The UNLV Alumni Association has presented its Focus Awards to six university professors. The recipients were chosen for their commitment to teaching both in the classroom and through research, as well as for their contributions to student success through mentorship.
This year's recipients are Aimee L. Govett, assistant professor of science education; Patricia A. Markos, associate professor of counseling; Margot Mink Colbert, associate professor of dance; Henry Selvaraj, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; Krys Stave, assistant professor of environmental studies; and Jean M. Whitney, professor of law.
Govett teaches elementary and secondary science methods, cultural diversity, and various graduate courses. She is program director and adviser for the professional development degree in science and education, an alternative teacher licensure program. In addition, she serves as an adviser to graduate and graduate-licensure students. She received her doctoral degree in education from West Virginia University.
Markos, a certified rehabilitation counselor, teaches counseling skills courses and leads graduate and undergraduate students in independent study and research projects. She involves students in her own applied research initiatives, including one study of the medical and mental health needs of 300 homeless women. She received her doctoral degree in behavioral sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Mink Colbert is director of ballet in the College of Fine Arts. A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, she studied dance and choreography under a number of international leaders in the field. She has choreographed numerous original performances for UNLV's dance department and has taken two groups of student performers to the Edinburgh Arts Festival in Scotland.
Selvaraj has more than 15 years of teaching and research experience at universities in Poland, India, Australia, and the United States. At UNLV, he supervises graduate students and promotes learning through technology and flexible methodology. He has established a modern digital design laboratory for student and faculty use and has authored four study guides for students. He received both his master's and doctoral degrees in computer engineering from the Warsaw University of Technology.
Krys Stave teaches courses in system dynamics modeling, environmental problem-solving, and environmental measurement and analysis. She also runs an ecosystem monitoring and outreach program at the Clark County Wetlands Park Nature Preserve to improve public understanding of the value of urban wetlands. She engages students in all her research projects and promotes service-learning opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. She received her doctoral degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Whitney teaches the lawyering process and juvenile law at the William S. Boyd School of Law. She is a graduate of the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minn., where she also taught legal writing. Prior to teaching, she was a clerk to the chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and director of policy and legal services for the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Her first career was in early childhood and parenting education.
