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NSF PR 96-5 - February 6, 1996
Media contact: |
George E. Chartier or Janell Richardson |
(703) 306-1070 |
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone
numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current
contact information at media
contacts.
Career Grants Integrate Teaching and Research
NSF has awarded more than 300 grants in a new program
to encourage scientists and engineers to integrate
their research and education efforts earlier in their
careers.
The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program
grants are awarded to junior-level university faculty.
From 1,735 proposals submitted, 337 were awarded grants,
including 90 to women and 24 to scientists from underrepresented
groups. Grants are about 3-5 years in duration and
range from about $70,000 to $300,000.
"The beauty of the federal investment in universities
is that we have simultaneously supported discoveries
and the education of this next generation," says Anne
C. Petersen, deputy director of NSF. "CAREER reinforces
this important double advantage."
The complete list of Fiscal Year 1995 CAREER grant
recipients and their projects is available on the
Internet at ,
by e-mail from Janell Richardson at jrichard@nsf.gov,
or by calling (703) 306-1070.
Among 1995 NSF Career Program recipients:
- Ana P. Barros, assistant professor of civil and
environmental engineering at Pennsylvania State
University, is developing mathematical models
for improved flood forecasting and control. She
plans to develop new ways to estimate maximum
precipitation, a novel method for estimating storms,
and a set of standards for rating extreme flood
and drought forecasts. She will revise courses
in engineering hydrology with concepts developed
in the research.
- Susanto Basu, assistant professor of economics
at the University of Michigan, studies how factors
such as changes in technology, effort, production
levels and the type of products demanded affect
fluctuations in productivity and economic stability.
These macroeconomics issues are crucial to understanding
business cycles. He will develop strategies to
smooth the transition from graduate coursework
to dissertation research, methods to increase
minority student retention in graduate school,
and course and curriculum improvements.
- Tanya Furman, a geologist and assistant professor
of environmental sciences at the University of
Virginia, studies the chemistry of volcanic rocks
erupted along the West African Rift. She plans
to integrate the research into a new course she
is creating to encourage the interest of African
American middle school and high school students
in the earth sciences, and a new college course
for non-science majors.
- Mark Guzdial, assistant professor of computer
science and cognitive science in Georgia Institute
of Technology's College of Computing, studies
new ways to use computer programming to improve
engineering education. He is helping students
to use computers as practicing engineers do, for
problem solving, team coordination, and modeling
and simulation. He has designed two graduate courses
to encourage more computer scientists to apply
advanced technology to needs in education.
- Elizabeth M. Jakob, assistant professor of
biology at Bowling Green State University, studies
a fundamental question about animal behavior:
why do some animals form social groups, and some
live alone? She and students will collect field
and laboratory data on the costs and benefits
of these two alternatives based on observations
of an unusual spider species in which individuals
can live either alone or in groups. An analysis
may provide insight into the evolution of social
behavior in other species. She plans to improve
a laboratory for student research, and to create
a teaching assistant training manual and a graduate
course.
- Laura Kay, assistant professor of astronomy
at Barnard College, studies polarized light from
galaxies with active nuclei, using telescopes
in the United States, Spain and Chile. Studies
of the wavelength dependence of polarization provide
clues to the distribution of gas and dust in a
galaxy and help astrophysicists understand the
origin of the high energy emitted by active galactic
nuclei. She started the astronomy department at
Barnard, and her work led to astronomy being offered
as a major. She also is creating a course on "Women
in Science."
- Ronnie W. Smith, assistant professor of computer
science at East Carolina University, desires to
improve regional access to higher education for
people in rural and poor parts of eastern North
Carolina. His research in dialog theory examines
the roots of miscommunication among humans and
between humans and computers, a topic of increasing
importance to national efforts to offer people
greater access to information resources through
the use of remote computer technology. He is developing
a new master's program and redesigning undergraduate
curriculum.
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