Lamar University has honored Helen Lou, associate professor of chemical engineering, as the 2009 University Scholar, the university’s highest honor recognizing research and creative activity.
Lou accepted the award at a reception and ceremony April 30 in the University Reception Center of the Mary and John Gray Library. The program also included the formal announcement of 20 Research Enhancement Grants for 2009.
“The University Scholar Award honors a faculty member for his or her outstanding contribution to scholarship, research, grant writing and/or creative activity,” said Stuart Wright, director of research in the office of Research and Sponsored Programs Administration. “It is a career/lifetime achievement award, recognizing the recipient’s body of work.”
The award includes a $5,000 grant to support future research activities, Wright said.
A Lamar faculty member since 2001, Lou is building a nationally recognized program in the frontier of sustainable manufacturing. Other research areas include process systems engineering, life-cycle analysis/ environmental accounting and high-performance computing.
“My objective is to empower engineers to develop sustainable products and processes to reduce resource use, minimize the adverse environmental impacts while maximizing the profitability,” Lou said.
“Dr. Lou excels in every aspect of the scholar-teacher,” said Jack Hopper, dean of the College of Engineering and executive assistant to the president for economic development and industrial relations. “She is, without question, one of the most productive and effective researchers to ever be in the College of Engineering at Lamar. She has consistently been at the forefront of proposals submitted and funded.”
Lou has secured more than $1.47 million in research grants, as primary or co-primary investigator in 28 funded projects, said T.C. Ho, Regents’ Professor and chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering. Six of those are from the National Science Foundation (NSF), regarded as the nation’s most prestigious science and engineering research funding agency, Ho noted.
Hopper said he believes Lou is the youngest faculty member at Lamar to receive a grant from the foundation, having first done so when she was 29. In 2007, the foundation appointed Lou to lead the United States delegation to an international conference in New Zealand.
A visit to the NSF Web site shows Lou has more foundation grants than any other professor at Lamar University, said her colleague, Rafael Tadmor, associate professor of chemical engineering. “In that sense, she is a true scholar,” Tadmor said.
In 2007, a student supervised by Lou earned the first doctor of philosophy, in chemical engineering, to be conferred by Lamar.
In addition to teaching and service, said Ho, Lou’s scholarly activities and accomplishments have been “exceptional.” She has engaged in all types of scholarly and creative activities, including preparing research proposals, carrying out funded research projects, supervising graduate students, publishing and presenting research results, serving as an organizer and chair for professional societies and chairing sessions of national and international conferences. Her accomplishments include four book chapters, 35-peer-reviewed papers, 12 invited seminars and 82 conference presentations.
“Her publication record is to be admired and respected,” Hopper said. “Her service to the profession and to Lamar is exemplary for the level of activity and commitment.” Her selection as University Scholar “will, no doubt, set the ‘bar’ for future selections at a very high level,” he said.
Lou, a native of China, is active in professional organizations, most notably in the establishment and development of the Sustainability Engineering Forum within the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). She served the forum as programming chair, now serves as vice chair and will serve as chair in 2010-2011. In addition, she served as the chair-elect of the institute’s manufacturing area in 2001-2003, then as the chair in 2003-2005.
“I want to thank all of you who made this happen . . . my colleagues and collaborators and the strong leadership of our university,” Lou said in accepting the award. “I also want to thank my students, and I wish all of them a bright future. Last but least, I want to thank my family.”
She and her husband, Michael, have a 1-year-old son, Richard.
Lou earned three graduate degrees from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., the doctor of philosophy in chemical engineering, master of science in chemical engineering and master of arts in computer science. She graduated from Zhejiang University in Hang Zhou, China, with a bachelor of science in chemical engineering.
As a junior faculty member in 2004, Lou earned the University Merit Award for outstanding teaching and research performance. She is a three-time recipient of a Lamar Research Enhancement Grant and also received a Release-time Research Award. Among other honors, she was the Ocean and Sky Scholar at the Dalian Institute of Technology in China.
Previous University Scholars are Jean Andrews, deaf studies/deaf education (1998), John Carroll, history (1999), Stuart Wright, sociology (2000), Richard Harrel, biology (2001); Xing Fang, civil engineering (2002); Jim Westgate, earth and space sciences, (2003); R.S. “Sam” Gwynn, English (2004); T.C. Ho, chemical engineering (2005); Jim Sanderson, English (2006); Pamela Saur, English and modern languages (2007); and Jerry Lin, civil engineering (2008).
