Don Fox was hired by Kearney State Teachers College in 1936. At that time, the department had a very large number of majors as interest in the sciences began growing dramatically. He was a prominent and influential figure in the department; serving as its chair and expressing his interest in science, and in the success of students that were fortunate to call him their instructor. His dedication to the education of students and his development of a solid and vibrant chemistry department continues to live on in the current faculty.
For the 42nd annual Don Fox Lecture, we honored Dr. Cheri Barta, BS Chemistry, 2002.
Dr. Cheri Barta received her B.S. in chemistry in 2002 from UNK before completing her PhD in bioinorganic chemistry from the University of British Columbia where she studied the medicinal uses of lanthanide-containing compounds. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmaceutical sciences, she returned to UNK for two years as a faculty member in the Chemistry Department. Cheri is currently the Director of Undergraduate Research for the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She works to broaden participation in undergraduate research through advising students about various research opportunities on and off campus, developing research-based labs for the undergraduate curriculum, implementing research-skills workshops and courses, and working with employers/mentors to create research opportunities for students. In addition, Cheri is a Master Facilitator for the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experience in Research (CIMER) where she facilitates research mentor training for graduate students, postdocs, staff and faculty. She also serves on the board for the Council of Undergraduate Research and is an active member of the American Chemical Society. In her free time, she particularly enjoys camping, hiking, traveling, attending soccer games and cheering at swim meets with her husband and three kids.
She gave her Don Fox Lecture entitled “The Power of Undergraduates” on October 27th, 2022.
