Lawrence University Biologist, Mathematician Recognized for Teaching Excellence

APPLETON, WIS. -- Lawrence University faculty members Bradford Rence and Joy Jordan were honored for their teaching contributions Sunday at the college's 153rd commencement.

Rence, professor of biology, received the college's Excellence in Teaching Award, given annually to a faculty member for outstanding performance in the teaching process, including the quest to ensure students reach their full development as individuals, human beings and future leaders of society. Jordan, assistant professor of statistics, was presented the Outstanding Young Teacher Award in recognition of demonstrated excellence in the classroom and the promise of continued growth.

A specialist in insect behavior and physiology, especially the cricket, Rence joined the Lawrence biology department in 1979. His research interests have focused on insect reproductive behavior and its relationship to environmental control. His scholarship on the neurobiology of circadian rhythms has been published extensively, appearing in such publications as "Science," "The Physiologist" and "Physiological Entomology."

Rence spent 1998 in Australia as a visiting scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organization conducting research on the control of the Australian field cricket. He also has conducted extensive field research in the Brillion Marsh Recreation Area, monitoring and comparing insect populations among restored and original prairie sites. That project has since expanded to encompass 13 sites in Winnebago, Green Lake and Marquette counties.

In presenting the award, Lawrence President Richard Warch cited Rence for "inspiring students with fast-paced, detail-packed lectures in classes ranging from comparative physiology to invertebrate zoology.

"Whether it is leading students trips to study redwing blackbirds in Horicon Marsh, investigating damselfish territoriality on the coral reefs of Grand Cayman Island or examining insect populations in remnant prairies of Wisconsin, you enlighten students about the behavior of animals in nature."

A native of Monroe, Rence earned a bachelor's degree in zoology at the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. in entomology at the University of California-Berkeley.

Jordan, who joined the Lawrence mathematics department in 1999, teaches courses on probability and statistics, probability theory and mathematical statistics and her scholarly research interests include the study of order-restricted inference, categorical data and duality.

She has established herself as an interdisciplinary bridge between departments, leading workshops in biostatistics and serving as a research consultant to faculty colleagues in disciplines ranging from psychology to economics and anthropology.

"In the last two years, you have changed the way students and faculty think about statistics," Warch said of Jordan. "You have shown them the relevance of your subject to their disciplines and to life. You lead students through he terrain of probabilities and possibilities, transforming mere calculation into true insight."

Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jordan earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics at the University of Indiana and her Ph.D. in statistics at the University of Iowa.