Last year, Dr. Robert Metzger received national and international recognition for what Science News calls "one of the seven "Science News of the Year-Chemistry discoveries of 1997." Dr. Metzger showed that the molecule hexadecylquinolinium tricyanoquinodimethanide as a Langmuir-Bodgett monolayer is a rectifier or diode (one-way conductor) of electrical current. This makes it the world’s smallest electronic device, with a working length of 0.0000001 inches. Silicon devices cannot become that small. Small means fast.
Dr. Metzger’s pioneering contributions in a number of pivotal areas are world recognized, as evidenced by his frequent invitations to give plenary lectures, to organize international meetings, and to serve as an editor of books. He pioneered the area of molecular electronics at a time when this area was not only unfashionable, but also the subject of severe criticism. He had an early understanding that the barriers to making molecular scale devices were solvable, and was one of the first to have concrete successes in this direction. He is especially well recognized for his pivotal work towards the development of molecular rectifiers.
During his 12 years at the University Dr. Metzger has supervised three Ph.D. students who have now graduated and are working in their field. He currently works with three other graduate students and is heavily involved with their laboratory research.
Praised by colleagues at The University of Alabama, Northwestern University, the University of Southern California and elsewhere, Dr. Metzger’s most esteemed quality is his perseverance in the face of adversity. Without his continued commitment to research in the area of molecular rectifiers, the current avalanche of increased interest and activity in the field would not have occurred. His work has an enormous national and international impact and is thus deserving of the Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor Award.
Dr. Stefanescu's philosophy that a university professor must both create and transfer knowledge is reflected in his contributions to the University as well as to the national and international scientific and engineering communities.
Dr. Thomas A. Lee received the Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award, the University’s premier award for the recognition of outstanding faculty, because of the enormous impact he has had in the area of accounting. After achieving virtually every recognition available to an academic accountant in the United Kingdom, Dr. Lee joined The University of Alabama faculty in January 1991 as the Culverhouse Endowed Professor of Accountancy. In this role, Dr. Lee has completely revamped the doctoral program in accounting, making it one of the top programs on campus.
At a time when many full professors are turning heavy teaching loads over to junior faculty in favor of more research time, Dr. Lee has retained his full schedule, focusing particularly on graduate students. He teaches a doctoral seminar, a course in the master’s program, a course in the MBA program, and coordinates another doctoral seminar while teaching two undergraduate classes. This has been done while continuing to make contributions to scholarship in his field. He is considered the leading authority in the world on cash flow reporting and one of the leading accounting historians. Recent articles examining the most prolific authors in accounting have ranked Dr. Lee between second and seventh as the most published accountant in the world.
Recognized as one of the most influential thinkers in accounting in the world today, Dr. Lee brings to his students an uncommon expertise and perspective. In short, he is a scholar and educator of the highest order.