Science Blog - Twenty NSF-Supported Young Scientists and Engineers Receive Presidential Award

Press Release

NSF PR 97-65 - October 24, 1997

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Twenty NSF-Supported Young Scientists and Engineers Receive Presidential Award

President Clinton today named 20 young National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported researchers, nine of whom are women, and eight of whom are engineers, to receive the second annual Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. The presidential honor is the highest bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding young scientists and engineers who are in the early stages of their independent research careers.

Sixty awards were announced overall, spread among eight federal agencies.

The awards were established by President Clinton in February, 1996, in order to meet the Administration's goals of producing the finest scientists and engineers for the 21st century while maintaining U.S. leadership across the frontiers of scientific research.

"These gifted young professionals exemplify the best of our science and technology community and will help set the scientific pace for the U.S. and the world in the years ahead," said the President. "Their passion for discovery and their determination to explore new scientific frontiers will drive this nation forward and build a better America for the twenty-first century."

Ten government agencies join together annually to nominate the promising scientists and engineers who will receive up to $500,000 over a five-year period to further their research. The young scholars are recognized through these awards for their research contributions, their promise and for their commitment to broader societal goals. In addition, their work supports advances in science for important government missions.

NSF selects its nominees for the presidential early career awards from a group of its most meritorious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program scientists and engineers. They have received NSF support because of exceptional research and leadership potential in their fields, and their integrated contributions to research and education.

The presidential early career awards will be presented in a White House ceremony on November 3.

Editors: Eligibility criteria are described in the NSF program announcement NSF 97-87, or see http://www.nsf.gov. On this site, select Crosscutting Programs, then, select again on Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers.

Attachment: NSF winners of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Attachment

NSF Winners of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

NAME/INSTITUTION

CONTRIBUTIONS

Hunter College of City University of New York

of cell growth and gene expression and involvement of undergraduate, graduate, and especially minority students in the discovery process.

Yale University

in appearance-based modeling for computer applications, and forging interdisciplinary links to physiology of human vision.

Auburn University

evolutionary biology, specifically avian sexual selection, and integrating a fundamental research program with public science education.

Emory University
(now at Univ. of Maryland)

education of undergraduates in non-linear properties of fluid interfaces relevant to understanding turbulence, optical fibers, and black holes.

State Univ. of New York at Stony Brook

in manufacturing, materials processing, and biological systems and outreach activities for high school students and prospective teachers.

University of Michigan

particularly the interpretation of gravitational lensing, and for involving the public and students at all educational levels in research activities.

University of Michigan

and repair of fibrous materials such as those used in structural design or human biology and introducing students to interdisciplinary team learning.

Georgia Inst. of Technology

recording systems capable of storing information in high-capacity non-binary formats and development of novel courses in communication theory.

Ohio State University

heterogeneity in database-management systems and retaining women and minorities in computer science.

University of Texas at Austin

for large-scale systems optimization and decision-making in the utilities industry, finance, and manufacturing and helping students gain industrial experience.

Cornell University

problems associated with transportation of hazardous waste and incorporating non-tradtional skills into undergraduate transportation engineering courses.

University of California at San Diego

particularly the determinant of the Laplacian under smooth perturbations, and developing student workshops and mathematics curricula for inner-city children.

Duke University

understanding and restoring biomechanical functions to tissue degenerated by injury or aging, especially in the spine.

Princeton University

and research in the area of parallel architecture and software development, including results applicable to protein structure determination.

Occidental College

films essential to fabrication of reliable semiconductor materials and providing laser laboratory opportunities to high school students.

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

of organisms on nutrient and pollution flow in marine environments and development of an interactive display in a public aquarium.

Clemson University

structural acoustics applicable to noise suppression and sonar tracking and facilitating student involvement in real-world engineering problems.

University of Delaware

electronic circuits and development of a web-based virtual laboratory that provides student access to advanced scientific instrumentation.

Johns Hopkins University

education, especially in development of mathematical and computer models for perception, cognition and decision-making.

University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

and research on power systems applicable to large systems that transfer power among multiple suppliers in the electric power industry.

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