Geneva Laurita, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, was recently named a Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar — one of only eight to receive this national award — in recognition of her commitment to scholarship and undergraduate research. The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation awards unrestricted research grants of $75,000 in support of faculty who have produced substantial independent research and who are committed to supporting undergraduate research. The recipients, whose application begins with an institutional nomination, are selected by a review panel of distinguished faculty in the chemical sciences.

“This is quite an honor, but little surprise, to see Geneva honored in this way given her consistent commitment to undergraduate research,” said Joanne Roberts, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. 

Laurita’s research dossier is extensive; since joining Bates in 2017, she has published over 20 Bates-affiliated articles from her research, which focuses on the intersection of inorganic solid state materials and energy and electronics-related technology. Notably, 17 Bates students are listed as co-editors in those Bates-affiliated publications.

“To invite students into the process, to mentor them through the research and writing, and then to facilitate their first publications — that is what sets Geneva apart and made her an excellent candidate for this national award,” Roberts said.

This isn’t the first time that Laurita’s commitment to research with students has been celebrated. In 2023, Laurita received a $581,984 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation — considered one of the most prestigious awards for early-stage researchers. The funding from the NSF grant has allowed Laurita to lean further into her commitment to supporting undergraduate research.

“One of the things that I’m really passionate about,” Laurita saus, “is providing these pivotal or really foundational moments in the lab for undergraduate students that they might not have access to — working with national labs and supporting travel to national labs for students so that we can continue these really cool experiments at these different sources.” That passion, connecting students to research labs, dovetails with what the Dreyfus Foundation states they seek in early-career researchers who “demonstrate leadership in original scholarly research of outstanding quality, as well as innovation in and dedication to education.” 

Laurita teaches courses in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, including “Atomic and Molecular Structure,” “Chemical Reactivity,” “Inorganic Chemistry,” “Advanced Topics in Inorganic Chemistry,” and “Chemistry and the Arts.” She works to incorporate students into research in many of her courses.

“I’m so honored to receive this award,” Laurita said. “It would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of my student collaborators. I am thrilled that this award will provide the opportunity for future students and I to explore new directions in my lab that are more closely related to the arts.”