UW College of Arts and Sciences to Hold Annual Awards Banquet

May 13, 2013

Lewis Bagby, Henry Bauer and James R. SteidtmannThe University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences will hold its annual awards banquet to honor outstanding former faculty and alumni Saturday, May 18, at the UW Conference Center at the Laramie Hilton Garden Inn. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6 p.m.

Outstanding former faculty members are Distinguished Emeritus Professor Lewis Bagby, Department of Modern and Classical Languages; Professor Emeritus Henry Bauer, Department of Computer Science; and Professor Emeritus James R. Steidtmann, Department of Geology and Geophysics.

Outstanding alumni are James Allen (who grew up in Worland), Laramie native Gretchen Hofmann and Sweetwater County native Rae Lynn Job.

For more information about the banquet, contact Janice Romsa at (307) 766-2755 or email jromsa@uwyo.edu.

Outstanding former faculty biographies:

Bagby joined the UW Department of Modern and Classical Languages in 1970, served as chair for three years and retired in 2007. He is recognized for building and sustaining the Russian program in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, and for extending internationalization to all the university’s professional colleges. Bagby was one of the first American scholars of Russian to establish student, faculty and citizen exchange programs in rural Russia (1991). He formed the Wyoming-Saratov Initiative at a time when few other American institutions ventured outside Moscow and Leningrad. Once established as director of International Programs at UW (1995), Bagby created similar academic exchange programs on six continents.

Bauer contributed significantly to the field of computer science, first as a professor, and then as the head of the Department of Computer Science. Beginning in 1985, he participated more broadly as an active member of the Computer Science Accreditation Commission (CSAC), which is part of the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB). When Bauer became chair of the CSAC in 2004, it had already become the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. In 2011, because of his dedication to the computing profession and computing education, Bauer was named both an ABET and a CSAB Fellow. He continued to serve ABET on its Global Council and as a training facilitator.

Steidtmann has published and lectured extensively on the geology of the Rocky Mountain region. One of his many interests focused on the timing and characterization of mountain building, and the interplay between mountain growth and basin development. His work, and that of his co-researchers, offered concepts that significantly impacted oil and gas exploration in Wyoming, and have application to oil and gas development around the world. Steidtmann received many awards and honors for his work, including the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) A.I. Levorsen Memorial award for best presentation. Steidtmann traveled throughout the United States as a distinguished lecturer for the AAPG.

Outstanding Alumni Biographies:James Allen, Gretchen Hofmann and Rae Lynn Job

Like many graduate students in physics during the 1970s, Allen, who graduated from Worland High School in 1964, also took several courses in geology and geophysics, which led to a career as a geophysicist. His first job was with Exxon and, in 1980, persuaded that he could flourish as a consultant, he began Allen Geophysical Consulting. Over his career, Allen has discovered numerous oil and gas fields, and has used innovative geophysical techniques to solve a variety of seismic problems in diverse geologic basins.

He is a national director for the Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists and a trustee for the SEG Foundation. Allen and his wife, Patricia, believe strongly in education and, to “give back” to UW, they established a scholarship through the SEG Foundation designated for UW students.

Hofmann mentors young scientists, and her laboratory is an exciting place where students and postdoctoral fellows investigate the biological consequences of ocean change. In addition to contributing to scientific journals, conferences and focus groups, Hofmann spearheaded a website on ocean acidification for science educators and supported curriculum highlighting climate change data. She also performed a service for the United States federal government with contributions to reports such as the 2013 National Climate Assessment.

“The list of her contributions to science, education, the community and humanity is rich and broad,” says Peggy Lubchenco, STEM coordinator, UCSB. “She epitomizes exactly the kind of student that every university should strive to produce.”

Job, a former Wyoming state senator, grew up in Rock Springs and then worked in the Sweetwater County school system for 34 years, first as a speech/language clinician and then as coordinator of the K-12 program for gifted and talented children. One of her gifted classes was in Farson, and Job made the 40-mile drive from Rock Springs in all kinds of Wyoming weather, usually alone, to teach and work with that small group of children. In 1996, Job was elected to the state Senate and served on several committees during her 12-year tenure.

Her commitment to education carried into other positions for the school district, including professional development center director, the federal and state grants director, and director of the Office for Teaching and Learning. Currently, Job serves as vice president of the John P. Ellbogen Foundation Board, which supports quality education for all Wyoming students by supporting and rewarding high-quality teachers.

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