THE INTERVENOR AWARD

The mark of a maturing organization is recognizing the work of one who has helped us reach this point. And so, Understanding Interventions has created what we are calling the Intervener Award. And this is, this is given in recognition of long term sustained support of research policy and practice that creates organizational opportunities for individuals to prepare for and ascend to a career in science. The recipient of this award has changed the trajectory to use Hanna Valantine’s word “of participation and success to the benefit of the larger science community” However the impact cannot adequately be measured in enrolments or degrees, very much in keeping with panel actually.

Rather the intervener has lifted both the spirit and performance of so many and inspired the UI community to do better and more in creative and manifestly successful ways. The true intervener is critic, advocate, cheerleader and skeptic, a special blend of professional and personal qualities that cannot be ignored. Instead we want to celebrate those qualities. And now Tony will present the first recipient of the UI Intervener Award.

Tony: So the intervener who has no idea that they’re going to get this award yet. It’s going to be interesting. Actually this discussion is really poignant in terms of the contributions of that intervener because that intervener really played a major, or plays, continue to play major roles, but really played a major role in Understanding Interventions in terms of introducing the whole paradigm of studying evaluation to really understand what we do, why it occurs and why it doesn’t occur in some cases.

This person has also made it possible under that person’s leadership of a lot of the avenues at various levels, at the undergraduate level, at the graduate level, at the postdoctoral level and at the professional levels, for diversity or for us to make significant advancement in broadening participation in diversity. So, this person actually has not only in terms of creating opportunities and promoting study, the person has had a long distinguished career that includes time as a Biology Professor, Department Chair, Associate Vice Chance of Student Affairs and an NIGMS grantee from the University of California Santa Cruz. In the early 80s, the person also served at the National Science Foundation where he helped create a program that later became a model for the NIH Diversity supplement program.

So it is with tremendous pleasure and gratitude that we thank Clif Poodry for the contributions that is.
Male Speaker: So it says UI Understanding Interventions Intervener Awards to Clifton A. Poodry PhD, in recognition of long term sustained support of research policy and practice that create organizational opportunities for individuals to appear for and descend to careers in science.

Clif: Thank you very much.