2005-07 McKnight Land-Grant Professors

The University of Minnesota Graduate School recently named 11 recipients of the 2005-07 McKnight Land-Grant Professorship. The goal of this award is to advance the careers of the University's most promising junior faculty at a crucial period in their professional lives. Recipients are honored with the title McKnight Land-Grant Professor, a special award which they will hold for two years. The award consists of a research grant in each of two years, summer support, and a research leave in the second year.

The winners were chosen for their potential for important contribution to their field; the degree to which their past achievements and current ideas demonstrate originality, imagination, and innovation; the potential for attracting outstanding students; and the significance of the research and the clarity with which it is conveyed to the non-specialist. Professors, departments, and areas of research are listed below.

Reuben S. Harris, biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics
How our cells use intentional mutations to protect us from pathogens

Alex Kamenev, physics
Theoretical condensed matter physics and its applications to semiconductor quantum devices, magnetic materials, and superconductivity

Dan S. Kaufman, medicine
Human embryonic stem cell biology

Michelle N. Mason, philosophy
Cultivating character: a theory of moral virtue

Stuart McLean, anthropology
Cultural identity, historical memory, and the material environment in Ireland and the European Union

Ezra Miller, mathematics
Research at the interface of combinatorics, geometry, and computation

Randall S. Singer, veterinary & biomedical sciences
Infectious disease impact on human and animal health

Bryan N. Shuman, geography
Patterns and consequences of past climatic change: tracking the availability of water

T. Andrew Taton, chemistry
Integrating nanoparticles with molecules and materials

Eric Van Wyk, computer science and engineering
Extensible programming languages for cost-effective development of reliable software systems

George D. Weiblen, plant biology
Biodiversity in tropical rainforests: the evolution of plant/insect interactions

2005 Distinguished McKnight University Professors

The Graduate School also recently named five recipients of the 2005 Distinguished McKnight University Professorship. This award recognizes and rewards the University's most outstanding mid-career faculty. Recipients are honored with the title Distinguished McKnight University Professor, which they will hold for as long as they remain at the University of Minnesota. The grant associated with the Professorship consists of $100,000 to be expended over five years.

The winners were chosen on the merit of their scholarly achievements and the potential for greater attainment in the field; the extent to which their achievements have brought distinction to the University of Minnesota; the quality of their teaching and advising; and their contributions to the wider community. Professors, departments, and areas of research are listed below.


David A. Andow, entomology
Professor Andow is known throughout the world for his use of ecological and evolutionary principles to make major conceptual breakthroughs in the agricultural and environmental sciences. His discoveries and insights in the area of environmental risk management associated with the use of genetically-modified crops have led to policy changes that are shaping the deployment of these crops throughout the world. He is also widely known for major theoretical contributions in agricultural biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, and exotic species risk management. He has been awarded a prestigious McMaster's Fellowship in Australia, and has published over 140 papers and delivered over 150 invited addresses.

Nicki R. Crick, child development
Professor Crick is one of the most influential scholars in the world studying aggression and gender issues in children's mental health and development. Her studies of relational aggression have demonstrated that girls can be just as aggressive as boys, and equally at risk for related problems. Her research on social information processing, relational aggression, and gender in the development of psychopathology has revolutionized theory, research, practice, and policy related to antisocial behavior and victimization in children, across multiple disciplines. She has received three national awards for her work, including the American Psychological Association's highest honor for early career achievement, and she has been invited as a fellow to the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. In addition, she serves as an associate editor on a key journal in developmental psychology and serves on the editorial boards of three other journals.

Jeffrey T. Roberts, chemistry
Professor Roberts is internationally renowned for research on chemistry at complex interfaces. His insightful studies of ice and sulfuric acid, and innovative work on size-selected aerosol particles opened fields of research leading to better understanding of atmospheric chemistry. His investigations into chemical vapor deposition answered fundamental questions regarding the growth of materials. He has contributed immeasurably to the broader educational community through conception and direction of the Research Site for Educators in Chemistry, and he is coauthor of over 70 research publications. He has been awarded a Sloan Fellowship, a Dreyfus New Faculty Award, and the Special Creativity Award from the National Science Foundation. As an assistant professor, he held a University of Minnesota McKnight Land-Grant Professorship.

Shashi Shekhar, computer science and engineering
Professor Shekhar is a world leader in the area of spatial databases, an interdisciplinary area at the intersection of computer science and geographic information science (GIS). A major goal of his research is to understand the computational structure of very large spatial databases needed by physical sciences and engineering disciplines. He has a distinguished academic record that includes two books and over 160 refereed papers, and he is widely sought after by policy makers in the United States and abroad for his expertise in spatial databases and spatial data mining. His research results are now playing a critical role in homeland security evacuation planning. His earlier research developed core technologies behind in-vehicle navigation devices and web-based routing services which revolutionized outdoor navigation in the urban environment. He was elected a fellow by the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), served on the board of directors of the University Consortium on GIS, and serves on the National Academy of Science/National Research Council Mapping Science Committee.

Kathryn A. Sikkink, political science
Professor Sikkink is one of the world's foremost scholars of transnational politics. She has been central to the development of a school of social constructivist theory that has profoundly shaped theoretical agendas in the fields of international relations and comparative politics. Her research has redirected scholarly attention in those two fields to the ways in which normative arguments promoted through non-governmental transnational networks affect and are institutionalized in governmental policies. Substantively, her focus has been primarily on the transnational politics of human rights, especially with respect to the development and effectiveness of human rights polices in the Americas. One of her books, Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics, won two major awards and is one of the most frequently cited works in international relations and comparative politics. She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. As an assistant professor, she was named a University of Minnesota McKnight Land-Grant Professor.