News Release 96-005

February 6, 1996

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

NSF has awarded more than 300 grants in a new program to encourage scientists and engineers to integrate their research and education efforts earlier in their careers.

The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program grants are awarded to junior-level university faculty. From 1,735 proposals submitted, 337 were awarded grants, including 90 to women and 24 to scientists from underrepresented groups. Grants are about 3-5 years in duration and range from about $70,000 to $300,000.

"The beauty of the federal investment in universities is that we have simultaneously supported discoveries and the education of this next generation," says Anne C. Petersen, deputy director of NSF. "CAREER reinforces this important double advantage."

The complete list of Fiscal Year 1995 CAREER grant recipients and their projects is available on the Internet at , by e-mail from Janell Richardson at jrichard@nsf.gov, or by calling (703) 306-1070.

Among 1995 NSF Career Program recipients:

• Ana P. Barros, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Pennsylvania State University, is developing mathematical models for improved flood forecasting and control. She plans to develop new ways to estimate maximum precipitation, a novel method for estimating storms, and a set of standards for rating extreme flood and drought forecasts. She will revise courses in engineering hydrology with concepts developed in the research.
  

• Susanto Basu, assistant professor of economics at the University of Michigan, studies how factors such as changes in technology, effort, production levels and the type of products demanded affect fluctuations in productivity and economic stability. These macroeconomics issues are crucial to understanding business cycles. He will develop strategies to smooth the transition from graduate coursework to dissertation research, methods to increase minority student retention in graduate school, and course and curriculum improvements.
  

• Tanya Furman, a geologist and assistant professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia, studies the chemistry of volcanic rocks erupted along the West African Rift. She plans to integrate the research into a new course she is creating to encourage the interest of African American middle school and high school students in the earth sciences, and a new college course for non-science majors.
  

• Mark Guzdial, assistant professor of computer science and cognitive science in Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Computing, studies new ways to use computer programming to improve engineering education. He is helping students to use computers as practicing engineers do, for problem solving, team coordination, and modeling and simulation. He has designed two graduate courses to encourage more computer scientists to apply advanced technology to needs in education.
  

• Elizabeth M. Jakob, assistant professor of biology at Bowling Green State University, studies a fundamental question about animal behavior: why do some animals form social groups, and some live alone? She and students will collect field and laboratory data on the costs and benefits of these two alternatives based on observations of an unusual spider species in which individuals can live either alone or in groups. An analysis may provide insight into the evolution of social behavior in other species. She plans to improve a laboratory for student research, and to create a teaching assistant training manual and a graduate course.
  

• Laura Kay, assistant professor of astronomy at Barnard College, studies polarized light from galaxies with active nuclei, using telescopes in the United States, Spain and Chile. Studies of the wavelength dependence of polarization provide clues to the distribution of gas and dust in a galaxy and help astrophysicists understand the origin of the high energy emitted by active galactic nuclei. She started the astronomy department at Barnard, and her work led to astronomy being offered as a major. She also is creating a course on "Women in Science."
  

• Ronnie W. Smith, assistant professor of computer science at East Carolina University, desires to improve regional access to higher education for people in rural and poor parts of eastern North Carolina. His research in dialog theory examines the roots of miscommunication among humans and between humans and computers, a topic of increasing importance to national efforts to offer people greater access to information resources through the use of remote computer technology. He is developing a new master's program and redesigning undergraduate curriculum.

-NSF-

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Media Contacts
George E. Chartier, NSF, (703) 306-1070, email: gchrtier@nsf.gov
Janell Richardson, NSF, (703) 306-1070, email: jrichard@nsf.gov

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The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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