John Jay College Of Criminal Justice | The City University of New York

   

Friday, January 21, 2011 -- John Jay College of Criminal Justice is proud to announce that Dr. Anthony Carpi, Professor of Environmental Toxicology, has won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. The award will be presented to him at a ceremony at the White House on January 27. Professor Carpi was nominated by John Jay College and selected by the National Science Foundation for his individual mentoring work as well as creating the PRISM program, an undergraduate research initiative that creates opportunities for our forensic science students to engage in faculty-mentored research projects.

President Obama named 11 individuals and 4 organizations as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. “These individuals and organizations have gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that the United States remains on the cutting edge of science and engineering for years to come,” President Obama said. “Their devotion to the educational enrichment and personal growth of their students is remarkable, and these awards represent just a small token of our enormous gratitude.”

“We are thrilled by this recognition of Professor Carpi's work and, more broadly, of the science program at John Jay. This is a great honor for the College,” stated Jeremy Travis, President of John Jay College upon learning of this award. “This award to Professor Carpi, who has transformed the science program at John Jay and has established strategies aimed at mentoring young scientists, underscores his accomplishments. In many ways, like the award of the Pulitzer Prize to Professor John Matteson of the English Department, this recognition of our faculty reinforces the image of John Jay as a nationally recognized institution known both for the scholarship of our faculty and our deep commitment to undergraduate education. We are grateful for the University's support that has made this possible.” Furthermore, Travis noted, “Our new building opening in the fall of 2011 will see a nearly 50% increase in the number of state-of-the art teaching labs that our students will be able to utilize.”

Professor Carpi, in learning about the award, said, “I am truly honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award, and very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with outstanding students at John Jay. The real reward is knowing that the mentoring programs we've created have provided the support and resources that our students need to reach their full potential.”

Over the past 12 years, Dr. Carpi has spearheaded a series of innovations that have been critical to institutionalizing a culture of mentoring and research excellence in science at John Jay College, the largest Hispanic-serving institution in the northeastern United States.

Professor Carpi is co-founder of the Math & Science Resource Center (MSRC) and science peer mentoring program that serve thousands of students per semester. These programs have helped substantially to reduce attrition from our science program in the first two years of the major. Professor Carpi founded PRISM (the Program for Research Initiatives for Science Majors) along with Drs. Lawrence Kobilinsky and Ron Pilette. And, he has personally mentored over 32 students, increasing the number of undergraduates, and especially minority students, who have moved on from John Jay to obtain master’s and doctoral degrees.

Carpi joined the John Jay College faculty in 1997 as an Assistant Professor of Environmental Toxicology. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Chemistry from Boston College, he worked for three years as an air pollution control engineer with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. He earned a master’s and doctoral degree in Environmental Toxicology from Cornell University and completed the research component of his dissertation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Professor Capri’s research focuses on the transport of heavy materials in the environment and the potential effect of environmental change on the global cycling of mercury pollution.

About John Jay College of Criminal Justice: An international leader in educating for justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching, scholarship and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art and science in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu.