, New York Institute of Technology–Old Westbury
Karen K. Resendes, Westminster College (PA; re-elected to the Executive Board)
Binod Tiwari, California State University–Fullerton
• General Representatives:
John F. Barthell, National Science Foundation
Donna Charlevoix, UNAVCO (CO)
Dr. Barthell is a program director in the Directorate of Biological Infrastructure at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is on leave from his position as provost and vice president of academic affairs at the University of Central Oklahoma. He has served as a councilor in CUR’s At-Large Division since 2011; as a member of CUR’s Faculty Workload, Evaluation, Promotion, and Tenure Task Force; and as a consultant for the CUR Transformations Project that seeks to infuse research into curricula.
Dr. Charlevoix is director of education and community engagement at UNAVCO, a nonprofit consortium funded by NSF and NASA that facilitates geoscience research and education. She has held a variety of leadership positions with the American Meteorological Society such as chair of the Board on Higher Education and as a task force member on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as professional ethics.
Dr. Nath, professor in the Department of Life Sciences at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), has served as a councilor in CUR’s Health Sciences Division since 2014 and as health sciences divisional editor for CUR’s scholarly journal SPUR. As president of NYIT’s Academic Senate, she was instrumental in establishing NYIT’s first institution-wide undergraduate research program, and she is active in nurturing national and international collaborations for undergraduate researchers.
Dr. Resendes, associate professor in the Department of Biology and co-director of the Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research at Westminster College, has chaired CUR’s Biology Division since 2017 and has been active in the CUR Transformations Project. She served on CUR’s Faculty Workload, Evaluation, Promotion, and Tenure Task Force and helped to develop a mentoring program in the Biology Division for those interested in infusing research into biology courses.
Dr. Tiwari, professor of civil and environmental engineering, and associate vice president for research and sponsored projects at California State University–Fullerton, has chaired CUR’s Engineering Division since 2017 and serves as vice president of the International Consortium on Landslides. He has mentored more than 250 undergraduate researchers and is active in community and international collaborations that provide opportunities for undergraduate research.
“The depth and breadth of experience and commitment to undergraduate research is inspiring in these new CUR board members,” said Lindsay Currie, CUR’s executive officer. “Their work within and across disciplines will assist CUR in meeting increasing challenges in the undergraduate research landscape such as advocacy, assessment, collaboration, curriculum, inclusion, and support.”
Founded in 1978, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) focuses on providing high-quality and collaborative undergraduate research, scholarly, and creative activity. Among the many activities and networking opportunities that CUR provides, the organization also offers support for the professional growth of faculty and administrators through expert-designed institutes, conferences, and a wide-range of volunteer positions. The CUR community, made up of nearly 700 institutions and 13,000 individuals, continues to provide a platform for discussion and other resources related to mentoring, connecting, and creating relationships centered around undergraduate research. CUR’s advocacy efforts are also a large portion of its work as they strive to strengthen support for undergraduate research. Its continued growth in connections with representatives, private foundations, government agencies, and campuses world-wide provides value to its members and gives voice to undergraduate research. CUR is committed to inclusivity and diversity in all of its activities and our community.
CUR focuses on giving a voice to undergraduate research with learning through doing. It provides connections to a multitude of campuses and government agencies, all while promoting networking and professional growth to its community.