Keunpyo (Root) Park, an associate professor of filmmaking in the Department of Theater, Film, and Digital Production, and Qixuan Wang, an assistant professor of mathematics, received the 2023-24 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement.

Park has been on the UCR faculty for 16 years, and in 2008 created the filmmaking program at UCR; it is today’s one of UCR’s fastest-growing majors. His nomination notes Park’s role creating “more inclusive pipelines into the entertainment industry and to the lasting success of student filmmakers at UCR.”

Wang’s research is in mathematical biology, focusing on multiscale modeling of complex developmental systems. Her nomination notes repeated success co-authoring journal papers with undergraduate students, many of them female, first-generation, and representing underrepresented minorities. 

The award has been presented since the 1993-94 academic year to up to two faculty members every spring, with selection by the UCR Academic Senate. Each awardee receives a monetary stipend of $500.