ORAU 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, a press release said.
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 2021-2022 academic year 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 press release said. 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 804 grants totaling about $4 million, the press release said. Including the matching funds from member institutions, ORAU has facilitated grants worth more than $8 million, the release said.
“As a research institution, ORAU is proud to recognize and support the research and professional development of the 35 emerging leaders who are receiving Powe Awards this year,” said Ken Tobin, ORAU vice president for research and university partnerships. “The Powe Award program benefits our member universities and is always extremely popular, because it provides an opportunity for young faculty members to further their research careers and pursue new funding avenues.”
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 31st 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. He died in 1996.
Recipients of the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards for the 2021-2022 academic year are listed below:
| Award Recipient | Member Institution |
| Cynthia Alcantar | University of Nevada, Reno |
| Stephanie Andel | Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis |
| Radhika Barua | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Yana Cen | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Christopher Cleveland | University of Georgia |
| Wim Cosyn | Florida International University |
| Robert Fleming | Arkansas State University |
| Sara Freeman | Utah State University |
| Chiarra Ghezzi | University of Massachusetts Lowell |
| Ying Hao | University of Mississippi |
| Renita Horton | University of Houston |
| Hsien-Yuan Hsu | University of Massachusetts Lowell |
| Po-Chun Hsu | Duke University |
| Md Mahbubul Islam | Wayne State University |
| Alexei Kananenka | University of Delaware |
| Jeeun Kim | Texas A&M University |
| Mi Li | University of Tennessee |
| Peng Li | Auburn University |
| Kyle Luh | University of Colorado Boulder |
| Yi Mazumdar | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Brian Meckes | University of North Texas |
| Ramon Miranda Quintana | University of Florida |
| Mulubrhan Mogos | Vanderbilt University |
| Rebecca Napolitano | Penn State University |
| David Nichols | University of Virginia |
| Fatima Rivas | Louisiana State University |
| Prashant Singh | Mississippi State University |
| Lawrence Stern | University of South Florida |
| James Shogren-Harris | University of Alabama |
| Shuo Sun | University of Colorado Boulder |
| Andy Thomas | Texas A&M University |
| Xiaoxue Wang | Ohio State University |
| Ryan Williams | City College of New York |
| Ning Zhang | University of Alabama |
| Xu Zhang | Oklahoma State University |
For more information on fellowships, awards, and grants offered by ORAU, visit https://www.orau.org/university-partnerships/members-only/default.aspx.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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