4 researchers win NSF CAREER awards

by Elizabeth Luciano, News Office staff

our faculty members have received CAREER awards from the National Science Foundation. The highly competitive five-year awards are granted to faculty under the age of 35. The awards emphasize the importance the foundation places on integrating research and education activities in academic careers. The researchers who have been honored are Surita Bhatia of Chemical Engineering, Bryan Coughlin and Todd Emrick, both of Polymer Science and Engineering, and Steven Reising, Electrical and Computer Engineering.

     Bhatia studies complex fluids and polymeric materials, and has been a member of the faculty since 2001. Her award is for $400,000. Complex fluids, also called "soft materials," have been investigated for a wide variety of applications, including paints, coatings, adhesives, cosmetics, skin- and eye-care products, and food additives. More recently, surfactant solutions and polymeric materials have been researched for their potential to aid in the delivery of drugs to particular sites in the body. Bhatia earned her doctorate at Princeton University, and did her undergraduate work at the University of Delaware. She also was the winner of a 2002 Dupont Young Professor Award.

     Coughlin specializes in synthetic polymer chemistry. His grant will total $400,000. Specifically, he is interested in polymerization catalysts -- that is, working with the materials that spur molecules to form the extremely long chains known as polymers. He also studies polymer synthesis and characterization; the mechanics of polymers; and ways of influencing a polymer's properties based on the catalyst that is used. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, and has numerous publications, presentations, and patents. He completed his undergraduate work at Grinnell College in Iowa, and earned his doctoral degree at the California Institute of Technology. Coughlin worked in industry for several years before joining the faculty in 1999.

     Emrick studies problems in organic chemistry and polymer science. Emrick's grant is for $475,000. His research group concentrates on organic aspects of polymer science with an emphasis on new materials. The value of new materials is in their potential to be used in many applications, Emrick notes. Some of the materials are relevant to nanotechnology. Other efforts include the synthesis of polymeric biomaterials that have uses in medicine, including such areas as bioadhesion and the use of macromolecules in drug-therapy treatments. Emrick earned his bachelor's degree at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Penn., and received a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Chicago. He is part of a team that recently published details of research in nanotechnology in the journal Science. He joined the faculty in 2000.

     Reising, who is studying the design, fabrication and deployment of innovative sensors to improve measurement of the three-dimensional distribution of water vapor in the atmosphere, will receive $451,200 over the next five years.

     "Knowledge of the distribution of water vapor is fundamental for short-range prediction of precipitation and severe weather," said Reising, who is a member of the Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory. "Currently, meteorologists have very limited information in terms of wind, temperature and humidity observations in pre-storm environments. This lack of information limits the improvement of forecasting ability for extreme weather events."

     The project will emphasize the development of a network of weather sensors that are smaller, lighter, and consume less energy than those currently used in weather observation and research. Chips developed for wireless technology would enable such a network of sensors to be developed, giving meteorologists and scientists higher-resolution information regarding weather conditions before storms begin. These miniaturized sensors, about the size of a clock-radio, may also perform needed weather and climate observations from unpiloted aircraft.

     The educational portion of this CAREER program will introduce atmospheric science to undergraduate students in electrical and computer engineering through novel methods of instruction connecting curriculum content with "real-world" applications and promoting peer-to-peer learning. In addition, promising undergraduates will be involved in hands-on experimental work through design and fabrication of remote sensors in the laboratory.