3 Faculty Members Receive Foundation Awards

The Fairmont State Foundation Center for Teaching Excellence has announced that three Fairmont State University faculty members have been named as 2009 Foundation Award recipients: Dr. Donald Trisel, Professor of Biology; Dr. Patrick Albano, Associate Professor of Academic Studies/History; and Dr. Matthew Hokom, Associate Professor of English.

Dr. Donald Trisel received the Foundation Fellow Award for his research proposal that focuses on the honeybee queen rearing process, specifically the technique of artificial insemination.

"This award will contribute toward my professional development as a researcher, a professor and as a beekeeper," Trisel said. "Additionally, this project has potential benefits for local and state beekeeper associations and the economic stability of the West Virginia beekeeping industry"

Trisel will attend a series of six conferences and workshops that will allow him to hone his skills and interact with other beekeepers and bee industry professionals, including two workshops led by Dr. Sue Cobey, a world renowned expert in queen rearing and insemination. In addition to the Foundation Award, Trisel received the Regional Service and Engagement/Economic Development (RSEED) grant through the Center for Teaching Excellence in support of this project.

Dr. Patrick Albano received a Foundation grant to continue his research on the nation's first university and its participation in assisting the U.S. government during World War II.

"This project could target potential community service volunteers willing to research other institutions within West Virginia that assisted the federal government during wartime. It could also serve as a corollary to the World War II Veterans History Project currently conducted at FSU and Pierpont Community & Technical College," Albano said.

Albano will travel to the University of Pennsylvania-Archives and Manuscripts Division in Philadelphia, Pa., where he will gather further information for his manuscript, "An Army of Scholars: Years of Experience in the Concision of War-The University of Pennsylvania and World War II." Albano recently received a grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council in Charleston, which also supports the research project.

Dr. Matthew Hokom received a Foundation grant for his ongoing research of Willa Cather novels, specifically the influence of the Greco-Roman tradition on her fiction. Hokom will travel to Nebraska to explore the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's collection of Willa Cather materials and the archives of the Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial in order to gather materials for an academic article and conference presentation.

"Such presentations and publications greatly enhance the regional and national reputation of Fairmont State as an institution of academic excellence," Hokom said.

Each year, the Faculty Development Committee considers applications for these grants and forwards recommendations to the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and to the president for final approval. Each applicant must submit a proposal outlining the nature and purpose of their project, along with a detailed budget and a concrete explanation of how their project will benefit the campus community. The awards are funded by the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc.

For more information on available grants and awards through the Center for Teaching Excellence, contact Dr. Nancy McClure, Director, at (304) 367-4508 or nmcclure@fairmontstate.edu.