ORAU awards $175,000 in research grants to 35 faculty at member universities

Oak Ridge Associated Universities has awarded competitive research grants totaling $175,000 to 35 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 from ORAU for the 2014-2015 academic year to enhance their research during the early stages of their career. Additionally, each recipient’s institution will match the ORAU award with an additional $5,000, making the total grant 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 in 1991, ORAU has awarded more than 555 grants totaling more than $2.775 million. Including the matching funds from member institutions, ORAU has facilitated grants worth more than $5.55 million.

“Providing funding to faculty members early in their careers expands their opportunities to build collaborations while refining their interests.” said Arlene Garrison, ORAU vice president. “ORAU is pleased that we were able to increase the number of grants this year to an exceptional group of young faculty members.”

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 24th 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 2014-2015 academic year are listed below:

2014-2015 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award Winners
Award Recipient	Sponsoring Institution	Discipline
Brooke Hester	Appalachian State University	Physical Sciences
Zahid Hossain	Arkansas State University	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Jonathan Merten	Arkansas State University	Physical Sciences
Maiken Mikkelsen	Duke University	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Amanda Hargrove	Duke University	Physical Sciences
Ismail Guvenc	Florida International University	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Cameron Thrash	Louisiana State University	Life Sciences
Jie Gao	Missouri University of Science and Technology	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Yuejie Chi	Ohio State University	Mathematics/Computer Science
Ismaila Dabo	Penn State University	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Rajamani Gounder	Purdue University	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Malin Pinsky	Rutgers University	Life Sciences
Tyler Moore	Southern Methodist University	Mathematics/Computer Science
Tara Kahan	Syracuse University	Physical Sciences
Jennifer Vanos	Texas Tech University	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Lin Li	University of Alabama	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Alexandre Sousa	University of Cincinnati	Physical Sciences
Mable Fok	University of Georgia	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Christina Payne	University of Kentucky	Physical Sciences
Amy Karlsson	University of Maryland	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Emanuel Gull	University of Michigan	Physical Sciences
Matt Maschmann	University of Missouri-Columbia	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Shaoting Zhang	University of North Carolina at Charlotte	Mathematics/Computer Science
Marcus Young	University of North Texas	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Bryanna Hahn-Fox	University of South Florida	Policy, Management or Education
Steven Skutnik	University of Tennessee	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Anna Szynkiewicz	University of Tennessee	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Evie Malaia	University of Texas at Arlington	Life Sciences
Andrew Esbaugh	University of Texas at Austin	Life Sciences
Nicole Benedek	University of Texas at Austin	Physical Sciences
Song Hu	University of Virginia	Life Sciences
Nicholas Roberts	Utah State University	Engineering/Applied Sciences
Rizia Bardhan	Vanderbilt University	Engineering/Applied Sciences
John Matson	Virginia Tech	Physical Sciences
Timothy Wencewicz	Washington University in St. Louis	Life Sciences

 

ORAU plans to offer the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards program again for the 2015-2016 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. 9, 2015.

For more information on fellowships, awards and grants offered by ORAU, visit www.orau.org/consortium/programs.