糖心传媒 researchers have received the National Science Foundation糖心传媒檚 most prestigious award for early-career faculty.
The breadth and depth of 糖心传媒 research is reflected in projects that its researchers will pursue as recipients of the from the (NSF).
The award糖心传媒攖he NSF糖心传媒檚 most prestigious recognition for early-career faculty members糖心传媒斕切拇綔embodies NSF糖心传媒檚 commitment to encourage faculty and academic institutions to value and support the integration of research and education糖心传媒� and recognizes individuals 糖心传媒渨ho have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.糖心传媒�
CAREER awards provide recipients with five years of funding to help lay the foundation for their future research.
, an assistant professor of biology, studies how epithelia, the most common type of tissue in the human body, are built during development and maintained through the lifespan of an organism. Cells are building blocks for tissues and organisms, and they need to be correctly placed in order to make functional structures. The direction in which a cell divides with respect to the tissue around it contributes to tissue shape. Bergstralh糖心传媒檚 CAREER award will support his research on the molecular mechanisms that determine how cells 糖心传媒渄ecide糖心传媒� the direction of division. Bergstralh will use advanced microscopy and data from the genome-editing tool CRISPR. The research has broader applications in cancer research, as cellular disorganization is suspected to facilitate cancer and 80 to 90 percent of all human tumors derive from epithelial cells.
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, an assistant professor of chemistry, studies the fundamental properties of semiconductors made of nanoscale materials. Knowles糖心传媒檚 CAREER award will support her research on mixed-metal oxide nanocrystals and how the composition of nanocrystals affects their chemical behaviors. The inexpensive and nontoxic composition of mixed-metal oxide nanocrystals, their ability to absorb sunlight, and their stability in withstanding electrochemical degradation make them ideal candidates for applications in alternative energy, including solar energy conversion and energy storage technologies. The nanocrystals Knowles will study also have the potential, in the presence of sunlight, to facilitate the rapid degradation of toxic substances, such as dyes, pesticides, and herbicides, that pollute water sources. She will develop new strategies to access mixed-metal oxide nanocrystals that have desirable optical, electronic, and chemical properties but that are difficult to create synthetically.
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, the Wilmot Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Visual and Cultural Studies, will study how alternative networks of care are formed within local marginalized communities during times of social isolation and precarity. As communities adapt to the uncertainties of global pandemics and societal unrest, it糖心传媒檚 important to consider new cultural forms that develop in the wake of social rupture. The project provides funding to train both graduate and undergraduate students in methods of empirical research and scientific data collection and analysis, while broadening the participation of groups historically underrepresented in science. Mariner will collaborate with universities and local communities to build a scientific infrastructure that can effectively examine these issues. She will also make it a priority to increase public literacy about science and the scientific method by making the project糖心传媒檚 findings accessible within a range of public settings.
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, an assistant professor of computer science, will use his CAREER award to design interacting software and hardware mechanisms that can increase the performance and energy efficiency of smaller and smaller transistorized chips. These chips are clustered with a wide variety of hardware accelerators, which increase the speed and performance of individual algorithms. Zhu will design these mechanisms in the context of an archaeological project with students at the University糖心传媒檚 Ghana Field School: he糖心传媒檒l create software to enable data-rich scans of the entire structure of the historic Elmina Castle in Ghana, including its individual rooms. The scans, taken by the students, will be recreated on virtual reality goggles and other devices, allowing students and researchers thousands of miles away to virtually walk into and explore the castle.
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The NSF CAREER awards are also designed to integrate faculty research with the education of students. All of the winners directly supervise undergraduate researchers as part of their projects.
Editor糖心传媒檚 note: This story was updated on November 11, 2024.
