Source: ORAU | Release | June 18, 2018
ORAU has awarded competitive research grants totaling $180,000 to 36 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.
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 2018-2019 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. 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 698 grants totaling more than $3.4 million. Including the matching funds from member institutions, ORAU has facilitated grants worth more than $6.9 million.
“The Powe Awards program is very popular and beneficial to our member universities because it provides an opportunity for young faculty members to further their research careers and helps them identify potential funding avenues,” said Arlene Garrison, ORAU Vice President, University Partnerships Office. “ORAU is proud to recognize the research and professional growth of these emerging leaders as they support the future of science and technology.”
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 28th 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 2018-2019 academic year are listed below:
| 2018-2019 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty
Enhancement Award Winners |
|
Award Recipient |
Sponsoring Institution |
| Alexander Davis | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Ellison Carter | Colorado State University |
| Blair Brettmann | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Henry La Pierre | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Mary Elting | North Carolina State University |
| Shu Yang | North Carolina State University |
| Vicky Doan-Nguyen | Ohio State University |
| Shiyu Zhang | Ohio State University |
| Lei Wu | Ohio University |
| Rebekah Dawson | Penn State University |
| Janelle Wharry | Purdue University |
| Meng Li | Rice University |
| Adam Norris | Southern Methodist University |
| Minghao Rostami | Syracuse University |
| Liang Du | Temple University |
| Nicholas Sandoval | Tulane University |
| Feng Yan | University of Alabama |
| Lingyan Kong | University of Alabama |
| Kannatassen Appavoo | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Chenguang Fan | University of Arkansas |
| Jingjie Wu | University of Cincinnati |
| Rawad Saleh | University of Georgia |
| Sachin Handa | University of Louisville |
| Gregg Duncan | University of Maryland |
| Thang Hoang | University of Memphis |
| Saumen Chakraborty | University of Mississippi |
| Qi An | University of Nevada, Reno |
| Tao Yang | University of North Texas |
| Yihan Shao | University of Oklahoma |
| Filippo Mangolini | University of Texas at Austin |
| Piran Ravichandran Kidambi | Vanderbilt University |
| Qingguo Xu | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Xianming Bai | Virginia Tech |
| Jordan McCall | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Timothy Dittrich | Wayne State University |
| Aaron Robart | West Virginia University |
For more information on fellowships, awards and grants offered by ORAU, visit https://www.orau.org/university-partnerships/members-only/default.aspx
ORAU provides innovative scientific and technical solutions to advance national priorities in science, health, education and national security. Through specialized teams of experts, unique laboratory capabilities and access to a consortium of more than 100 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to advance national priorities and serve the public interest. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, ORAU manages ORISE for DOE. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org.
