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Pam Cook, Unidel
Professor of Mathematical Sciences who has held a joint appointment as
professor of chemical engineering at the University of Delaware, was
awarded the University’s Medal of Distinction at a campus event earlier
this year.
Awarded by the University of Delaware Board of Trustees, the medal
was presented to Cook by Debra Hess Norris, professor and chair of the
Trustee and Faculty Committee on Honorary Degrees and Awards, at the UD
ADVANCE and UD Women’s Caucus meeting in May.
In presenting the medal, Norris noted that in Cook’s 40-year career
at UD, “she has made an impact on the lives of countless students,
faculty and staff of the University.”
Her numerous leadership roles included serving as the first – and to
date only –woman to chair the Department of Mathematical Sciences, a
post she held when there were very few women serving as chairs at UD.
She then served as associate dean of engineering for faculty for 16
years.
“Pam used these leadership roles not to further her own career but to
advocate for change, to mentor her colleagues and to advance equity in
countless ways,” Norris said. “In the final years of her UD career, Pam
has served as principal investigator of a multimillion-dollar National
Science Foundation ADVANCE grant, focused on recruiting and retaining an
excellent and increasingly diverse pool of talented faculty to UD.
Through the grant, the University established the UD ADVANCE Institute
to improve the climate on campus for all faculty, with an emphasis on
those who are underrepresented in their fields, especially women in
STEM.”
The Medal of Distinction recognizes individuals who have made
humanitarian, cultural, intellectual or scientific contributions to
society, who have achieved noteworthy success in their chosen
professions, or who have given significant service to the University,
community, state or region.