Indiana State University Newsroom

Jim Speer, professor of geography and geology, and Jeffery Stone, assistant professor of environmental geosciences, received the Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Research and Creativity Award.

The Dreiser Award was named for the early 20th century author who grew up in Terre Haute and recognizes full-time ISU faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to their disciplines. The award was presented during the annual Faculty Recognition Banquet Thursday.

Speer is the Institute for Community Sustainability's senior scholar and is chair of the President's Council on Sustainability. He also serves as SENCER Leadership Fellow for the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement, is director of both the North American Dendroecological Fieldweek and the Biogeography and Dendrochronology Laboratory at Indiana State. Speer has two published books, seven book chapters, 38 peer-reviewed publications and 36 other publications or reports.

"I am very honored to be receiving the Dreiser Distinguished Research/Creativity Award. Our systematic research is how we understand new things about the world around us," Speer said. "I have appreciated working at Indiana State University for the past 16 years and conducting my research with students and faculty collaborators over this time."

On faculty at Indiana State since 2012, Stone serves on the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Council, Earth and Environmental Systems Department faculty affairs committee, graduate affairs committee and is the department's graduate program director. He is principle investigator on research with the National Science Foundation and the Indiana Water Resources Center, is an undergraduate research supervisor at Indiana State, has work published in 25 peer-reviewed publications, four book chapters, and has had more than 50 collaborative research presentations at national or international scientific conferences with State students over the past five years.

"This award has special meaning for me as an early-career scientist and as a mentor to several young scientists doing research in my laboratory, as it provides an example for how they can accomplish exceptional goals with dedication and passion for their research interests," Stone said. "As faculty, our research is an important outlet for our own creativity and scholarly interests. Our research brings international attention to our programs and our university, but most importantly it provides avenues for our students to be successful, to become ready for careers and to build opportunities to network in our field of research. I'd like to thank my colleagues, my mentors, the students who have done research with me at Indiana State University, and my wife, Karlyn, without whose support I definitely could not have accomplished what I have at Indiana State so far."

-30-

Photo: https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Headshot-Proofs/Miscellaneous-Portrat-Proofs/Faculty-Awards-Spring-2016/Selected-Faculty-Portraits-2017/i-d3LGx8W/0/XL/03_29_17_Speer_Jim-0537-XL.jpg - Jim Speer

Photo: https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Headshot-Proofs/Miscellaneous-Portrat-Proofs/Faculty-Awards-Spring-2016/Selected-Faculty-Portraits-2017/i-F3Kj8Bq/0/XL/March%2010%2C%202017%20Jeffery%20Stone%208421-XL.jpg - Jeffery Stone