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Three young scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have received prominent awards from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy to support their research.

Three young scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have received prominent awards from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy to support their research.

Erik J. Alexanian, Ph.D., an assistant professor of chemistry, and Jason L. Metcalfe, Ph.D., an assistant professor of mathematics, received Early Career Development Awards from the foundation. The awards honor exemplary research and education by teacher-scholars in the early stages of their careers. Rene Lopez, Ph.D., an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, received an Early Career Research Award from the department. The award is designed to support to exceptional researchers early in their careers and provide incentives for scientists to focus on high priority energy research areas.

The awards are five-year grants. All three scientists are in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Alexanian’s $550,000 award will allow him to develop new chemical reactions capable of providing direct access to valuable classes of bioactive compounds from simple, readily accessed hydrocarbons. He also will establish an outreach program involving chemistry department graduate students giving presentations at local high schools that show the impact of synthetic chemistry on everyday life. The presentations will be videotaped and made available over the Internet.

Metcalfe’s $411,000 award will fund his research on the behavior of waves near black holes, trying to quantify their tendency to decay and disperse. Through his proposal, Metcalfe will develop a course on general relativity, as well as a first-year seminar.

Lopez’ $811,000 award will support his work in designing high-efficiency, dye-sensitized solar cells. He was among 65 recipients from a pool of 1,150 applicants for the award. Lopez previously won an innovation award from the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement to support his solar energy research.

Websites: http://www.nsf.gov

http://www.energy.gov

College of Arts and Sciences contact: Kim Spurr, (919) 962-4093, spurrk@email.unc.edu
News Services contact: Patric Lane, (919) 962-8596, patric_lane@unc.edu

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