The award is the highest honor for a chemist at an undergraduate institution and recognizes a chemistry faculty member whose research has been both greatly recognized and has aided in the professional development of students.
"This honor recognizes the best part of my job, which is mentoring undergraduates, training the next generation of scientists, and helping students achieve their post-UR hopes and dreams," said Parish.
Reflecting on her time as an IUPUI undergraduate, Parish notes her experiences in the IUPUI chemistry department changed the course of her career. As a sophomore transfer student, she was almost immediately offered a lab research position.
"The opportunity to support myself by doing research helped me to become a much more serious and goal-oriented student," Parish said. "I thrived in the social milieu available in the department - the department felt like a home away from home. This was my first introduction to student-centered, high quality teaching and outcome-oriented research. I was hooked!"
Carol Parish (center) accepts the 2019 Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution.
Today, Parish is an expert in computational and theoretical physical chemistry. She has published more than 40 research publications with 60+ undergraduate coauthors. Her research is diverse by design; the unifying theme is the methodological, molecular-based approach that is employed. Her research program has been supported by more than $3.3M from the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, and the Jeffress Memorial Trust.
Parish, who has taught at the University of Richmond since 2005, is often recognized for her research and her contributions to mentoring undergraduates. She was recently awarded a National Science Foundation grant for her research on alternative energy sources, and she received an Outstanding Faculty Award by the State Council of Higher Education. She has mentored 100 undergraduates in externally funded research focusing on developing an understanding of important processes in chemistry, biology, and physics.
Parish accepted the award in April during the annual ACS National Meeting in Orlando.