Two faculty members with extraordinary records in teaching, research and service have been named Distinguished Faculty Fellows by the College of Liberal Arts.
The honorees are Jay Johnson, professor of anthropology and director of the Center for Archaeological Research, and Richard Raspet, professor of physics and astronomy and a principal scientist at the Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA).
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Jay Johnson, professor of anthropology (left), and Richard Raspet, professor of physics and astronomy,
were named
Distinguished
Faculty Fellows
by the College
of Liberal Arts. |
“Both these faculty members are exemplary in their teaching, research and community service efforts,” said Glenn Hopkins, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “Dr. Johnson has helped apply new technologies to archaeological research, and his work was an important part of bringing a major NASA grant to the university. Dr. Raspet’s work in sound propagation has far-reaching potential, ranging from military applications to medical technologies that may save countless lives.”
Johnson is one of the world’s leading authorities on the development and use of stone tools by prehistoric American Indians. He also has pioneered the use of remote sensing and Geographic Information System technologies for archaeological research in the Southeast.
“Dr. Johnson has assembled a distinguished record of achievement in research, teaching and service,” said David Swanson, chair of sociology and anthropology. “His peers, colleagues and students all hold him in high regard.”
Since its formation in the early 1970s, the Center for Archaeological Research has conducted more than $4 million in research. Research projects have been funded by contracts and grants from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tennessee Valley Authority, National Park Service, Soil Conservation Service, National Geographic Society, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Aeronautics and Space Agency, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, National Audubon Society and others. This research has focused on the northern half of Mississippi but has included projects in Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, New Mexico and California.
“I am fortunate to have spent my professional life at Ole Miss,” Johnson said. “I have had the freedom to develop my research and have had a long line of very good and very interested students to share that research with. Add to that a group of agreeable and excellent colleagues, and you have a situation that is hard to improve.”
Raspet is an internationally recognized leader in the science of sound propagation in the atmosphere with research that ranges from sonic booms caused by airplanes and spacecraft to elephant conversations at frequencies too low for humans to hear. Another main area of research is the development of devices that use thermoacoustics to generate electric power from waste heat.
Since coming to the university in 1987, he has received 40 externally funded grants for a total of approximately $5.5 million, with most of the funding coming from the Office of Naval Research, NASA and the U.S. Army. His collaboration with other scientists at NCPA has helped build a national reputation for acoustics research at UM.
A fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, Raspet has authored or co-authored more than 100 refereed scientific publications and serves as a peer reviewer for numerous scientific journals, including Nature and Science. He also holds two patents.
“Dr. Raspet is an excellent, demanding teacher,” said Thomas Marshall, chair of physics and astronomy. “He is generous with his time to meet with students in spite of having a full research and service schedule.”
“The Distinguished Faculty Fellowship provides recognition and validation of my work in teaching, research and service by my colleagues,” Raspet said. “It provides a real boost to my morale beyond promotion to full professor.”
Distinguished Faculty Fellows are nominated by their peers and selected by a committee of past recipients, holders of named chairs and chairs of departments. The fellowships include awards of $10,000 annually for three years. Fellowships are funded through the UM Foundation, with support provided by alumni and friends and the Hardin Foundation.