Faculty members honored for excellence
GREENVILLE, N.C.— Three faculty members from East Carolina University received Achievement for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity awards in February.
Linda Darty, professor of metalworking and enameling in ECU’s School of Art and Design, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for accomplishments made across the span of her professional career.
Dr. Qun Lu, associate professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and Dr. R. Martin Roop, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, both part of the Brody School of Medicine, received Five-Year Achievement Awards.
Darty received a bachelor’s degree in ceramics and art education from the University of Florida in 1973 and began the enameling program here at ECU on a graduate teaching fellowship while earning her MFA in 1989.
Recognizing the importance of academic and scientific research, Darty said, “I am so honored that the university has chosen to celebrate the work of the hand and the arts with this Lifetime Achievement award.”
Darty has contributed to permanent art collections on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, and the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock. Her artwork has been featured in numerous books, including “The Art of Enameling,” which she wrote, and in more than 160 exhibits around the world. During her tenure at ECU she has received eight teaching or research grants and been awarded the ECU School of Art’s Scholar Teacher Award. In 2003, she received The Lifetime Achievement Award from The International Enamelist Society, commending her for contributions to the field.
Lu has a doctorate in cell biology and neuroscience from Emory University School of Medicine and has been on the ECU faculty since 2000. His area of research is cancer, and he has published 25 papers since joining ECU. He has been a primary of co-investigator on grants totaling $2.9 million. He has spoken at national and international conferences and helped establish the Harriet and John Wooten Laboratory for Alzheimer’s Disease and Neurodegenerative Research at ECU.
Roop has bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He came to ECU in 2001. Roop’s research focus is the bacteria Brucella, which causes gastrointestinal illness and is a potential bioweapon. He has spoken on numerous panels, received several research awards and has been lead or co-author on more than 25 scholarly articles. Roop has been primary or co-investigator on grants totaling more than $6.5 million.
The awardees were selected by Dr. Deirdre Mageean, vice chancellor for research and graduate studies, upon recommendation by the Faculty Senate Academic Awards Committee. Award recipients were selected for the originality and excellence of their research and creative activities as demonstrated in sustained, high-quality work at ECU.
Each recipient will receive a cash award and conduct a public seminar to showcase his or her research during Research and Creative Achievement Week. Presentation times and locations are as follows:
–Darty, March 30 at noon in Mendenhall 244.
–Lu, March 30 at 6:30 p.m. in Mendenhall 244.
–Roop, March 31 at 6:30 p.m. in Mendenhall 244.