Carolyn Fornoff, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, is among four early career professors who have been recognized as Lincoln Excellence for Assistant Professors (LEAP) Scholars for their outstanding contributions and potential in research and teaching.

The LEAP award is granted to faculty early in their career based on scholarly productivity and contributions to the educational mission of their departments and the College of LAS. The selected LEAP Scholars will hold the title for two years and receive discretionary research funding for each of those two years.

Fornoff joined the U of I in 2018. Her research examines how artists and writers in Mexico and Central America respond to climate change, and alternative ways of relating to the non-human world. She is currently writing a book about contemporary cultural responses to climate change in Mexico and plans to use the funds from the LEAP award to complete archival work in Mexico and to hire an indexer for the final stages of publication. Fornoff said that she is very grateful to receive the LEAP award for this “vote of confidence” in her teaching and research.

“The Spanish and Portuguese department is very vibrant and has provided excellent mentoring that has ensured my success as a junior scholar,” she said.