Professor oozes into spotlight

Joseph Gardella knows the secret of the ooze.

Sure, as an award-winning chemistry professor and mentor, he knows how atoms and molecules can lead to gelatinous substances. But Gardella took his knowledge out of the classroom and into the community to save a group of Buffalo families from dangerous ooze that was creeping into their homes.

Frank V. Bright, a Gardella colleague of 19 years, recalls the Hickory Woods incident, when an old steel site in Buffalo being redeveloped was threatened by toxic waste. This case helped Bright confirm that Gardella always pushes science to it's fullest.

"Goo started appearing in people's basements," Bright said. "Gardella and students went there to take samples and found out that the goo was carcinogenic materials."

It's that kind of real-life action that has given Gardella such a strong reputation as a mentor at UB. He has dedicated his career to enhancing the quality of education his students receive, and was recently honored for his efforts. Last November, Gardella won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineer mentoring.

The award, supported and administered by the National Science Foundation, honors professors and institutions that enhance the participation of underrepresented groups, including those with disabilities, women, and minorities, in fields such as science, engineering and math.

The 2005 winners were chosen from universities across the country and were given a $10,000 grant to continue their mentoring work. Ten individuals received the award.

Previous to receiving the award, Gardella already had a long list of achievements under his belt, including Bachelor's degrees in philosophy and chemistry from Oakland University and a Doctorate degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981.

In the 23 years he's worked at UB, Gardella has held a number of prestigious positions ranging from associate dean to professor.

In addition to his responsibilities at the university, Gardella is active in improving the Buffalo community. He is currently a faculty fellow in the Institute for Local Governance and Regional Governance and has worked with the National Science Foundation.

Gardellas' list of academic accomplishments include hundreds of papers published in journals, he has written chapters for several books, is also the holder of 10 patents and has given 200 presentations at major conferences.

Despite his impressive curriculum, Gardella said he did expect to receive the award.

"It's part of the job when you believe in academic reform," he said.

Gardella may be more modest, but because of his work with underrepresented groups he was more than deserving of the award.

"Joe has been very involved in many activities that involve mentoring and outreach in the university and in the community," said Janet Morrow, a chemistry professor at UB who has known Gardella for 17 years.

"In particular, he has worked diligently on community environmental issues, especially the Hickory Woods situation," Morrow said. "In these efforts, he involved students in the environmental sampling process to combine education with real-world problems," Morrow said. "He is a proponent of increasing the number of female faculty at UB and has put effort into organizing and submitting grant proposals to NFS that would increase UB's efforts at attracting and mentoring junior female faculty. Joe also has a track record of working with disabled students and minority students."

"He deserves the award," said Bright "his work merits it. His mentoring is outstanding; he has mentored students who have huge handicaps. One of his students has cerebral palsy and is about to receive a Ph.D."

In the end, Gardella said that he was heavily influenced to help others by his own mentors in the past.

"My parents were teachers and were influential in guiding me in my responsibility to give back," Gardella said. "Those who are given, they should give back, and that means not just mentoring students who work with me, but mentoring beyond, to faculty, to community members."