Prof receives Alison Society 2000 Young Scholars Award

Kristen Poole

Kristen Poole, English, has been selected this newest Francis Alison Society's Young Scholar.

The award is made to a tenure-track assistant professor at the University who has demonstrated excellence in research and publications. Nominations are made by department chairpersons.

The mission of the society is to promote academic excellence, and the young scholar's award recognizes the most promising nontenured professor of the year. Each of those honored receives a plaque and a cash award.

"I'm thrilled; I didn't expect it," Poole said. She said she has "produced more since joining the English department faculty than in the previous 15 years combined."

Poole received her master's and doctoral degrees in English and American literature from Harvard University. Since she joined the UD faculty in 1996, she has received grants from the Folger Shakespeare Institute, the Folger Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Huntington Library.

She has also published six articles in refereed journals, one of which was selected for reprinting in a major collection edited by one of the most distinguished Shakespearean scholars in the U.S. Poole recently published a book, Radical Religion from Shakespeare to Milton: Figures of Non-conformity to Early Modern England, which uses literary references to explore how the Church of England portrayed religious rebels. For example, the church characterized the Puritans as deviants–lewd, grotesque, gluttonous and sexually promiscuous.

Previous Young Scholar winners include: Raul Lobo, chemical engineering, and Michael Rhea, philosophy, 1999; Lian Ping-Wang, mechanical engineering, 1998; P.A. Evans, chemistry and biochemistry, 1997; Carlos Plata-Salaman, chemistry and biochemistry, 1996.

The Young Scholars Award is presented by the Francis Alison Society, composed of senior faculty members of the University who have received the prestigious Alison Award.

–Barbara Garrison