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The annual Powe award recognizes exceptional academic work by junior university faculty across several disciplines, including engineering, mathematics, life sciences and physical sciences. The award confers a $5,000 grant, plus LSU match, in support of professional growth through the early stages of an academic career. Chemist Donghui Zhang studies the design and synthesis of new materials, including polymers and molecules, with numerous nanotechnology and biomedical applications. She describes her work as multidisciplinary, addressing issues “that lie at the interface of synthetic chemistry, materials science and biomedical science and engineering.” Zhang will use her award to visit the Oakridge National Laboratory in Tennessee to collaborate with laboratory staff and access user facilities for her experiments. Michael Benton, the Gordon A. and Mary Cain professor of chemical engineering, studies the expression of genes under varying conditions of cellular growth. His research seeks to identify stresses in the cellular microenvironment that can lead to nutrient depletion, DNA damage and potentially to cancer. Benton’s grant will support travel to Bethesda, Md., and research with a collaborator at the National Institutes of Health. “We are trying to develop experimental procedures that will give us insight into how cells sense and respond to mutagenic and carcinogenic chemicals. Increasing our knowledge in this area … will ultimately lower the death rate from many types of cancer.” LSU Chancellor Michael Martin and Vice Chancellor for Research & Economic Development Brooks Keel presented Zhang and Benton with plaques commemorating their awards on July 15. Said Keel, “The recruitment and retention of young, rising star faculty will keep LSU among America’s top research universities. This award marks Drs. Zhang and Benton as firmly in that category.” -30- |
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