Prof. Ellene (Nina) Contis Retires
Prof. Ellene (Nina) Contis retired in December of 2021 after an impressive 50 years at EMU. Dr. Contis earned her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Nina made a positive impact on EMU in many ways. Her first 20 years at EMU were spent in the classroom where she won a Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching, while she conducted research in her disciplinary area of Nuclear chemistry and the use of computers in chemical education. She later served in many administrative roles including the Director of the Women’s Studies Program, Associate Dean and Interim Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, Assistant Vice President for Academic Administrative Services, and Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies and Curriculum. More recently, Nina served as the Director of the Creative Scientific Inquiry Experience (CSIE) program. CSIE integrates courses in science with hands-on experiential learning and community projects, allowing students to work on real world problems. Nina was instrumental in the acquisition of a two-million-dollar grant from the Department of Education to institutionalize the CSIE program at EMU. Her last several years in the department were spent teaching first year students and developing online courses and labs. In addition, she served on a number of department committees throughout her many years as a faculty member. Outside of EMU, Dr. Contis is very involved in the American Chemical Society at the local, national, and international levels; she has served as Councilor of the Huron Valley Local Section, was named an ACS Fellow, and chairs the Committee on International Activities. A Fulbright Specialist Scholar, Dr. Contis has numerous publications and presentations related to women in science and global STEM education. EMU students have greatly benefitted from her focus, expertise, and contagious enthusiasm for engagement and inclusivity in science.