St. Mary’s College of Maryland Provost and Dean of Faculty Michael Wick announced two awardees of the Steven Muller Distinguished Professorships: Susan Goldstine, professor of mathematics, has been named the Steven Muller Distinguished Professor in the Sciences, and Lisa Scheer, professor of art, has been named the Steven Muller Distinguished Professor in the Arts.
“These professorships provide a wonderful means for the College to recognize and support outstanding faculty members. Both of these highly coveted positions offer its distinguished appointee an invaluable platform for deepening and disseminating their scholarly contributions. We’re deeply grateful to Steven Muller and the fund which continues to support these awards,” said Wick.
Steven Muller (1928-2013) was former chairman and member of the college’s Board of Trustees (1990-2003). He also served as board member of the College’s Center for the Study of Democracy and was the recipient of The Order of the Ark and Dove Award in 2004, the college’s highest honor. He established the distinguished professorships in 2000.
The Steven Muller Distinguished Professorship in the Sciences honors faculty whose accomplishments in the sciences establishes their expertise in a field of research relevant to our understanding of the world we inhabit. The Muller Distinguished Professor in the Sciences contributes to a vital dialog among scientists which is enhanced by the laboratory and field research contributions of St. Mary's College students.
Goldstine earned her doctorate in mathematics from Harvard University. She joined the faculty of St. Mary’s College in 2004, and now serves as professor of mathematics. She is also an associate editor of the Journal of Mathematics and the Arts.
Her joint and individual artworks and associated research have appeared in Math Horizons, the Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, the proceedings of the international Bridges Conference, and various mathematical art exhibits in the United States and around the world. Together with computer scientist and artist Ellie Baker, she is co-author of the 2014 book “Crafting Conundrums: Puzzles and Patterns for the Bead Crochet Artist,” which collects their extensive research on mathematical bead crochet. Goldstine has recently joined the board of directors of the Bridges Organization, which runs the annual Bridges Conference on mathematics and the arts.
The Steven Muller Distinguished Professorship in the Arts honors a faculty member whose accomplishments in the visual and performing arts distinguishes them among their creative peers. The holder of the Steven Muller Professorship participates in a broader world of art and culture that informs the opportunities for students at St. Mary's College by creating the foundation for their exploration and expression in the creative arts.
Scheer earned her MFA in sculpture from Yale University. She joined the art faculty at St. Mary’s College in 1981 and now serves as professor of art. She has exhibited her sculpture widely, including one-person exhibitions at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Phillips Collection, the American Institute of Architecture, and the Kreeger Museum, Nancy Drysdale Gallery, and Hemphill Fines Arts in Washington, D.C. Scheer has worked closely with architects in a number of collaborative projects and her public commissions include large-scale sculptures created for the new terminal at National Airport; the Southwest Terminal at BWI Airport in Baltimore, Maryland; the Petworth Metro Station in Washington, D.C.; the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State University; and the Eastern District Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York.
Scheer has received several national grants and awards, including a Pollock Krasner Foundation fellowship, two NEA fellowships, and a Maryland Arts Council Fellowship. She maintains a studio in Washington, D.C. and is represented by Hemphill Fine Arts.
