Department Criteria for Scholarship

Below, I provide the Engineering and Physics expanded criteria for tenure pertaining to scholarship. Amid the lists, I interleave brief reflections on how I have addressed the requirements and striven for excellence.

Department Expanded Criteria for Scholarship

The primary evidence of scholarly activity involves the development of new results, communicating those results to the scientific/engineering community, and recognition by the scholarly community of the candidate’s expertise in his or her discipline. Faculty members in the Engineering and Physics Department have a wide variety of research interests. The quantity of scholarly works, by research interest, may vary significantly by field within engineering and physics. There is no minimum number of peer-reviewed achievements required for tenure or rank of Associate Professor. ​Rank of Professor requires that there must be at least one peer-reviewed achievement in the form of a peer-reviewed publication or success in gaining external funding.​ Below are eight broad categories and specific examples of each; it is ​not expected​ that a candidate will exhibit scholarly activity that falls under each of these eight categories.

  1. ​Publications:​ Published or accepted for publication (meaning they have successfully passed the peer-review stage) peer-reviewed publications, as an author or co-author, of an article in a scholarly journal, an article in conference proceedings, chapters contributed to a book, a book or monograph itself, or any similar type of work. Citations of a department member’s publication helps demonstrate the relevance of the publication.
    How satisfied
    As a 700-member collaboration, the process to publish STAR results is complicated, requiring effort by many people. In my work with STAR, I have contributed in many ways to the publication of a number of peer-reviewed journal articles.

  2. External Funding:​ Applying for or receiving a grant to conduct research, to travel to present results at a conference, to undergo professional development, or external funding to conduct research at another research institution. External funding may also be in the form of consultation fees. External funding of these types that enable opportunities for ACU students will be viewed departmentally as superior due to fostering the mission of the university.
    How satisfied
    I have been successful in securing external funding from three different sources, totaling over $1M:

    • I am co-PI, along with Michael Daugherity, Donald Isenhower, and Shon Watson, on a $793,000, 3-year grant from the US Department of Energy to engage in nuclear physics research, including our efforts on STAR at BNL and SpinQuest at Fermilab.
    • I am co-PI, along with four other STAR colleagues from Indiana University, University of Kentucky, Texas A&M University, and Ohio State University, on a $2 million Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant from the NSF to fund construction of the STAR forward detector upgrade. ACU’s portion of the grant totals $365,000.
    • I also secured external funding through a $10,579 contract with Brookhaven National Laboratory to begin work on the STAR forward upgrade construction.

    In all of these efforts, ACU undergraduate students have been at the forefront. The DOE grant largely funds student effort in the summer. The BNL contract and the MRI fund student efforts both in the summer and during the semester.

  3. External Accreditation:​ External accreditation is in its very nature a peer reviewed process. Documenting significant contributions toward external accreditation is viewed as scholarship by the department.
  4. Talks:​ Contributed or invited talks at regional, national or international professional or scientific meetings; colloquia or seminars presented at ACU or other institutions; educational talks or presentations at public schools; or talks presented to scientific or industry collaborators.
    How satisfied
    During my time at Lamar and ACU, I have delivered invited talks at the following conferences:

    I have given contributed talks at the following conferences:

    I also presented at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Nuclear and Particle Physics Program Advisory Committee Meeting in 2019
  5. Research products:​ This includes development and release of software, design or construction of experimental apparatus, design or implementation of research based curriculum or pedagogy, or consultation on scientific or engineering projects. Also included is supervision of the research of others, particularly undergraduate students.
    How satisfied
    I oversee and coordinate construction of detectors for the STAR forward upgrade. This work is funded by the NSF MRI grant I secured and is carried out by ACU undergraduate students at Bennett lab and Onstead Science Center. Students such as Lily McIntosh have presented work on this project at the Fall Meeting of the APS Division of Nuclear physics and at the 2019 Physics Congress
    I have also mentored McNair Scholars research projects by the following students: Suzanne Wheeler (Lamar 2017), Roy Salinas (ACU 2019), Kolby Kiesling (ACU 2019), and Ihoza Fiable (ACU 2020). Suzanne, Roy, and Kolby presented their research at Fall Meetings of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics.
  6. Other recognition of expertise​: Any other recognition of a candidate’s expertise in his or her field by peers, including the receipt of awards; refereeing scientific publications or talks; editing a scientific journal or other publication; serving as an external reviewer for grants, projects, exams, or programs; developing standards or examination content for external governmental or professional bodies; providing expert consultation to administrative or legislative bodies; or selection for a leadership role in an external scientific or professional society. Trade publications, related to the field encompassed by the department, that publish a department member’s work, demonstrates a level of expertise in the field.
    How satisfied
    I received a RHIC/AGS User’s Executive Committee Merit Award in 2018. I also served as a convener of the “3D Structure of the Nucleon: TMDs” sessions of the 23rd International Spin Symposium in Ferrara, Italy, in 2018.
  7. Internal Funding​: Applying for or receiving an ACU internal grant to promote scholarship proves a valuable way to develop a scholarship portfolio which hopefully provides opportunity for external support. Applying for or receiving a grant to conduct research, to travel to present results at a conference, to undergo professional development, or external funding to conduct research at another research institution is viewed by the department as scholarship.
  8. Industry Partnerships:​ Professional work done with external companies is an important aspect of scholarship that demonstrates expertise. This includes consulting, contract work, arranging internships, finding corporate sponsors for clinic projects, securing donations of equipment or materials, and mentoring students for the work environment.

<<< Scholarship                                                                 Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC >>>