The grants come from the National Science Foundation’s CAREER program, which provides funding for researchers to establish fundamental roles as lifetime leaders in their fields.
Two faculty members from the University of Tennessee Knoxville have received National Science Foundation CAREER grants. Stephanie Kivlin, who is an associate professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, has received a five year, $1.2 million grant, and Wei Wang of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering has received a five year, $505,407 grant.
According to an article on the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s website, Deborah Crawford, the university’s vice chancellor for research, innovation, and economic development, shared her enthusiasm for the work Kivlin and Wang will accomplish with their CAREER awards. Crawford is quoted as saying, “We are so very proud of this year’s awardees. Their work will yield new research insights and expose students at all levels to the joys and rewards of scientific discovery. Their recognition as NSF CAREER awardees brings distinction to our university and to Tennessee.”
Kivlin’s research will look into changes in plant species based on global climate change. Kivlin’s students will have the opportunity to work on the project as well, with her team collecting samples from 10 different species of trees in the eastern United States. The trees they will be collecting data from are foundational species. Kivlin and her students will study mycorrhizal fungi distributions in the roots of the plants.
Of what will be gained from such research, Kivlin said, “Understanding the drivers of coupled plant and mycorrhizal fungal distributions and how they may be threatened by global change will allow us to make much more accurate predictions of not only plants and fungi, but ecosystem-level carbon dioxide production and the relationship to climate change itself.”
Wang’s research could potentially advance the technology behind wearable smart devices and self cleaning textiles, among others. He and his students will be looking into the interactions between liquids and soft textured materials.
Speaking of a component of the project that will serve as a fun science experiment for kids in K-12 classrooms, Wang said, “We will also be creating a Magic of Soft Surfaces kit that will engage elementary, middle and high school students in fun science experiments and provide training opportunities for science teachers.”
For more information about the University of Tennessee Knoxville, visit the school’s website.