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News Release 04-063

President Bush Names 20 Promising, Young Scientists and Engineers to Receive Awards

PECASE award winners

PECASE Award winners with Dr. Joseph Bordogna, Dr. Arden Bement, and Dr. Warren Washington.


May 4, 2004

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 Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

ARLINGTON, Va.—Arlington, Va.-President Bush today honored 57 of the nation's most promising young scientists and engineers with 2002 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

John H. Marburger III, Science Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, presented the awards at a White House ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to 20 National Science Foundation (NSF) supported researchers and 37 other scientists and engineers representing programs sponsored by eight other federal departments and agencies.

NSF is an independent federal agency that supports a broad range of fundamental science and engineering research, covering almost all major disciplines, as well as education programs at all levels in mathematics, science and engineering. Because of the breadth of its fundamental research mission, NSF supports about one-third of the PECASE awardees each year.

NSF's nominees for these presidential awards are drawn from junior faculty members who have received grants from NSF's Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program, considered the agency's most important and prestigious awards for new faculty members who show promise as leaders in science and engineering. These scientists have also translated their work into significant education activities. Nearly 400 young faculty members are chosen each year for the CAREER awards, which range from $300,000 to more than $750,000 over five years. The awards support the work and foster growth opportunities of those most likely to become academic leaders.

The NSF-supported PECASE recipients represent a little over 5 percent of all CAREER awards made in 2002. Of the 2,900 CAREER awards made since the program began in 1996, only 140 have received presidential recognition.

PECASE honorees receive no additional NSF funds beyond their initial CAREER grants, but the presidential recognition carries significant prestige as recipients represent the best among young researchers and educators from the CAREER program.

Other agencies that participate in the PECASE program include NASA, Departments of Health and Human Services (National Institutes of Health) Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, Agriculture and Commerce (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Institute of Standards and Technology).

-NSF-

For more information, see: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/05-04-2004/0002166337&EDATE=

For more information on CAREER and PECASE, see:
http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/career/start.htm
http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/pecase/start.htm

ATTACHMENT

2002 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists & Engineers (PECASE) Ongoing Achievements

Biological Sciences:

Squire J. Booker, Pennsylvania State University, is at the forefront of research on enzyme reactions, focusing particularly on an enzyme involved in fatty acid synthesis. He uses interdisciplinary approaches at the interface of physical sciences and biology. His leadership in education includes distinguished teaching and mentoring of undergraduates and underserved minority students, and fostering diversity within and beyond the academic community.

Squire J. Booker
Squire J. Booker
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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(Size: 1.7MB)

John R. Wakeley, Harvard University, has developed new methods for analyzing the voluminous and rapidly growing DNA-sequencing data, expected to be extremely valuable to both population biologists and mathematicians in developing theories about the genetic histories of populations. He shares this wider understanding of genetics through development of textbooks and web-based software.

John R. Wakeley
John R. Wakeley
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering:

Amy Greenwald, Brown University, advanced a theory about how automated software agents can make decisions in uncertain environments such as online auctions. She recruits many young women into computer science and effectively advises graduates and undergraduates. She also serves an advisor to a summer outreach program for ninth-grade students who gain hands-on computer experience.

Amy Greenwald
Amy Greenwald
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Babak Hassibi, California Institute of Technology, has made fundamental contributions to the theory and design of data transmission and reception schemes that will have a major impact on new generations of high-performance wireless communications systems. He has nurtured creativity in his undergraduate and graduate students by involving them in research and inspiring them to apply new approaches to communications problems.

Babak Hassibi
Babak Hassibi
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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(Size: 1.6MB)

George J. Pappas, University of Pennsylvania, has made fundamental contributions to hybrid systems theory. His work is leading to new understanding in the control of complex systems, such as those found in avionics, automotive electronics, robotics and medicine. His introduction of hybrid control concepts is part of new curriculum that allows students to learn embedded systems concepts at a renowned robotics lab.

