Dr. Porter-Utley Receives Faculty Distinction in Research and Scholarship Award
Dr. Kristen Porter-Utley, associate professor of Biology, received the 2013 Faculty Distinction in Research and Scholarship Award at the Faculty Appreciation Dinner in Centennial Hall on Friday, May 3. The award is intended to honor faculty members who have, over a significant part of their tenure at Keene State College, engaged in research and scholarship that is recognized by their professional peers and that represents an effort above and beyond that required for promotion and tenure. The award has been given since 2000, and Dr. Porter-Utley is the 11th recipient.
Dr. Porter-Utley joined the Keene State College faculty in 2004. She earned her BS, MS, and PhD from the University of Florida. As a plant systematist, she specializes in the discovery and documentation of the evolutionary history of plants. Her latest research, Untangling the Passionflower Vines, is focused on exploring the more than 560 species of vines and trees of the Decaloba Passiflora. Her research has been recognized with awards and grants and has been published in scholarly journals, presentations, and poster sessions.
She is the chair of the Keene State College Biology Department and the curator of the KSC Herbarium. She served as the chair of the Academic Excellence Conference Steering Committee in 2011–12 and the co-chair of the Academic Excellence Conference Committee in 2011. To learn more about her, check out her website.