Rizzuto, an assistant professor of chemistry, has been recognized for his record of scholarship and professional activity as well as his mentorship of students.
Anthony Rizzuto, an assistant professor of chemistry, has been named the A.L. Hook Emerging Professor in Science and Mathematics.
The professorship, which has a three-year term, is awarded to a member of the faculty who has ongoing, active scholarship, has a history of mentoring undergraduate research and has demonstrated the ability to impact students, their department and the university. Dabrowski’s selection follows a committee review and recommendation, with the professorship appointed by the provost.
Rizzuto joined the faculty at Elon in fall 2017 following the completion of his doctorate in physical chemistry at the University of California in Berkeley, California. Rizzuto graduated magna cum laude from Elon in 2011, and as a student was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and received the Senior Chemistry Achievement Award as the top graduating chemistry senior.
A dedicated mentor, Rizzuto has supported the undergraduate research of 12 students including three Elon College Fellows, three SURE fellows and a Glen-Raven scholar. Those research pairings have resulted in more than a dozen regional and national conference presentations, multiple external grant awards and numerous manuscripts prepared for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
“Our students are the next generation of leaders in the scientific community, and as such I have endeavored to foster a broad-reaching, collaborative research environment while encouraging the intersection of chemistry, biochemistry, environmental science and engineering,” Rizzuto said of his approach to mentorship.
As a scholar, Rizzuto has co-authored five papers in high-impact publications, thanks in part to maintaining collaborations with colleagues at UC Berkeley. The Hook professorship will provide Rizzuto with additional time as well as resources to advance his research conducted with undergraduates in the area of spectroscopy and expose student researchers to equipment and concepts they might not otherwise become familiar with.
In her remarks before Rizzuto was recognized with the professorship during Opening Day ceremonies, Professor of Chemistry Kathy Matera noted that he was an engaged student who started at Elon thinking he would study history before becoming immersed in chemistry. “Today, Tony is on the other side of the fence, and he is a highly sought-after research mentor,” Matera said during the event in Schar Center. “Tony encompasses the teacher-scholar-mentor model that he saw as a student and he now embraces as a chemistry professor.”
Tommy Holmes and Harris L. Hendricks, Elon alumni, established the A.L. Hook Emerging Scholar Professorship in Science and Mathematics to honor former physics and mathematics professor, Alonzo Lohr Hook, and to support science, research and student involvement at Elon. Previous faculty members who have held the professorship are Crista Arangala, Kyle Altmann, Kathryn Matera, Chad Awtrey and Jennifer Dabrowski.