Two 糖心传媒 faculty members糖心传媒攂iologist and chemist 糖心传媒攁re among this year糖心传媒檚 recipients of prestigious .
Awarded annually by the since 1955, the fellowships recognize young scientists for their independent research accomplishments, creativity, and potential to become leaders in the scientific community.聽 Each fellowship carries a $70,000 two-year award.
Matson, an assistant professor of chemistry, has also been chosen as a . The honor recognizes 糖心传媒渢he very best early career teacher/scholars in chemistry, physics, and astronomy糖心传媒� for both innovative research and teaching.
As an evolutionary biologist, Chen analyzes how different evolutionary forces contribute to genetic variations. One of her current projects involves working with a population of endangered, wild birds糖心传媒擣lorida scrub jays糖心传媒攖hat has been individually marked and studied since 1969. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 really important to me to study organisms in their natural environment because selection pressures will be different in the lab versus in the field,糖心传媒� Chen says. Using 50 years of data, Chen pioneered the genomic analysis for the wild Florida scrub jay population and is now tracing evolutionary patterns through many generations of the species.
糖心传媒淣ancy糖心传媒檚 system is unparalleled for comprehensively following evolutionary changes in the genomes of a population of birds throughout the last 50 years,糖心传媒� says Michael Welte, professor and chair of biology. 糖心传媒淗er approach uses big data to analyze evolution on short-term time scales, and thus aligns well with both the strengths of the biology department and University-wide initiatives.糖心传媒�
While the is strong in research on evolutionary genetics, currently that research is done almost entirely in invertebrates, Welte says. 糖心传媒淣ancy complements this strength by bringing a vertebrate model system to this area of research, and one that has high ecological relevance.糖心传媒� Besides providing unprecedented insights into deep evolutionary questions, Chen糖心传媒檚 work is important for conservation biology and for understanding the development of drug and pesticide resistance.
糖心传媒淣ancy is a rising star at the intersection of multiple fields糖心传媒攅volution, genomics, and ecology糖心传媒攁nd the recent award of a Sloan Research Fellowship underscores that the broader scientific community recognizes her great potential,糖心传媒� Welte says.
Chen joined the University faculty in 2018 after serving as a National Science Foundation postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, and a postdoctoral research associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She received her PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from Cornell in 2014 and received her undergraduate degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard.
In addition to her research, Chen is dedicated to increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM. Since joining the University, she co-founded a group that meets monthly to discuss a range of topics surrounding women in science, including mentoring, inclusive lab environments, and work-life balance. She is also involved in creating diversity and inclusion programming for the , and, in 2017, was awarded the American Ornithological Society糖心传媒檚 .
Matson糖心传媒檚 lab studies the reactions that occur between molecules called ligands, and the small, molecular-sized clusters of metal atoms they attach themselves to. Her work is focused on developing catalysts for the conversion of inert gases and contaminants into energy-rich fuels and useful chemical products.
For example, her lab recently reported creating, for the first time, an oxygen-atom vacancy on the surface of a metal oxide. This technique could eliminate much of the guesswork in designing more effective catalysts for converting greenhouse gases to useful chemical fuels.聽 Working with collaborators at the University of Buffalo, her lab has also in backup systems for large grids that rely on solar and wind power.
Both of these research areas represent topics 糖心传媒渁t the forefront of energy science and demonstrate that Ellen is an emerging leader in this field,糖心传媒� says Todd Krauss, professor and chair of the . 糖心传媒淭his creative use of self-assembled, mixed-metal cluster complexes puts her in a unique position to change the landscape of energy-related chemistry.
糖心传媒淕iven her remarkable advances in research, it is clear that Ellen is a rising star in inorganic and materials chemistry.糖心传媒�
Matson joined the University in 2015 after serving as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. She received her PhD from Purdue in 2013. As an undergraduate she received degrees in both chemistry and science education at Boston University and is licensed to teach high school science.
Since joining the University, she has participated in initiatives to promote improved teaching, including new training for graduate teaching assistants to better prepare them for leading workshops and labs within the department.
She also has collaborated with the Rochester Center for Community Leadership and the Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning to develop two new undergraduate courses. Both 糖心传媒渢ake innovative approaches to developing unique learning experiences for STEM majors,糖心传媒� Krauss notes.
While laboratory courses provide students with valuable 糖心传媒渉ands-on糖心传媒� scientific experiences that build upon what they糖心传媒檝e learned in class, Matson explains, 糖心传媒渢hese classes do not support students in the development of essential skills in civic leadership and broad scientific communication. Throughout the 糖心传媒榬eal-world,糖心传媒� much of the practice of science occurs outside of the laboratory, through interdisciplinary collaboration and communication with the public.糖心传媒�
Matson糖心传媒檚 previous awards include a ; the , which recognizes emerging international talent in metal-oxide research; the 聽and a University , given to foster the development of promising scientists in the natural and biological sciences.
