Three Michigan Tech Faculty Win NSF CAREER Awards
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has named three assistant professors at Michigan Tech winners of NSF CAREER Awards. Veronica Griffis, (CEE), Shari Stockero (CLS) and Greg Waite (GMES) received the 2011 awards.
CAREER Awards are among the most prestigious honors granted by the NSF. They recognize faculty members early in their careers who are effectively integrating research and teaching.
“The CAREER program recognizes and supports teacher-scholars who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century,” said David Reed, vice president for research. ”These young faculty members add tremendously to the reputation of Michigan Tech.”
Griffis’s research seeks to develop a statistical model for projecting future flood risk in the northeastern US, accounting for impacts of natural climate variability, potential climate change and impending land use changes.
‘I hope this work will increase high school students’ awareness of the impact of human activities on water resources, and that it will increase undergraduates’ interest in pursuing advanced degrees in science and engineering, “ Griffis said. The project will include field trips for area ninth graders, development of an interactive web module and corresponding lesson plans. Graduate and undergraduate students will participate in community outreach activities, and the research will be integrated into undergraduate water resources coursework.
Stockero is designing teacher education experiences to help beginning mathematics teachers "notice" and build on important student questions and comments that are often missed by inexperienced teachers. Prospective teachers will record and analyze math instruction in local schools. During later student teaching, the future math teachers will use what they’ve learned as they interact with students in classrooms.
“This award is an exciting opportunity for me to build on my current research by testing some of what I've learned about supporting beginning mathematics teachers in practice.,” said Stockero. “I'm hoping that this study will be a step towards helping us better prepare mathematics teachers to be responsive to all students.”
Waite’s research focuses on the dynamics of small-scale volcanic earthquakes that result from the interactions of multiphase magmatic fluids with conduit walls. He and his students will collect data on sulfur-dioxide emissions, low-frequency sound, and ground tilt, along with seismic data to construct better models. “Ultimately this work will push waveform modeling of volcano seismic signals into wider use,” he said.
NSF has recognized three Michigan Tech faulty members with CAREER Awards twice before, in 2004 and 2007.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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