University Professor Award
Dr. Doyle Temple,
Professor and Chair Department of Physics College of Science, Engineering and Technology
The University Professor award recognizes a faculty member who has performed in a superior manner in teaching, scholarly activity, and service. This award is one of the highest honors the University can bestow on one of its faculty and is awarded only to an exceptional individual. In 2012, Dr. Temple began pursuing the establishment of the Quantum Electronics Group and the Crystal Physics and Quantum Electronics Laboratory. This work resulted in the award of more than $12 million in Quantum-related research and education grants, including 1) “The Partnership for Education in Advanced Quantum and nanoScience,” which is an undergraduate research training program in partnership with the University of Colorado, Berkley, UCLA and Fort Lewis College; 2) the High Magnetic Field/ Ultralow Temperature Laboratory, which when completed will be the third-ranking research facility of its kind in the nation; and 3) the “Center for Research and Education in Quantum-Leap Science and Technology,” which has the objective of establishing new graduate programs in quantum sciences at Norfolk State.
Distinguished Service Award
Dr. Melody Armstrong,
Instructor of Allied Health Department of Nursing and Allied Health College of Science, Engineering and Technology
The Distinguished Service Award is given to recognize a faculty member who has performed superior service to the University, their profession, or the community at large. The emphasis of this award will rotate in the following order: 1) professional service, 2) University service, 3) public service. This may be evidenced by activities which extend beyond normal expectations, unique contributions, or longstanding leadership and impact on the University and beyond. Dr. Armstrong was appointed and currently serves as Chair Emeritus in her second term on the Advisory Council on Health Disparity and Health Equity (ACHDHE) by the Virginia State Health Commissioner since November 2020. Similarly, she serves on the Virginia Health Equity Working Group, wherein she championed the development of the Scarce Resource Allocation Policy in response to the Covid-19 Health Pandemic, which was adopted and published by the Commonwealth of Virginia in December 2020.
Distinguished Scholarship Award
Dr. Mikhail Noginov,
Professor of Physics Department of Physics College of Science, Engineering and Technology
The Distinguished Scholarship award is given to a faculty member in recognition of being an outstanding scholar, as scholarship is defined in his/her discipline. The recipient should have demonstrated a pattern of productive scholarly activity which has been recognized nationally or internationally, as appropriate. Traditional research, creative endeavors, and other scholarly activity are included in this category. Dr. Noginov has been the principle investigator and co-principle investigator of over 30 grants totaling more than $30 million. His honors include Norfolk State University Eminent Scholar 2010- 2011, Virginia’s Outstanding Scientist 2015, Fellow of OSA (the Optical Society of America, now called Optica) and SPIE (the international society for optics and photonics), and General Chair of the CLEO Conference 2015 (Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics). He has served as the chair and committee member of several conferences of SPIE and OSA and an editorial board member of Scientific Reports. Dr. Noginov also serves on National Science Foundation panels and reviews papers for many professional journals. Since 2003, Dr. Noginov has been the faculty advisor of the OSA student chapter at Norfolk State. Dr. Noginov says his top research accomplishment was his demonstration of the world’s smallest laser, which was published in the magazine Nature.
Distinguished Teaching Award
Dr. Christina Pinkston,
Associate Professor of English Department of English and Foreign Languages | College of Liberal Arts
The Distinguished Teaching award is given to a faculty member in recognition of being an outstanding teacher. This may be evidenced by being an inspiration to students, by utilizing stimulating techniques, materials, and methods designed to promote learning; by outstanding attention to the development of curriculum, learning materials, and teaching strategies; by serving in a teaching capacity outside the classroom and University; or by any combination of the above. Dr. Pinkston specializes in African American studies and British literature (Medieval Period - Twentieth Century). Her research interests include the social-political-cultural voice of African and African Americans, as well as the improvement of academic teaching initiatives both in and out of the classroom with a strong focus on student retention. Dr. Pinkston is the recipient of numerous national as well as international honors and special recognitions for her work as an outstanding educator and published writer.