Dr. Gregory C. Fu, assistant professor of chemistry, is one of 18 young faculty members nationally to be named a Cottrell Scholar by the Research Corporation, a private foundation in Tucson, AZ.
The honor, which carries a $50,000 award, rewards beginning faculty members who wish to excel at both teaching and research, "thus strengthening the community of scholars."
There were 112 applicants for the 1996 awards, which are considered among the most prestigious fellowships for beginning faculty in the sciences. They are named for Frederick G. Cottrell, a chemist who created the Research Corp. and endowed it with the patent rights to his invention, the Cottrell precipitator, in order to help young scientists get their start.
Professor Fu received the SB in chemistry from MIT in 1985 and the PhD in organic chemistry from Harvard University in 1991. He was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology from 1991 to 1993, when he joined the MIT faculty.
His previous honors include the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation New Faculty Award in Chemistry and a National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award.
Professor Fu's research interests focus on the development of new reagents and methods for organic chemistry, with an emphasis on asymmetric catalysis, and also the elucidation of reaction mechanisms.
In his application to the Research Corp., Professor Fu said he was drawn to MIT by its dedication to undergraduate teaching and faculty who provide opportunities for undergraduates to do meaningful research.
"The highlight of my undergraduate experience was my participation in independent research, and I wanted to provide as many students as possible with this opportunity," he said, adding that he had three undergraduates working in his laboratory.
In addition, he serves as faculty advisor to ClubChem, an organization for chemistry majors that organizes social events for undergraduates and also runs an outreach program to elementary schools in the Boston area, in which undergraduates perform a chemistry magic show.
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The List Visual Arts Center has been named a winner in the 1996 American Association of Museums (AAM) Publications Design Competition.
In the category of institutions with budgets of less than $500,000, the judges awarded List an Honorable Mention for its Calendar of Events for the 1995-96 season.
The competition, which acknowledges excellence in graphic design of museum publications, is the only national, juried event involving publications produced by museums of all kinds and sizes.
Winning entries were displayed at the AAM's annual meeting in Minneapolis and will be featured in the association's national magazine.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 22, 1996.
