Research & Commercialization News
UMSL Faculty Member Receives Presidential Award
Twenty NSF nominees receive government's highest honor for scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers, including UMSL's Dr. Sonya Bahar
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| Dr. Sonya Bayhar, Director, Center for Neurodynamics, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, and winner of the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). |
(Nov. 1, 2007) An outstanding young UM-St. Louis faculty member was at the White House today to receive the National Science Foundation's prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
Dr. Sonya Bahar, Director, Center for Neurodynamics, is one of 20 young scientists from among those taking part in the NSF's Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) who received the additional distinction this year.
The PECASE program recognizes outstanding scientists and engineers who, early in their careers, show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of knowledge. This Presidential Award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. In addition to NSF's winners, there are 38 scientists nominated by other government agencies.
"We are delighted to have Professor Sonya Bahar as a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award," said Dr. Nasser Arshadi, Vice Provost for Research at UMSL. "Professor Bahar’s interdisciplinary research in computational models of neural synchronization provides promising solutions for human trauma patients. In her capacity as Director of the Center for Neurodynamics, Dr. Bahar has established an ambitious set of interdisciplinary research platforms. UM-St. Louis is truly proud of Dr. Bahar’s accomplishments.”
By receiving awards through the CAREER program, the PECASE winners had already demonstrated their success in integrating research and education within the context of the mission of their organization.
"These scientists and engineers have not only brought transformational ideas to their fields of study, they have also enriched the educational environment, especially in their roles as mentors," said Kathie L. Olsen, NSF's deputy director.