By Leigh Thomas | May 25, 2020
Mark Uline of the College of Engineering and Computing is a recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Research Service Award. The award recognizes his commitment to UofSC’s research community through consistent
service as a reviewer and committee member for internal funding and awards programs.
The Office of the Vice President for Research presents these awards each year to faculty
members who generously give their time to serve as reviewers and mentors, ensuring
that UofSC’s research programs meet the highest standards and serve the best interests
of its diverse research community.
Uline’s contributions include review of proposals from faculty, undergraduates and graduate students. He spends a significant amount of time reviewing each proposal, evaluating the ideas and providing constructive feedback.
He said, “I really have a passion for this aspect of the scientific method. I want to help people get good ideas funded, if not now, then next time. I try to spell out what the weaknesses are in ways that will help the writer remedy them. I try to be positive. It’s very important for students in particular to receive positive feedback—you don’t want to discourage their strong ideas.”
Part of Uline’s passion comes from being on the other side of this process, submitting proposals for review and receiving little feedback in return. He explains that it can be frustrating to spend a great deal of time writing proposals that receive a low score, but no direction on what points to improve. His goal as a reviewer is to not perpetuate that cycle.
Uline said, “Research is such an important part of the university and impacts the
way other academic institutions view us. We build prestige through grant dollars and
published work. I want UofSC to be well-respected, and a successful research program
is the best way to achieve that.”
Uline is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and serves
as undergraduate director for biomedical engineering. He joined the UofSC faculty
in 2011.