Stetson University Associate Professor of English Dr. Joel Davis and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dr. John York received this year’s Hand Awards for Scholarship and Creativity. Professor of Political Science Dr. Anne Hallum received this year’s Hand Award for Community Impact. Professor of Law Dr. Luz E. Nagle received this year’s Hand Award for Excellence in Faculty Research.

The Hand awards were established by Stetson College of Law alumna Dolly Hand and her husband, Homer, to applaud faculty members who are not only dedicated teachers but who also have notable achievements in scholarship or creative work in their areas of expertise and who have made a difference in their local or larger communities. This year’s awards were presented at Spring Commencement.

Interested in poetry and poetics in 16th- and early 17th-century England, Davis conducts research in some of the world’s most famous libraries. Currently, he is researching how English poets shaped poetry the way that it is today. Originally from Wyoming, Davis earned his Ph.D. in English at the University of Oregon. He recently published The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia and the Invention of English Literature, focusing on conflicts behind-the-scenes of the publishing business in Shakespeare’s London. He joined the Stetson faculty in 2002.

An expert in inorganic, organometallic and biological chemistry, York conducts research on using transition metal compounds to perform chemical transformations. York has a particular interest in copper and he has published in many scientific journals. He earned his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Minnesota. An assistant professor of chemistry, York has been a member of the Stetson faculty since 2007.

Co-founder and president of the Alliance for International Reforestation (AIR), Hallum’s work focuses on the rural hunger and deforestation in Guatemala. Hallum hired a Guatemalan staff and created a model for sustainability through five years of one-on-one farmer training and local leadership committees. Through the use of this model, AIR has become an award-winning environmental organization. Hallum earned her Ph.D. in political science from Vanderbilt University. Hallum joined Stetson University in 1986 and serves as a political science professor.

Law professor, Columbian justice, and undercover private investigator are some of the many faces of Nagle, a professor at Stetson’s College of Law in St. Petersburg/Gulfport. Nagle is highly involved in the fight against human trafficking and modern-day slavery. She plays a role on the International Bar Association’s Legal Practice Division Council. Nagle has published in two languages and on four continents, and she participates in bar associations and learned legal societies. She earned her LL.D. from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, a J.D. from the College of William & Mary, and an LL.M. (international law) and M.A. (Latin American studies) from UCLA.