2024 Finalists Named

Jay Banner is the F. M. Bullard Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences in the Jackson School of Geosciences, and director of the Environmental Science Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests center on climate and hydrologic processes, how they are preserved in the geologic record, including in caves, and how human activities affect the sustainability of water resources.

Claire Katz is the Claude H. Everette Jr. ’47 Endowed Chair in Education and Professor of Philosophy and Education and serves as  department head of the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M. Before joining A&M in 2006, she was associate professor of philosophy and Jewish studies at Penn State University. She teaches and conducts research in two primary areas: (1) the intersection of philosophy, gender, education and religion and (2) K-12 philosophy.

Kelly Lambert, MacEldin Trawick Chair and Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Richmond, is interested in experience-based neuroplasticity and enjoys teaching behavioral and clinical neuroscience courses. She and her undergraduate students use preclinical animal models to learn about the neurobiology of stress, resilience, depression, parenting, and natural enrichment.