George J. Pappas
George J. Pappas
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Ion Stoica, University of California at Berkeley, has been addressing difficult questions and formulating novel network architectures to address quality of service and traffic management on the Internet. By interweaving analytical and experimental aspects of networking into unique hands-on opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, he helps enhance their understanding of novel concepts and encourages careers in networking.

Ion Stoica
Ion Stoica
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Education:

N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University, studies how undergraduate students learn to develop and test "mental models" of how real world devices work and then determines how these models evolve from instruction through testing of ideas, including their transfer to other contexts. He is developing and pilot-testing instruction materials for an application-based introductory undergraduate physics course for architecture and engineering students.

N. Sanjay Rebello
N. Sanjay Rebello
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Engineering:

Jennifer G. Becker, University of Maryland, College Park, researches how certain types of microbial interactions occur in chlorinated solvents, such as tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene, considered the most common contaminants of groundwater. Her research may contribute to new tools to help predict effectiveness of bioaugmentation strategies. Her education program includes a diverse hands-on learning experience for pre-college students and mentoring activities for student summertime research projects.

Jennifer G. Becker
Jennifer G. Becker
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Susmita Bose, Washington State University, is working on innovative and multidisciplinary research on bioactive bone implants, addressing critical issues from the synthesis of materials (nanopowders) to the processing of various composites. Her extensive hands-on activities for high school students, involvement of undergraduates in the research effort and interactions among various industries, undergraduates, high school teachers and minority students highlight her education program.

Susmita Bose
Susmita Bose
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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J. Christian Gerdes, Stanford University, is developing a framework for revolutionary collision avoidance systems, with broad potential impact on highway driving safety. The research has received significant interest from several automotive companies. Gerdes has actively involved undergraduate students, including outreach to underrepresented groups and involving them in real-world research experiences and experiments.

J. Christian Gerdes
J. Christian Gerdes
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Jason M. Haugh, North Carolina State University, is researching the fundamental property that helps modulate cell function. Potential implications of the research include creation of new therapeutic strategies. His education program covers a range of new graduate-level course materials, undergraduate lab modules and a hands-on workshop for seventh-grade students - all relate to cell functions in a research environment.

Jason M. Haugh
Jason M. Haugh
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Jionghua (Judy) Jin, University of Arizona, is a leading researcher in analytically based methods that identify root causes for and reduce variation in multi-stage manufacturing at all stages of production. Her work could lead to a shift in manufacturing process and quality control. Her education program includes strong collaborations formed across disciplines, and with industrial and international colleagues.

Jionghua (Judy) Jin
Jionghua (Judy) Jin
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Mark Lewis, University of Michigan, has led research into decision and queuing models of parallel processing in manufacturing. His work may impact a host of manufacturing and service enterprises where the scheduling of parallel resources is needed over time. Lewis has worked to attract and retain minority students in graduate engineering research programs, including a graduate-level Minority Forum. He also serves as an advisor for a campus undergraduate minority student support and service organization.

Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis
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Jia G. Lu, University of California - Irvine, has advanced the frontiers of knowledge in spin electronics, considered to be the defining concept of 21st-century electronics, by her work on ultra-fast non-volatile electronics. Her work combines concepts in faster, more reliable electronics with nanotechnology. She transfers her research knowledge through education programs emphasizing outreach to underrepresented groups and by involving graduate, undergraduate and high-school students in physics, materials science and nanoscience.

Jia G. Lu
Jia G. Lu
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Geosciences:

Julia Kubanek, Georgia Institute of Technology, works at the interface of chemistry and ecology to investigate algal toxins and the responses of the ocean's zooplankton to those chemicals. She creatively applies and teaches the use of state-of-the-art analytical tools in marine ecology. Her students receive valuable training in interdisciplinary science and communication methods, aimed at non-scientists, which bridge fields of science and intersect research and policy.

Julia Kubanek
Julia Kubanek
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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(Size: 1.6MB)


Mathematical and Physical Sciences:

Ian Dell'Antonio, Brown University, is recognized for research in using weak gravitational lensing of galaxies to map out the three-dimensional distribution of dark matter in the universe, and to explore the nature of recently discovered dark energy. He is using the data to develop research projects for high-school students from disadvantaged areas in Providence and to develop laboratories for introductory astronomy students at the Brown campus.

