Six Women Scholars Who Have Earned Notable Honors or Awards

Christine Stewart, associate professor of English at South Dakota State University, has won the 2018 Whirling Prize in Poetry from Etchings Press for her book, Bluewoods Greening (Terrapin Books, 2016). The theme for this year’s prize was disabilities. In her book, Dr. Stewart describes her experience as a woman coping with miscarriages and as a mother raising a child with disabilities.

Dr. Stewart is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Northern Iowa where she majored in English and minored in writing. She holds a master’s degree in English from Arizona State University, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Stephanie Salomone, associate professor of math at the University of Portland in Oregon, has won the 2019 Outstanding Educator Award for Higher Education from the Oregon Academy of Science. She is honored for her work in educating new math and sciences teachers and her efforts to introduce more young people, especially women, into the STEM community.

Dr. Salomone holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Christina Vizcarra, assistant professor of chemistry at Barnard College in New York City, has won the 2019 Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. The award recognizes the very best early career teacher-scholars in chemistry, physics, and astronomy by providing significant discretionary awards for research. Dr. Vizcarra’s research investigates how the protein actin is regulated to perform its cellular roles by using biochemical techniques, spectroscopy, and high-resolution microscopy.

Dr. Vizcarra is a graduate of the University of Kansas. She holds a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology.

Kimberly McKeirnan, a clinical assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Washington State University, has received the 2019 Distinguished Achievement Award in Pharmacy Practice from the American Pharmacists Association’s Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management. Dr. McKeirnan was recognized for her work to increase access to vaccinations.

Dr. McKerinan holds a bachelor’s degree in general biology and a doctor of pharmacy degree both from Washington State University.

Laura Allen, an assistant professor of psychology and director of the Language Learning Lab at Mississippi State University, has received an early career impact award from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences. She is recognized for her research on the cognitive processes that drive multiple text comprehension. She is currently developing tools that provide students, teachers, and researchers with writing analytics and feedback.

Dr. Allen is a graduate of Mississippi State University where she majored in English and foreign languages. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. both in psychology from Arizona State University.

Robin Ennis, associate professor of collaborative education in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education, has been named the inaugural Council for Children with Behavior Disorders Interventionist. This award recognizes higher-education faculty who are establishing or have established a coherent line of intervention research with school-age persons with emotional and behavioral disorders. The award honors work that improves the outcomes for children and youth, provides teachers, staff and guardians with additional practices, and adds to the field’s body of science.

Dr. Ennis holds a bachelor’s degree in English and language arts teacher education from Birmingham-Southern College, a master’s degree in special education and teaching from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, and a Ph.D. in education and teaching of individuals with multiple disabilities from Georgia State University.