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NSF PR 99-8 - February 10, 1999
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NSF-Supported New Scientists And Engineers Receive
Presidential Award
President Clinton today awarded 20 National Science
Foundation (NSF)-supported researchers, including
nine women and three minorities, with the 1998 Presidential
Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
This third annual presidential award is the highest
honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding
new scientists and engineers who are in the early
stages of establishing their independent research
careers.
Among nine participating federal agencies, there were
60 total PECASE winners in 1998. NSF awardees are
receiving collectively a total of $10 million to further
their achievements and PECASE goals. The Clinton Administration
established the awards in February, 1996, in order
to meet its goals of recognizing some of the nation's
finest scientists and engineers and maintaining U.S.
leadership across the frontiers of scientific research
into the 21st century. The awards are given to foster
innovative and influential developments in science
and technology, to increase awareness of careers in
science and engineering and to recognize the scientific
missions of the federal agencies. NSF awardees have
demonstrated a special commitment to the integration
of research and education.
"These talented young men and women show exceptional
potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific
knowledge," President Clinton said. "Their passion
for discovery will spark our can-do spirit of technological
innovation and drive this nation forward and build
a better America for the twenty-first century."
"These are the 'Golden Globe Awards' for the Albert
Einsteins and Marie Curies of tomorrow -- our nation's
most promising scientist and engineering educators,"
said NSF director Rita Colwell.
NSF awardees will receive $500,000 each over a five-year
period to further their research and educational efforts.
The PECASE awards recognize the research contributions
and commitment to broader societal goals of these
scientist-scholars as well as advances in science
that serve important government missions.
NSF now selects its PECASE nominees from a pool of
its most meritorious CAREER (Faculty Early Career
Development award) winners. The CAREER award supports
exceptionally promising college and university junior
faculty who are committed to the integration of research
and education. CAREER awards range from $200,000 to
$500,000 for a period of four to five years. Last
month, NSF honored 338 outstanding new science and
engineering educators-scholars nationwide with the
1998 CAREER awards, totaling approximately $80 million.
The 1998 CAREER awardees were selected from among
more than 1,600 applicants. The 1998 PECASE awardees
were selected from among 1,122 applicants. There are
about 1,400 total NSF CAREER and PECASE award recipients
to date. Only 60 hold the presidential honor.
Editors: Eligibility criteria are described on NSF's
web site
at: http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/pecase/start.htm.
(The 1998 CAREER award recipients and their project
titles are also available at:
http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/career/start.htm
Attachment: List of NSF's
20 PECASE Award winners
Attachment - February
10, 1999
NSF WINNERS OF THE 1998 PRESIDENTIAL EARLY CAREER
AWARD FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS
The National Science Foundation (NSF) honored 20 outstanding
faculty members nationwide in fiscal 1998 with the
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and
Engineers (PECASE).
Biological Sciences
- Robert B. Jackson, Duke Univ.
For innovative contributions in ecology, global
change and science education, specifically on
root distributions for carbon and water cycling
in terrestrial ecosystems.
- Gina M. MacDonald, James Madison Univ.
For outstanding contributions to understanding
the biophysical/biochemical bases of DNA repair
and recombination, and for involving undergraduates
and science teachers in this research.
- Hudson Kern Reeve, Cornell Univ.
For outstanding research on ecological and genetic
factors in behavior and demography of social wasps,
and sharing the excitement of discovery with tomorrow's
behavioral biologists.
Computer and Information Science and Engineering
- Pei Cao, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison.
For outstanding innovations in cache methods to
improve WWW servers and global Internet efficiency,
and for new tools for realistic Internet simulators
for student use.
- Sugih Jamin, Univ. of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
To recognize excellent scholarship on using microeconomic
methods to control traffic admitted into data
networks, and outstanding contributions to undergraduate
and graduate education.
- Gregory H. Leazer, Univ. of California-Los
Angeles.
For original contributions to understanding human-centered
methods for locating information in complex digital
library systems, and introducing these concepts
to undergraduates and graduates.
- Venugopal V. Veeravalli, Cornell Univ.
To recognize outstanding research on improving
wireless communication services, and innovations
addressing different learning styles in addition
to involving industry in student design projects.
Engineering
- Eric I. Altman, Yale Univ.
For developing innovative concepts and student
laboratories in the characterization and processing
of ultrathin-film growth with the addition of
metal surfactants.
- Christopher J. Diorio, Univ. of Washington-Seattle.
For innovative contributions to research and multidisciplinary
education in VLSI design, using neurally inspired
silicon learning.
- Rhonda Franklin Drayton, Univ. of Minnesota.
For outstanding contribution to micromachined
package and circuit design techniques for high
frequency electronic/photonic communication systems,
and for inspiring undergraduate learning through
innovative pedagogy.
- Shirley J. Dyke, Washington Univ-St. Louis.
For excellence in mitigating structural damage
from seismic events using semi- active control
systems, and providing hands-on experiences for
graduate, undergraduate and K-12 students.
- Julie Anne Jacko, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison.
For innovations in matching partially sighted
computer users with hardware/software combinations
allowing them to use graphical interfaces, and
for developing graduate courses on related technologies.
- Daniel F. Walczyk, Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute.
For creative advances in rapid tooling methods
in layered manufacturing and for development of
undergraduate and graduate courses in design and
manufacturing.
Geosciences
- Scot T. Martin, Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel
Hill.
For innovative development of a quantitative model
for phase changes of internally mixed inorganic
atmospheric aerosol particles, and infusing discovery
through courses and undergraduate research.
Mathematics and Physical Sciences
- Mario Affatigato, Coe College.
For novel approaches to the characterization of
the properties of glass, and for educational outreach
to high schools and communities of disadvantaged
youth.
- Alexander Barvinok, Univ. of Michigan-Ann
Arbor.
For original application of geometric combinatorics
to optimization and algorithmic problems, and
development of a series of undergraduate courses
on related topics.
- Janet M. Conrad, Columbia Univ.
For original contributions to measuring neutrino
mass and connecting the measurement techniques
to applications in medicine to inspire undergraduate
and K-12 students.
- Cassandra L. Fraser, Univ. of Virginia.
For outstanding research in metal-core macromolecules
and redesign of undergraduate and graduate courses.
- Elizabeth A. Lada, Univ. of Florida.
For ground-breaking exploration and documentation
of star forming histories of stellar clusters,
development of undergraduate and graduate courses,
and outreach to high school girls.
Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
- Nalini Ambody, Harvard Univ.
For fundamental contributions to understanding
accuracy of social judgments based on "thin slices"
of information, and development of undergraduate
and graduate courses on related topics.
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