Office of Research to Honor Fifth Class of Hall of Fame Inductees

Two new members will be inducted into the Office of Research Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Monday, April 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Power Center’s Shepperson Suite.

The Hall of Fame awards recognize faculty for their outstanding research endeavors based on consistency in sponsored research funding, research impact and/or funding amounts. The honorees each receive a set of personalized baseball-style trading cards highlighting their expertise and secured grants.

The 2012 Hall of Fame inductees are Dr. Jeffrey D. Evanseck, professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, and Dr. Olga M. Welch, dean and professor of the School of Education.

Evanseck was honored as the inaugural Fr. Joseph Lauritis Endowed Chair in Teaching and Technology at Duquesne for his scientific distinctions in chemical theory, computation and education. His research awards facilitate his integration of quantum and classical physics to predict, interpret and solve organic and biological problems involving reaction mechanisms, theories of pericyclic reactions, visualization and dynamics of biomaterials and the design of innovative antimicrobial agents.

Welch is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Howard University and the University of Tennessee. Before coming to Duquesne, she was a professor emerita in the College of Education at the University of Tennessee. Welch has authored several publications, chapters and books. Most recently, she edited Turnaround Leadership, Deans of Color as Change Agents, which examines deans as agents of change using the conceptual framework of “turnaround leadership for higher education.” In 2009, she received A Tribute to Women Leadership in Education Award from the YWCA, and she was named a Woman of Excellence by the New Pittsburgh Courier.