CISE Grantees Receive Presidential Award for Early Career Achievements

The CISE directorate would like to congratulate the three CISE awardees, along with the other 54 young government-supported scientists and engineers, named by the President to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest national honor for investigators in the early stages of promising research careers who have also displayed leadership in their fields.

Sandeep Shukla, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, is a leading researcher in designing, analyzing and predicting performance of electronic systems embedded on a chip. He has integrated several innovative techniques and theories into novel approaches to solve problems in microelectronic systems design. He applies research concepts into new courses in computer engineering and mentors minority and women students in processor design as well as in computer science and engineering overall. (http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0237947)

Yoky Matsuoka, Carnegie Mellon University, leads new studies in developing a virtual environment for rehabilitation and human augmentation with a novel and safe wearable robotic device that could assist motor-impaired students in their daily tasks. The research may lead to significant improvements in robotics and biomedical areas by improving the understanding of gaps between perceived and actual movements in humans. She is also creating an innovative interdisciplinary educational environment that increases interactions between motor-impaired and engineering students. (http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0238204)

Cyrus Shahabi, University of Southern California, is pioneering research in how to manage the streams of sensor data created as humans interact with virtual-reality environments. The multidimensional databases and techniques for storing and studying such data streams have wide-ranging potential applications from medicine to space exploration. He incorporates research results into his courses, providing students opportunities to learn in multi-disciplinary environments. His commitment to broadening research participation is evident in teaching and outreach to underrepresented groups. (http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0238560)

For the complete list of NSF PECASE awardees, see http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/newsroom/pr.cfm?ni=15000000000116