News Release

April 25, 2007

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Bahruth, Punnoose and Shallat Named Winners of 2007 Foundation Scholars Awards at Boise State

Boise State University professors Robert Bahruth, Alex Punnoose and Todd Shallat were named the winners of the university’s 16th Foundation Scholar Awards. The awards have been given annually since 1992 for ongoing commitment, expertise and accomplishment in teaching, research and creative activity and professionally related service. The 2007 winners were honored today during a reception in the Student Union.

Bahruth, a professor of bilingual education, was named winner of the Teaching Award; Punnoose, an associate professor of physics, was named winner of the Research and Creative Activity Award; and Shallat, a professor of history, received the Service Award.

Bahruth, who joined Boise State in 1988, has traveled worldwide to conduct research and share his findings in areas such as linguistics, language assessment, reflective teaching practice, and English as a second language. Fluent in Spanish and English, he also speaks French and Chinese and has presented his work internationally in Guam, Israel, Guatemala, Taiwan, Cuba, Mexico and beyond. Research in bilingual education, critical pedagogy, language acquisition and his work with migrant children is evident in his 37 published works. Bahruth, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas, has received 17 awards and honors for excellence in teaching.

Since his arrival at Boise State in 2002, Punnoose has published more than 25 refereed papers in a diverse range of fields including spintronics, magnetic semiconductor materials, photonic materials and other high-profile research areas. His research has won him nationwide and international renown. He has recently received a prestigious Early Career Development award from the National Science Foundation, and he is the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on grants worth more than $4 million, including an NSF grant for a transmission electron microscope housed on campus. While at Boise State, Punnoose has filed three patent applications and another is in preparation. He received his Ph.D. from Aligarah Muslim University in India.

Shallat, who joined Boise State in 1985, has a long and distinguished record of service to Boise State and the city of Boise. His energy has spawned numerous projects and events with the Idaho Council for the Humanities and the Idaho State Historical Society. As founder and director of the Center for Idaho History and Politics, Shallat has authored and edited numerous publications on local and regional subjects, returning all proceeds to the university. Currently he is spearheading efforts to transform the Boise Depot into a museum and visitor center. In 2002 he was named the Carnegie Foundation Idaho Professor of the Year. He received his Ph.D. from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Punnoose and Joe Guarino, professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering, were finalists for the Teaching Award; Jeanne Belfy, professor of music, was a finalist for the Service Award; and Molly Gribb, professor of civil engineering, was a finalist for the Research/Creative Activity Award.

“In congratulating the recipients of these awards, we acknowledge their outstanding work and dedication,” said Sona Andrews, Boise State’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. “They and the former recipients of these awards have distinguished themselves in these areas. Their students and colleagues have recognized the special contributions they have made.

“At the same time we bestow these individual recognitions on a select number of our faculty, it is important that we recognize the contributions made by all faculty members at Boise State University. It is their combined efforts that create the academic excellence, vibrant culture, community partnerships, and exceptional research that is moving us toward becoming a metropolitan research university of distinction.”

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Contact: Sona Andrews, Provost, (208) 426-1202, provost@boisestate.edu
Media Contact: Bob Evancho, University Communications, (208) 426-1643, bevanch@boisestate.edu

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Last reviewed on Tuesday, May 01, 2007