University provost, top researcher to keynote research symposium

One of the world’s foremost biochemistry researchers, Carol A. Fierke, provost and executive vice president at Texas A&M, will present a 1 p.m. keynote address at “ [Natural, Built, Virtual] (http://symposium.arch.tamu.edu/2018/) ,” the college’s 20 ^th annual [research symposium] (http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2018/9/5/20th-symposium/) , October 29, 2018, at Preston Geren Auditorium, Langford B of the Texas A&M College Station campus.

The annual, daylong symposium highlights recent research and creative work by College of Architecture faculty and doctoral students on issues relevant to the natural, built and virtual environments. It features a series of lively, five-minute presentations abbreviated from talks previously delivered at scholarly venues around the world.

As one of the university’s top administrators, Fierke oversees the academic deans of the university’s 16 colleges and schools as well as a comprehensive set of academic affairs units and two special purpose campuses.

She is the recipient of the American Chemical Society’s Repligen Award in Chemistry of Biological Processes and the Protein Society’s Emil Thomas Kaiser Award for her application of chemistry to the study of enzymes — proteins that speed chemical reactions in cells that affect all bodily functions, from breathing to digestion.

Fierke’s research has been funded by leading agencies and foundations including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Office of Naval Research and the Keck Foundation.

Her initiatives to improve the campus environment for female faculty and students earned numerous awards and honors, including the 2016 American Chemical Society’s National Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences, sponsored by the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.

She holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Brandeis University and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Carleton College.

After earning her Ph.D., Fierke completed post-doctoral training at Pennsylvania State University and taught at Duke University before joining the University of Michigan faculty in 1999, where she served as chemistry department chair and vice provost and dean for graduate studies.

The college’s annual symposium was established to underscore the influence of research on teaching and practice. It also serves as a catalyst for research-informed teaching in the College of Architecture's degree programs. And, because many of the presentations were originally delivered at scholarly venues abroad, the event also showcases the global influence of research conducted by college faculty.

Richard Nira
rnira@arch.tamu.edu