The distinctive character of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is defined by the faculty's demonstrated capability to fulfill the values of the Teacher-Scholar Philosophy; a philosophy guided by a serious and continuing commitment to teaching, scholarship and service in the belief that scholarship complements and enriches excellence in teaching and service.
Adapted from the Teacher-Scholar Philosophy of SIUE, Teacher-Scholar Philosophy Working Group, 6/2/08
| Dr. Cristina De Meo
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Research Focus:
Synthesis of Carbohydrates of Biological Relevance
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| Recent Honors / Awards / Recognition:
Great Teacher Award in 2004 | Primary Courses:
Organic Chemistry
Biochemistry
Carbohydrate Chemistry (graduate) | Education:
M.S., University of Catania, Italy
Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, University of Georgia, Athens, USA |
| How does SIUE support your professional growth or activity as a Teacher-Scholar?
"a. Recognition of what I do: This may sound obvious, but at any stage in our life, regardless if we are kids or grown ups, we feel better and we accomplish much more if we hear ‘’WELL DONE!’’ I always felt that SIUE community, especially at the department level, always recognized my accomplishments. This helped me to feel better in what I do, and therefore, gave me more motivation to carry on my mission."
"b. Understanding of reasonable teaching and service loads: I feel that my teaching and service loads were always very reasonable. This gave me the opportunity to focus on each of them and still move forward my research plans without feeling extremely unbalanced."
"c. Financial support: SRF and travel support given by SIUE helped the growth of my research accomplishments and gave me the opportunity of sharing my ideas and scientific results with a broader audience in national and international conference."
"d. Financial support for my research students: Since the beginning of my career at SIUE, my research students received from SIUE support to travel to national and international conferences. I brought students to Scotland, Canada, and various cities in the U.S. to show them the impact of our research in the scientific community, as well as to have a broader and multicultural vision of our society." What is a unique aspect of your professional life that enhances your service to the academic or greater community?
"When I publish my research results or I participate in national and international meetings, I know that my personal research accomplishments are shared with the scientific community, and therefore, my results are not ‘mine’ anymore, which at the end is what research and science is all about."
Please share how one mentor or event shaped your career decision to become a university professor.
"Being a teacher is not a job, it is a passion and a mission. I do not recall a particular event; however, I come from a family of instructors starting from my grandparents. In addition, my high school education (in Italy) was extremely oriented towards philosophy, Latin and Greek (classical studies), which helped me to appreciate knowledge for what it is: a gift." |
