ORAU Announces 25 Research Enhancement Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14, 2004
FY04-33

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. -- Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) has announced 25 winners of Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards from its member institutions for the 2004-2005 academic year.

The grants of $5,000 each are intended to provide “seed money” to allow faculty members in the first two years of 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.

The awards recognize work in five science and technology disciplines: engineering and applied science; life sciences; mathematics and computer science; physical sciences; and policy, management, or education. Winning faculty members will use the grants for continuation of research, purchase of equipment, and travel to professional meetings and conferences.

In the 14 years since the program began, ORAU has awarded 257 grants totaling more than $1.1 million. The inclusion of matching funds from member institutions means ORAU has facilitated grants worth more than $2.5 million.

The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award program was named for Ralph E. Powe, who served as the ORAU Councilor from Mississippi State University for 16 years. He served on numerous committees and special projects during his tenure and was elected by his peers 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 2005-2006 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 2004-2005 academic year are listed below.

Award Recipient	Member Institution
Bart Prorok	Auburn University
Bruce Z. Gao	Clemson University
Chad Sosolik	Clemson University
Gregory Dudley	Florida State University
Carlotta Domeniconi	George Mason University
Erik Larsson	George Washington University
Zhengtao Xu	George Washington University
Adrienne Minerick	Mississippi State University
Rudolf Torsten Clay	Mississippi State University
Mark Johnson	North Carolina State University
Thomas Pearl	North Carolina State University
Xubin He	Tennessee Technological University
Brian Harfe	University of Florida
Bao Yang	University of Maryland
Thomas Murphy	University of Maryland
Hashim Al-Hashimi	University of Michigan
Mahmoud Reda Taha	University of New Mexico
Mahnaz El-Kouedi	University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Patricia Hadre	University of Oklahoma
Adam Leibovich	University of Pittsburgh
Anh-Vu Phan	University of South Alabama
Bin Zhao	University of Tennessee
Thomas Hou	Virginia Tech
Wayne Tarrant	Western Kentucky University
Andrew Wulff	Western Kentucky University

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.