Oak Ridge Associated Universities has awarded competitive research grants totaling $175,000 to 35 junior faculty from its member institutions. The annual grants are made through the company’s 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 2015-2016 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 590 grants totaling more than $2.7 million, a press release said. Including the matching funds from member institutions, ORAU has facilitated grants worth more than $5.2 million.
“ORAU is delighted to add the 2015 class of 35 innovative early researcher scholars to the long-tradition of excellence exhibited by Powe Awardees,†said Arlene Garrison, ORAU vice president. “The funding will enable broader exploration that is critical to building a highly successful research careers at ORAU member universities.â€
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 25th 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 2015-2016Â academic year are listed below:
| 2015-2016 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award Winners | ||
| Award Recipient | Sponsoring Institution | Discipline |
| Celalettin Ozdemir | Louisiana State University | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Daisuke Minakata | Michigan Technological University | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Heng Pan | Missouri University of Science and Technology | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Tansel Yucelen | Missouri University of Science and Technology | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Allison Beese | Penn State University | Engineering and Applied Science |
| M.M. Faruque Hasan | Texas A&M University | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Naresh Devineni | The City College of New York | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Yu Lei | University of Alabama at Huntsville | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Rong Long | University of Colorado Boulder | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Steven Jay | University of Maryland | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Jian Lin | University of Missouri-Columbia | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Jose Cerrato | University of New Mexico | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Maik Lang | University of Tennessee | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Yuze Sun | University of Texas at Arlington | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Yuebing Zheng | University of Texas at Austin | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Justin Wilkerson | University of Texas at San Antonio | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Elizabeth Vargis | Utah State University | Engineering and Applied Science |
| Elizabeth Shadwick | College of William and Mary | Life Science |
| Emily Derbyshire | Duke University | Life Science |
| Michael Cowley | North Carolina State University | Life Science |
| Jeffrey Lewis | University of Arkansas | Life Science |
| Jason Gleghorn | University of Delaware | Life Science |
| Alex Perkins | University of Notre Dame | Life Science |
| Dana Dachman-Soled | University of Maryland | Math/Computer Science |
| Yong Ge | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Math/Computer Science |
| Ying Wang | University of Oklahoma | Math/Computer Science |
| Katherine Mullaugh | College of Charleston | Physical Science |
| Eugene DePrince | Florida State University | Physical Science |
| Kenneth Lopata | Louisiana State University | Physical Science |
| Michael Szostak | Rutgers University | Physical Science |
| Peng Tao | Southern Methodist University | Physical Science |
| Yousong Ding | University of Florida | Physical Science |
| Davita Watkins | University of Mississippi | Physical Science |
| Yujie Sun | Utah State University | Physical Science |
| Yizhen Zhai | East Carolina University | Policy Management and Education |
ORAU plans to offer the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards program again for the 2016-2017 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 January 11, 2016.
For more information on fellowships, awards and grants offered by ORAU, visit www.orau.org/consortium/programs.
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