Dr. John Stevens has been name Distinguished University Professor

UNC Asheville recently named John G. Stevens as Distinguished University Professor. Stevens, who joined the faculty in 1968, is a Professor of Chemistry and has been instrumental in establishing a number of scholarly centers at the University.

Early in his career, Stevens established the Mössbauer Effect Data Center and continues to serve as its director and as an editor of the Mössbauer Effect Reference and Data Journal. Stevens was also an early proponent of undergraduate research, one of UNC Asheville's hallmarks. He was a co-founder of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and was the first national executive officer of the Council on Undergraduate Research. In 2003, Stevens led the effort to establish the Pisgah Astronomical Research and Scientific Education Center (PARSEC), a UNC system inter-institutional center. PARSEC promotes and coordinates usage of the facilities at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute near Rosman, N.C., providing access for faculty and students to world-class astronomical instrumentation. Most recently, Stevens' work resulted in the creation of UNC Asheville's National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC), and he initiated the establishment of the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at UNC Asheville.

As Distinguished University Professor, Stevens will continue to teach chemistry and interdisciplinary special topics courses where he can emphasize undergraduate research and mentor student projects.