People

Law School names first Schaden Chair in Experiential Learning

Wesson

Marianne "Mimi" Wesson has been appointed the first Schaden Chair in Experiential Learning, a newly endowed position at the University of Colorado Law School.

Wesson has been a member of the faculty for more than two decades, teaching and researching in the areas of criminal law, evidence and trial advocacy. She practiced criminal law as an assistant attorney general for the state of Texas and as an assistant U.S. attorney for the district of Colorado.

"Mimi brings the right balance of traditional classroom teaching and hands-on law practice as the inaugural Schaden Chair," said University of Colorado Law School Dean David Getches. "We are delighted to have her as a member of our faculty and that she has accepted this new position."

Wesson has been a member of the Criminal Law Test Development Committee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners for more than 30 years, including several years as its chair. Her expertise has made her an often-sought commentator for several media outlets, including NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, the Washington Post, the Dallas Morning News and The Denver Post. She also has been a legal correspondent for National Public Radio.

Wesson also is an accomplished novelist with three works of fiction published: "A Suggestion of Death," "Render Up the Body" (for which she was named a finalist for the Colorado Book Award) and "Chilling Effect." Her next book, "A Death at Crooked Creek: The Hillmon Case and the Supreme Court," is scheduled to be published in 2012.

"I've always thought that in law teaching, theory and practice are not antagonistic, as they are sometimes portrayed, but mutually reinforcing," Wesson said. "Nothing makes theory more vivid and useful than example, and nothing makes practice more virtuosic and flexible than an understanding of the theory that it serves.

"Linking the two in legal education can be immensely powerful. We've accomplished this link in many ways in the recent past, but this Schaden gift will allow us to pursue this enterprise in a more sustained, thoughtful and productive way. I'm very honored to have been chosen to lead it."

The Schaden Chair in Experiential Learning is funded by an endowment from Richard F. and Rick E. Schaden. The endowment was designed to enhance Colorado Law's clinical programs, externships, appellate and moot-court competitions, and fund additional voluntary pro bono work.

The $5 million endowment is the largest of several recent Colorado Law gifts by the Schadens, who also were instrumental in helping to fund the Wolf Law Building. Richard F. Schaden of Boulder County is an aeronautical engineer, businessman, restaurateur, highly recognized trial lawyer and founding partner of the aviation and public-interest law firm Schaden, Katzman, Lampert and McClune. His son Rick E. Schaden of Denver graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado Denver in 1987, and is founder, chairman, and – with his father – majority shareholder of Quiznos, building the company since 1991 to more than 5,000 franchises worldwide.

Early career honor goes to assistant professor for algebra project

Langou

Julien Langou, Ph.D., an assistant professor of mathematical and statistical sciences at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) at the University of Colorado Denver, recently received the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) National Science Foundation (NSF) award, the second CAREER award for CLAS and the third for the CU Denver.

Langou's $400,000 award is a five-year project titled "Foundations for Understanding and Reaching the Limits of Standard Numerical Linear Algebra."

The prestigious CAREER award is given to faculty in the early stages of their academic careers who have exhibited excellence in research and teaching.

"Dr. Langou has shown extraordinary growth as a faculty member since arriving at CU Denver," said Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., chair of the CU Denver mathematical and statistical sciences department. 
"Not only has he become one of the leaders within the Department's Research Group in Computational Mathematics, he tirelessly supervises doctoral students, in addition to having taken on a departmental leadership role as the director of undergraduate studies, over which time the department has revamped the undergraduate degrees offered."

According to the study abstract, faster numerical simulations are critical, having applications in numerous areas, for example, in the basic sciences for enabling novel scientific discoveries, or in engineering, for developing new products and ultimately maintaining the competitiveness of the industry. Numerical simulations are used virtually everywhere in daily life today. For example, numerical simulations enable better models for weather forecasting, resulting in more accurate forecasting, and more accurate models for automobiles or aircraft before construction.

Overall, Langou's research leads to a better understanding of algorithms and their intrinsic limitations, and eventually results in better, near-optimal algorithms.
Components of this research represent tremendous challenges given the complexity of the current computing architecture and the problem to be solved. The results of this research will be communicated in classes, and through the publication of a book, the distribution of source codes and the development of web documents.

Hai Lin, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, received the first CU Denver College of Liberal Arts and Sciences CAREER award in 2010.

Procurement pro earns association honor

Morrow

Darlene Morrow of the Procurement Service Center (PSC) was named Buyer of the Year for 2010 by the Rocky Mountain Governmental Purchasing Association (RMGPA) on March 18 during the association's spring conference in Boulder.

Morrow was evaluated in three areas of contribution: to the university, to the association and to the National Institute for Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) and the procurement profession. The honor recognizes dedication and professionalism.

Morrow has been a purchasing agent with PSC since 2001. She is responsible for managing procurements related to official functions, audio-visual and photography equipment, paper products, and printing/publications. She also was the purchasing agent for numerous strategic sourcing procurements.

"We at the PSC have recognized Darlene's excellent qualities for a long time," said Sandy Hicks, assistant vice president and chief procurement officer. "It's nice to know that others, too, recognize her talents and commitment to her profession. We're very proud of her."

RMGPA is the Colorado and Wyoming affiliate of NIGP. The association's goal is to provide membership with the education, professional development and technical assistance required to secure the public trust through the promotion of excellence and effectiveness in public purchasing.

Dropping names ...

Grover

Fred Grover, M.D., has been named a Distinguished Fellow by the American College of Cardiology (ACC).Grover, who is stepping down as chair of the department of surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has been invited to speak at the upcoming ACC meeting on "Outcomes Registries: Why They Are Important and Why They Should Work Together." ... Copies of "Sixty Years on a Cutting Edge,"the new book by Bruce Paton, M.D., on the history of the School of Medicine's surgery department, have been delivered to all members of the state Legislature and Gov. John Hickenlooper by the Colorado Medical Society. Paton served as chair of cardiac surgery at the University of Colorado for 20 years. An accompanying note reminds the leaders of benefits provided to the state by the medical school in terms of research, instruction, patient care, community outreach and financial return on investments.

Want to suggest a colleague — or yourself — for People? Please e-mail information to Jay.Dedrick@cu.edu