FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2005
FY05-37
ORAU Awards Research Grants to 26 Junior Faculty at Member Universities
OAK RIDGE, Tenn.—Each academic year, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) makes a substantial investment in the future of science education by presenting a select group of assistant professors at its member institutions with the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards. For the 2005-2006 academic year, ORAU has selected 26 faculty members to receive awards.
The grants of $5,000 each are intended to provide “seed money” that will allow these faculty members, each of whom are in the first two years of a tenure track, to enhance their research during the early stages of their careers. Each recipient’s institution matches the ORAU award with an additional $5,000, making the total prize worth $10,000 for each winner.
The awards recognize work in five science and technology disciplines: engineering or applied science; life sciences; mathematics and computer science; physical sciences; and policy, management, or education. Winning faculty members may use the grants to purchase equipment, continue their research or travel to professional meetings and conferences.
In the 15 years since the program began, ORAU has awarded 283 grants totaling more than $1.4 million. Including the matching funds from member institutions, ORAU has facilitated grants worth more than $2.8 million.
Ralph E. Powe, for whom the awards are named, served as the ORAU councilor from Mississippi State University for 16 years, participating in numerous committees and special projects during his tenure. His fellow councilors elected him as chair of ORAU’s Council of Sponsoring Institutions prior to his death in 1996.
ORAU plans to offer the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award program again for the 2006-2007 academic year. Faculty members at ORAU member institutions who are within two years of their initial tenure-track appointments as assistant professors are eligible for the grants.
Recipients of the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards for the 2005-2006 academic year are listed below:
Award Recipient |
Member Institution |
Mark Byrne |
Auburn University |
Jian Luo |
Clemson University |
Paul Magwene |
Duke University |
Susan Latturner |
Florida State University |
Jennifer Krumper |
Idaho State University |
Jayne Garno |
Louisiana State University |
Evgueni Nesterov |
Louisiana State University |
Rafael Hernandez |
Mississippi State University |
Yaohang Li |
North Carolina A&T State University |
Elizabeth Loboa |
North Carolina State University |
Keith Weninger |
North Carolina State University |
Kathryn Jane Grande-Allen |
Rice University |
Han Pu |
Rice University |
Xiaoming Li |
Tennessee State University |
Henry Ashbaugh |
Tulane University |
Min Zou |
University of Arkansas |
Brian Law |
University of Florida |
Susanne Ullrich |
University of Georgia |
Todd Hastings |
University of Kentucky |
Sen-ching Cheung |
University of Kentucky |
Juana Moreno |
University of North Dakota |
Yan Huang |
University of North Texas |
Seddik Djouadi |
University of Tennessee |
James Dickerson |
Vanderbilt University |
Peizhen Kathy Lu |
Virginia Tech |
Rahul Kulkarni |
Virginia Tech |
For more information on fellowships, awards and grants offered by ORAU, visit http://www.orau.org/academic/financial/felawgr.htm or contact Ann Farler at (865) 576-1898 or by e-mail at farlera@orau.gov.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a university consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 91 major research institutions to advance science and education by partnering with national laboratories, government agencies, and private industry. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.