ORAU awards 30 research grants to junior faculty

Oak Ridge Associated Universities has awarded competitive research grants totaling $150,000 to 30 junior faculty from ORAU member institutions. The annual grants are made through the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards program that provides funds to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty.

The recipients, each of whom is in the first two years of a tenure track position, will receive $5,000 in “seed money” for the 2013-2014 academic year to enhance their research during the early stages of their career. Each recipient’s institution also matches the ORAU award with an additional $5,000, making the total prize worth $10,000 for each winner. Winners may use the grants to purchase equipment, continue research, or travel to professional meetings and conferences.

Since the program’s inception, ORAU has awarded more than 520 grants totaling more than $2.6 million. Including the matching funds from member institutions, ORAU has facilitated grants worth more than $5.2 million.

“ORAU is excited to support 30 exciting new ideas proposed by junior faculty from member institutions,” said Arlene Garrison, ORAU vice president of University Partnerships. “This funding enables creative exploration at a critical early career stage.”

The awards recognize faculty members for their work in any of five science and technology disciplines: engineering or applied science; life sciences; mathematics and computer science; physical sciences; and policy, management or education.

The awards, now in their 23nd year, are named for Ralph E. Powe, who served as the ORAU councilor from Mississippi State University for 16 years. Powe participated in numerous committees and special projects during his tenure and was elected chair of ORAU’s Council of Sponsoring Institutions prior to his death in 1996.

Recipients of the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards for the 2013-2014 academic year are listed below:

2012-2013 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award Winners   Award Recipient Sponsoring Institution Discipline J. Wesley Burnett West Virginia University Policy, Management, or Education Chih-Hao Chang North Carolina State University Engineering or Applied Science Ann Cook Ohio State University Physical Sciences Brooke Crowley University of Cincinnati Physical Sciences Mingji Dai Purdue University Physical Sciences Harmony Dalgleish College of William and Mary Life Sciences Guglielmo Fucci East Carolina University Math/Computer Sciences Elizabeth Gilbert Virginia Tech Life Sciences Tijana Grove Virginia Tech Physical Sciences Waseem Haider University of Texas-Pan American Engineering or Applied Science Sang Eon Han University of New Mexico Engineering or Applied Science Ivan Korendovych Syracuse University Engineering or Applied Science Qinglei Li Texas A&M University Life Sciences Eric Lukosi University of Tennessee Engineering or Applied Science Alberto Marino University of Oklahoma Physical Sciences Karen Maruska Louisiana State University Life Sciences George Nelson University of Alabama at Huntsville Engineering or Applied Science Chiwoo Park Florida State University Engineering or Applied Science Cary Pint Vanderbilt University Engineering or Applied Science Joshua Robinson Pennsylvania State University Engineering or Applied Science Michael Rose University of Texas at Austin Physical Sciences Abhyudai Singh University of Delaware Math/Computer Sciences Stephen Valentine West Virginia University Life Sciences Shravan Veerapaneni University of Michigan Math/Computer Sciences Juan Vivero-Escoto University of North Carolina-Charlotte Physical Sciences Chao Wang Johns Hopkins University Engineering or Applied Science Jie Xu George Mason University Engineering or Applied Science Yan Yao University of Houston Engineering or Applied Science Guihua Yu University of Texas at Austin Engineering or Applied Science Fuzhong Zhang Washington University Life Sciences

 

ORAU plans to offer the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards program again for the 2014-2015 academic year. Faculty members at ORAU sponsoring institutions who are within two years of their initial tenure-track appointments as assistant professors are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply is Jan. 10, 2014.

For more information on fellowships, awards, and grants offered by ORAU, visit www.orau.org/consortium/programs or contact Ann Farler at (865) 576-1898 or ann.farler@orau.org.