1996 Robert Foster Cherry Award Winner to Lecture Feb. 20

Clare Keating Woodward, co-recipient of the 1996 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teachers, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20 in Room 100 of the Marrs McLean Science Building on the Baylor University campus. Woodward, whose expertise is in biochemistry, will discuss "Proteins: Molecules that Mediate the Chemistry of Life."
"This lecture is directed to a general audience," said Dr. Mary Lynn Trawick, associate professor of chemistry. "I think it would be a good talk for people to come to. You don't need a chemistry background."
Woodward, who shared the Cherry Award with master social studies teacher Alan Paul Haskvitz, has been with the biochemistry department at the University of Minnesota since 1970. She received her bachelor of arts degree from Smith College in 1963 and doctorate from Rice University in 1967.
She has made a number of major contributions to the field of hydrogen isotope exchange in proteins and in the field of protein dynamics by proposing a new mechanism for hydrogen exchange. Woodward also helped develop a state-of-the-art curriculum for the University of Minnesota's undergraduate biochemistry course.
She has received high accolades for helping women and students of color become motivated and prepared for careers in science. Her experience with these students and careful attention to their needs has resulted in a successful program (Biology Club) which helps high-ability undergraduate students of color excel in math and science.
"Professor Woodward is very interested in meeting with students. She has been very active in developing science classes and in encouraging students both in and out of the classroom," said Trawick.
Selection criteria for the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teachers includes a demonstration of extraordinary teaching abilities and a record of positive, inspiring and long-lasting effects on students. The recipients also are required to be scholars with national and international achievements.
There is no charge to attend Woodward's lecture and the public is invited. For more information, call Trawick at 755-3311.