VCU professor is named Outstanding Scientist

By Donna-Jo Webster
Capital News Service

RICHMOND -- John T. Povlishock, chairman of the Anatomy and Neurobiology Department at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, is among four honorees who will receive awards as Virginia's Outstanding Scientists and Industrialists for 2006.

The quartet will be introduced to the General Assembly on Thursday [March 2]. The awards will be presented at a banquet at the Science Museum of Virginia on April 4.

"These select people are at the top of their fields," Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said. "This year's outstanding scientists and industrialists have expertise in medicine, biology and national security. Their creativity, contributions and dedication are aimed at making life better for us all." Kaine and Walter R. T. Witschey, director of the Science Museum of Virginia, announced the winners on Tuesday.

Povlishock was named one of two Outstanding Scientists for his internationally recognized expertise with traumatic brain injuries. He and his colleagues developed a number of new treatments to block continuing brain damage, which scientists now know can occur hours after the initial injury takes place.

In addition to his duties as chairman, Povlishock is also a surgery professor in the Neurosurgery Department at VCU, where he has taught for 33 years. He also directs the Commonwealth Center for the Study of Brain Injury. And for the past 15 years, he has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Neurotrauma.

"Dr. Povlishock's research has significantly advanced our understanding of traumatic brain injury," said Jerome F. Strauss III, dean of the VCU School of Medicine.

"His findings have disclosed new avenues to prevent permanent damage and loss of brain function. Moreover, Dr. Povlishock's partnership with VCU's outstanding neurosurgeons has made possible the clinical application of laboratory findings, placing VCU at the forefront of care of individuals with these potentially devastating injuries."

Cindy Lee Van Dover, also named an Outstanding Scientist, is an internationally known deep-ocean explorer and the author of numerous books, including The Octopus's Garden. She is the only woman ever certified to pilot Alvin, the deep-sea submersible, and has commanded more than 48 dives. Her various explorations have led to her discover of photosynthetic microorganisms, whose importance was previously unknown to the global carbon cycle.

Van Dover is an associate professor of biology at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. Her continued interest in hydrothermal vents, or deep-sea hot springs, has led her to command nine expeditions to nearly every known vent field in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Duncan M. Porter, a worldwide Charles Darwin expert, received the state's Life Achievement in Science award for 2006. He is director of the Darwin Correspondence Project at Cambridge University, near London. Together with his colleagues, Porter is busily transcribing, annotating and cataloging all of Darwin's letters. When completed, the project is expected to number 30 volumes.

Stateside, Porter is professor of botany at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. He has conducted numerous long-term plant studies, including Virginia's endangered plants and those found on the Galapagos Islands. Four years ago, he was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Excellence in Higher Education by Queen Elizabeth II.

Jack L. Ezzell Jr., chief executive officer of Hampton-based Zel Technologies LLC, was named Virginia's Outstanding Industrialist for 2006. Under Ezzell's guidance, Zel Technologies has grown from a small consulting firm to a large corporation specializing in national security. Among the company's projects are upgrades to the Virginia Port Authority and support of current military operations worldwide.

Ezzell, a retired Air Force colonel, received his master's degree in business administration from Ohio State University. He is also rector of the board of visitors for Norfolk State University and vice chair of the Hampton Industrial Development Authority.

"Science and industry are such an integral part of our existence that we often take them for granted," Witschey said. "Virginia's Outstanding Scientists and Industrialists awards give us the opportunity to stop and recognize the people whose hard work and talent have helped create the technology and life-style we enjoy every day."