Dean Chaden Djalali of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS) at the University of Iowa has announced two winners of the CLAS Outstanding Outreach and Public Engagement Award: Tong Li, Professor of Mathematics, and Elizabeth Stone, Associate Professor of Chemistry.

The award honors CLAS faculty members who have engaged in activities that bring the University to broader communities in significant and sustained ways.

“As a public research university, a crucial part of our mission is to bring our expertise to our state and nation,” Djalali said. “Professors Li and Stone are engaged in important work that benefits children and their teachers across Iowa. I am delighted to honor their commitment with the Outstanding Outreach and Engagement Award.”

Professor Tong Li joined the Department of Mathematics faculty in 1993. A prolific researcher and dedicated teacher, she has been instrumental in the success of the department’s long-running Sonia Kovalesky High School Mathematics Day, which brings high-school-aged women, their educators, and parents or guardians to campus for a day-long program featuring workshops, interactive talks, and panels of professionals with math-related jobs. The goal is to stimulate young women's interest in math and encourage them to continue studying math and science, and to inspire young women to pursue careers in the sciences by providing role models and educating them about potential career options.

Associate Professor Elizabeth Stone joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry in 2010. She also holds an appointment with the UI Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. The chair of her department’s Outreach and Engagement Committee, Stone involves her students and leads her colleagues in the creation and implementation of entertaining and educational STEM-outreach activities throughout the region. She co-founded the Iowa Climate Festival, an annual event that educates the local community on climate change and engages them in hands-on experiments and discussions. With support from the National Science Foundation’s Center for Aerosol Impacts on Climate and the Environment, she has developed Chemistry & Climate outreach kits for use in demonstrations and educational settings, and conducts the Collaborative Learning in Environmental and Atmospheric Research (CLEAR) program, in which she collaborates with high school teachers and students to bring atmospheric chemistry to high school students. In addition, she is the voice of the “Iowa Environmental Focus—On the Radio” podcast that is shared with radio stations across the state.