Richards receives Orville & Jewel Mills Young Faculty Award

May 2, 2008
Contact: Paul K. Logsdon, Director of Public Relations and Publications, 417-865-2815, Ext. 7292

Springfield, Mo. — Dr. Glenner Richards, associate professor of biology at Evangel University, is the 2008 recipient of the Orville & Jewel Mills Young Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. This is the third year that this award has been presented.

The Mills Award was established by Orville and Jewel Mills to recognize professors under 45 years of age who have less than 10 years of teaching experience. It includes an unrestricted cash grant and will be presented Friday, May 2, during Evangel’s commencement ceremony.

The recipient of the Mills award is decided by the academic department chairs.

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Richards joined the Evangel faculty in 2004, after earning a Ph. D. in Food Science and Technology/ Food Microbiology from the University of Georgia.

She teaches biological sciences courses and is the faculty sponsor of Evangel’s Beta Eta Chapter, which is affiliated with Sigma Zeta, the National Honor Society for science and mathematics students.

“I am thoroughly humbled and honored to be selected for such a distinguished award,” said Richards.

Students under her direction have had opportunities to be involved in the community—such as judging the Ozarks Science and Engineering Fair—and to become engaged in real-world scientific research.

“We have been collaborating with Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, on a Gene Mapping project for a possible therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy,” she said.

Richards is a member of the International Association for Food Protection and was a member of the Institute of Food Technologists, and Phi Tau Sigma, the honor society for food scientists and technologists.

She was a proposal reviewer for the Springfield Center of Excellence for Life Science Research to prioritize disbursement of research funds for Research Alliance of Missouri.

For additional information, contact Paul K. Logsdon at (417) 865-2815 ext. 7292.