Robert W. Ghrist, University of Illinois, is a leading research mathematician whose work has contributed to understanding relationships between knot theory and dynamics. His research is also opening new research areas in topological hydrodynamics, the qualitative study of geometric patterns in fluid flow. He combines mentoring across the graduate and undergraduate student populations with an innovative "Mathematics Ambassador Lectures" outreach program within the Atlanta city public school system.

Robert W. Ghrist
Robert W. Ghrist
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Dan M. Stamper-Kurn, University of California at Berkeley, is creating and applying new quantum states of matter to a variety of problems in atomic and condensed matter physics. His work is considered important to the demonstration of quantum phenomena in general, and as potential tools for technological applications. He is developing a collection of resources for in-class and web- based inquiry in upper-division physics courses that will be tested and available for broad distribution.

Dan M. Stamper-Kurn
Dan M. Stamper-Kurn
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Brian M. Stoltz, California Institute of Technology, is stimulating creative new research in synthetic organic chemistry and he has led studies in the development of new stereoselective organic reactions. He has established an innovative outreach program with tutoring for middle-school students. He is developing modular science kits for CalTech's Precollege Science Initiative. His award-winning teaching is enhanced by his development of undergraduate- and graduate-level courses.

Brian M. Stoltz
Brian M. Stoltz
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences:

Thomas McDade, Northwestern University, is undertaking important research that may ultimately improve child health through a better understanding of the social and environmental factors that affect the development of the human immune system. Students from high school through graduate school will be able to obtain an international experience in physical anthropology research through McDade's research program in Bolivia.

Thomas McDade
Thomas McDade
Photo Credit: Patrick Ballou, NSF
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 Note About Images

OTHER AGENCY PECASE HONOREES:

Department of Defense:

  • David Goldhaber-Gordon, Stanford University
  • Hari C. Manoharan, Stanford University
  • Michelle L. Pantoya, Texas Tech University
  • Bridget Rogers, Vanderbilt University
  • Enkatesh R. Saligrama, Boston University
  • Gregory Neil Tew, University of Massachusetts

Department of Agriculture:

  • Tara H. McHugh, Western Regional Research Center
  • Mahfuzur Sarker, Oregon State University
  • Therese M. Poland, Forest Service North Central Research Station

Department of Commerce:

  • Andrew W. Bruckner, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • Gabriel A. Vecchi, NOAA
  • Jun Ye, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
  • Sae Woo Nam, NIST

Department of Health and Human Services: National Institutes of Health:

  • Dana Boatman, Johns Hopkins University
  • Susan K. Buchanan, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
  • William Carlezon, Harvard Medical School
  • David Cummings, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
  • Kirk Deitsch, Weill Medical College, Cornell University
  • Abby Dernburg, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • Marilyn Diaz, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
  • Catherine Drennan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Andrew Griffin, National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders
  • Valery I. Shestapalov, University of Miami School of Medicine
  • Richard Walker, Oregon Health and Science University

Department of Energy:

  • Jeffrey C. Blackmon, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Edmond Chow, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  • Sergei Maslov, Brookhaven National Laboratory
  • Jonathan E. Menard, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
  • Christine Orme, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  • Krishnakumar Garikipati, University of Michigan
  • Carl Boehlert, Alfred University

Department of Veterans Affairs:

  • Gary E. Bryson, West Haven Veterans Affairs Medical Center
  • Richard Z. Lin, State University of New York at Stony Brook

National Aeronautics and Space Administration:

  • J. Marshall Shepherd, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center
  • Mark Simons, California Institute of Technology
  • Eric R. Weeks, Emory University
  • Thomas H. Zurbuchen, University of Michigan

Media Contacts
Bill Noxon, NSF, (703) 292-7750, email: wnoxon@nsf.gov

Program Contacts
Joanne Tornow, NSF, (703) 292-7134, email: jtornow@nsf.gov

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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