Duchamp Named Carnegie Foundation Virginia Professor of the Year
Duchamp Named Carnegie Foundation Virginia Professor of the Year
An Emory & Henry College professor whose research has contributed to efforts to detect cancer has been named the 2011 Carnegie Foundation Virginia Professor of the Year.
Dr. Jim Duchamp becomes the seventh E&H professor to be honored by the Carnegie Foundation as a state or national professor of the year. Emory & Henry has been honored by the recipient of this award, including one national award winner, more than any other college or university in Virginia.
Duchamp has performed extensive research in the use of endohedral fullerenes, which are being developed for use as contrast agents in magnetic resonance images (MRIs) in the detection of tumors. He is the co-inventor of a patented method that developed precursors for the synthesis of water soluble endohedral fullerenes, which dramatically improves their usefulness in MRIs.
Duchamp, whose research has been published in such prestigious journals as Nature and the Journal of the American Chemical Society, has been teaching at Emory & Henry since 1994. He was honored for his research as well as his dedication to his students and college community.
The Carnegie Foundation Professor of the Year Award is given each year to one professor in each state. Administered by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the award program each year also honors four U.S. Professors of the Year.
Duchamp, who travelled to Washington, D.C., to accept his award, praised the E&H Chemistry Department and Science Division for their support and for their approach to science education. “Much of the credit must go to the E&H Science Division, where students are encouraged to draw connections between their studies and research and the positive change they can make in their world,” he said.
Duchamp, who received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University in 1992, said he is drawn to teaching the type of students who attend liberal arts colleges, especially those who attend Emory & Henry. “I’ve enjoyed immensely working with undergraduates on research projects as I help them grow as scientists.”
E&H President Rosalind Reichard said the E&H community has tremendous respect for Duchamp. “His work both inside and outside of the classroom has had a major impact on the life of the College. He is driven to high levels of excellence by his love of students and a sincere belief in the difference they can make through their understanding of science.”
The Carnegie award is the second state-wide teaching award for Duchamp. In 2009, he was the recipient of the Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award, which is given each year by the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia.
Emory & Henry has won close to a quarter of the awards given in Virginia by the Carnegie Foundation since the Foundation began honoring professors in 1986. As the top-winning Virginia institution, Emory & Henry is followed by the University of Virginia, which has won four awards, including one U.S. Professor of the Year, and Virginia Tech, which has won three state honors.
