Prestigious NSF Career Awards Go To Four Young Faculty
By Beth Potier, Media Relations
April 4, 2007
Four UNH faculty members have received prestigious Faculty Early Career
Development (CAREER) Awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The 2007 recipients are assistant professors Silas Beane, physics; Erin
Bell, civil engineering; Per Berglund, physics; and Brad Kinsey, mechanical
engineering.
Previous UNH recipients of the five-year award who are still pursuing
CAREER-funded research are Jo Daniel, assistant professor of civil engineering;
Serita Frey, associate professor of natural resources; Rob Griffin, assistant
professor of earth sciences; Karsten Pohl, associate professor of physics;
Julia Rodriguez, associate professor of history and women’s studies;
and Elizabeth Varki, associate professor of computer science.
The CAREER awards, which range from $400,000 to $600,000 over five years,
go to faculty members in the early stages of promising research and education
careers in a variety of disciplines. Awardees are distinguished as leaders
for their extensive research accomplishments and noteworthy educational
contributions.
“These grants provide important seed money early in a young faculty
member’s career, and many recipients are able to leverage the awards
and the prestige they bring for additional funding. A CAREER award sets
a direction for important faculty research,” says John Aber, vice
president for research at UNH. “It’s a tribute to these young
scientists – and to UNH as a research institution – that we
had more CAREER award recipients this year than any other.” Aber
notes that UNH actively encourages young faculty members to apply for these
awards by hosting educational forums and providing assistance.
Beane’s CAREER proposal, “Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD)
Calculations of Nuclear Interactions,” outlines a program to perform
pioneering calculations of simple nuclear properties using lattice quantum
chromodynamics, a form of quantum chromodynamics amenable to large-scale
supercomputer simulations. In addition, Beane proposes to perform precision
lattice QCD calculations of fundamental particle properties that are essential
for a deeper understanding of the Standard Model of particle physics and
its possible extensions. (full
abstract)
Bell’s research, “Integrating Structural Health Monitoring,
Intelligent Transportation Systems and Model Updating Into a Bridge Condition
Assessment Framework,” aims to develop a framework for assessing
the condition of bridges in a way that integrates information collected
through structural health monitoring (SHM) and intelligent transportation
systems (ITS) into a model updating program for highway bridge decision-making
and management. “There are several challenges that have limited the
successful use of model updating for assessing the condition of bridges,” says
Bell. “My research proposes to address two of these challenges – modeling
error and measurement error – by advancing the analytical and experimental
components of model updating.” The proposed model updating procedure
will exploit SHM and ITS data for a selected bridge in New Hampshire providing
information relating to the performance (SHM) and usage (ITS) of the bridge.
(full abstract)
Berglund will use his award to explore “Topics in String Compactifications.” “String
theory has emerged as a leading candidate for a quantum theory of gravity,
that is, a theory that encompasses both quantum mechanics and Einstein’s
theory of general relativity,” says Berglund. “A remaining
challenge is the identification of the appropriate set of background conditions
relevant to the formation of our universe.”
He will use constraints from cosmology, such as the cosmic microwave background,
to put restrictions on the inflationary type potentials obtained from string
theory. Another aspect of Berglund’s research is the study of black
holes in string theory. This will provide important information in trying
to understand the black hole information puzzle. (full
abstract)
Kinsey’s “Development of Hyperplastic and Superplastic Microforming
Processes and Related Educational Activities” will utilize a combined
fundamental and applied research approach to create effective
hyperplastic (high strain rate) and superplastic (elevated temperature
with small grain
size) microforming processes. At the macroscale, these processes
are too slow and energy intensive to be practical for high production rate
applications,
but at the microscale, due to the reduced energy and force
requirements, these processes will provide for a low-cost, compact processing
technique.
The knowledge gained through this research at the microscale
will lead to the advancement of microscale systems for energy generation,
environmental
monitoring, and biomedical applications. Further, undergraduate
and graduate students will benefit from the integration of research results
into course
material, international experiences, and involvement in this
industrial relevant, multidisciplinary research. (full
abstract)
Educational outreach is built in to the cutting-edge research of all four
CAREER recipients. Through the construction of simple computer programs,
Beane’s research will also focus on the teaching of elementary physics
at the high-school and undergraduate levels. Bell will provide educators
with a fun and educational activity using buildable bridge models that
tell the story of engineering in relation to social studies, science and
math. Berglund plans to capitalize on the existing infrastructure at the
University of New Hampshire for interactions with high schools by bringing
cutting-edge science into local high schools. And Kinsey will capitalize
on the nature of the hyperplastic and superplastic forming, which lends
itself to high school outreach activities, through physics principles such
as impact mechanics and chemistry principles such as grain size and structure.
The National Science Foundation established the CAREER program in 1995
to help top-performing scientists and engineers develop their contributions
and commitment to research and education early in their careers. Awards
go to those working in the physics, biology, geology, engineering, mathematics,
computer science, social and behavioral science, economics, and education
and human resources.
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