Three NIU professors & geologist Paul Loubere, chemist Narayan Hosmane and mathematician Biswa Datta & were named Presidential Research Professors this month, an honor based on research and projects in their fields.

First given in 1982, the financial awards support the recipients’ research for four years, during which time they carry the title of Distinguished Research Professor.

Jerrold Zar, graduate school dean and associate provost for graduate studies and research, said the selection process is highly competitive. Professors who are chosen are national or international leaders in their fields.

“They are usually nominated through their students, other faculty, or they can nominate themselves,” said Fred Smith, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Paul Loubere

Though he grew up in New York, Loubere fondly remembers family trips to the oceans, which he first saw when he was 7 or 8.

“We went to the Mediterranean, which is at the south of France and north of Spain,” he said. “I saw it and fell in love with it.”

That love has inspired the main part of Loubere’s research on global climate, which he has been working on for 10 years.

“It is because of human activity that there is global warming,” he said. “The question is, what will happen and what are the changes that will take place?”

His research has been published as recently as last summer in the prestigious journal Nature, and he has completed more than 80 technical papers and presentations.

He also incorporates his research findings directly into the classroom.

“The environment is changing, so I take what I have from my research and put it into the class and make connections,” Loubere said.

He encourages undergraduates to take advantage of research opportunities.

“By being involved hands on, you’ll get more out of it,” he said.

Narayan Hosmane

After only two years at NIU, Hosmane said he’s thrilled to receive the award and extended title.

The objective of his chemistry research is to help improve cancer treatment, solve nuclear waste disposal problems and find an alternative way to make superior plastics.

He also formed Metallo-Biotech International, an NIU spin-off company whose goal is to find safer and more effective cancer treatments, one in particular called Boron Neutron Capture Therapy.

Even after winning several awards for his research, Hosmane said his most memorable moment was meeting the late humanitarian Mother Teresa after receiving the Mother-India International and India-International Gold Award.

“There is nothing compared with meeting her,” he said. “After getting an award, your head can swell a little. Being in front of her, everyone will become humble.”

Hosmane worked at Southern Methodist University before coming to NIU in 1998.

“There wasn’t a Ph.D program there, and I wanted to work in the senior level, so I came here,” he said.

Hosmane advises other researchers to start at a basic level.

“Don’t start your research with the applications in mind as the starting point, but do what you are trained best for,” he said. “You can’t build a strong house without a proper foundation.”

Biswa Datta

Datta launched his research project after noticing a lack of sophisticated computer solutions for practical engineering problems.

“It was a real motivation factor for starting my present research,” he said. “My research will not only have an intellectual value, but will also contribute to the industrial and technological developments.”

The project aims to develop viable computer-based methods to improve performance and design safety in automobiles, aircrafts, bridges, buildings and highways.

Datta also tries to combine his research with his teaching.

“At the advanced graduate courses, I have an opportunity to bring my research to the students,” he said. “Discussions sometimes help me understand the problems better, and fresh ideas come out.”

In 1999, he was elected a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, an honor given to only one-tenth of 1 percent of the professional society’s members.

“This was truly an international recognition of my work,” Datta said.