Carlos Castillo-Chavez, Cornell professor of biometrics, was awarded the prestigious Distinguished Scientist Award by the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Sept. 29 at the group's national conference in Phoenix, Ariz.
The award honors outstanding achievement in a scientific discipline. Castillo-Chavez also was honored for his efforts and achievements in mentoring students. The mission of SACNAS is to encourage Chicano/Latino and Native American students to pursue graduate education and obtain the advanced degrees necessary for research careers and science-teaching professions at all levels.
"There is no greater honor in life than being recognized by your own community," said Castillo-Chavez. "There is no doubt in my mind that the future of minority communities is in the hands of the most talented, most dedicated and hardest working minority generation of all time. I look at you and I feel lucky and grateful."
Castillo-Chavez specializes in mathematical biology, social dynamics and mathematical and statistical approaches to AIDS epidemiology and other epidemic diseases like flu, tuberculosis, Chagas disease and measles.
At Cornell, he is the director of the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Institute, which provides research opportunities for minority undergraduate students. He also established the northeast U.S. chapter of SACNAS at Cornell. In the Ithaca community, he was the director of the Cornell Ithaca Mathematics Enrichment Program, which brought math assistance to minority students at Ithaca High School.
Castillo-Chavez conducts research work in many Latin American countries, including Argentina at the Universidad de Belgrano. There he holds the honorary title of plenary professor, which is the highest honor conferred by that institution.
In 1997, he received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from President Bill Clinton. Castillo-Chavez also received a Presidential Faculty Fellowship Award in 1992 from then President George Bush. In 2000, he received the Quality Education for Minorities Network's Giants in Science Award.
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