By: Hailey Colwell

Tim Lodge and Steve Polasky hold rare positions at the University of Minnesota — they’re both tenured professors in two departments.

And now, they share another uncommon experience — last month, they were both named Regents Professors. 

Established in 1965, the Regents Professorship is the highest honor given to faculty members at the University. Professors are nominated and then selected by the University president.

The award comes with a $50,000 annual stipend — a $20,000 salary increase and $30,000 to fund the research of their choice. There are only 30 Regents Professors at the University, including Lodge and Polasky.

The Minnesota Daily sat down with both professors to talk about their research, interests and plans for the new distinction.

‘A fantastic career’

Growing up in Manchester, England, with a math and engineering professor for a father, Tim Lodge knew from an early age what it was like to be a professor.

He said his father never complained about his work.

“He enjoyed what he was doing; it wasn’t work,” he said. “I found it to be the same thing.”

Now a professor in the chemistry and chemical engineering and materials science departments, Lodge said being a professor is “a fantastic career.”

“No one’s telling you what to do,” he said. “You get to do research on things that interest you, and you get to work with great students who are interested in all kinds of things.”

Lodge’s research focuses on block copolymers, which are molecules made of two or more chemical units. With a team of graduate and post-doctoral students, he’s experimenting with ways to combine properties of different man-made materials like plastic and rubber to better understand how they can be used in technology.

Lodge said he enjoys working with his research team and collaborating with other professors to advise students. He said his research stipend will save time because he’ll no longer have to apply for grants before starting a new project.

“If there’s a student … who comes up with a new idea, we can jump on it right away,” he said. “It’s a really wonderful opportunity to branch out in new directions.”

It’s “very appropriate” that Lodge was given the Regents Professorship, said Frank Bates, a current Regents Professor and head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Sciences.

 “He’s an intellectual leader,” Bates said. “He’s somebody that has set the pace of advancement in the field.”

A ‘really interesting juncture’

Applied economics and ecology, evolution and behavior professor Steve Polasky was always interested in the environment.

A self-proclaimed math nerd, Polasky found economics to be useful in thinking about environmental issues.

“I’m at this really interesting juncture between economics and ecology,” he said.

Since coming to the University in 1999, Polasky has done research on sustainable development issues. He said he’s most proud of his recent collaboration with the Natural Capital Project, which works to bring environmental thinking into everyday consumer, government and business decisions.

“It’ s not just an add-on or a feel-good thing at the end,” he said, but part of the central decision-making process.

Polasky said he appreciates the visibility that comes with being a Regents Professor and hopes to use the stipend to hire administrative help for his office so he can spend more time doing research and working with students. 

‘An all-star’

Being a Regents Professor makes it easier to communicate with people outside the University, Bates said. Regents Professors also have better access to the Board of Regents and University administration.

Though the distinction doesn’t change professors’ everyday responsibilities, they’re expected to perform at a high level and are looked on as leaders, he said.

“It’s like being named an all-star on a baseball team,” Bates said. “It’s a great distinction to be on the all-star team, but you still have to go back to your home team; you still have to get up and swing the bat.”