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HATTIESBURG
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A chemistry professor at The University of Southern Mississippi
is one of 24 recent national recipients of the Ralph E. Powe Junior
Faculty Enhancement Award.
In his first
year as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of
Chemistry and Biochemistry, Dr. Andrew Lowe won the $10,000 award
intended to provide seed money for research by junior faculty at
member institutions of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).
"We are
excited that Dr. Lowe has received this very competitive award,"
said Dr. Cecil Burge, Associate Vice President for Research and
Technology Transfer at Southern Miss.
"These
awards are especially meaningful to Mississippi faculty because
of the dedication of the late Ralph E. Powe and the Mississippi
Research Consortium to growing the research enterprise at all Mississippi
research institutions," Burge continued.
Lowe won the
award based on a proposal detailing his research into the application
of polymers synthesized by a method called Reversible Addition-Fragmentation
Chain Transfer (RAFT). This research has a number of biological
applications such as drug encapsulation and antibacterial surfaces.
It can also provide a benefit to the environment by enhancing the
recovery of oil.
Lowe's already
extensive publication list includes a number of groundbreaking papers
on water dispersible polymers. He is currently researching the synthesis
of water-soluble polymers in a controlled fashion directly in aqueous
media.
"This
award is very significant to me since it is my first independent
award," said Lowe, who was a postdoctoral research fellow at
the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom and a senior postdoctoral
research fellow at Southern Miss.
Lowe said the
award would allow him to buy some needed "extras" for
his 1,000- square-foot research laboratory, stocked with glassware,
four hoods and other small equipment. "My first graduate student
has just started in the lab, and this money will allow me to purchase
him a computer, as well as provide travel funds for attending national
and international conferences over the next 18 months or so,"
Lowe said.
The award amount
provided by ORAU is $5,000, with Southern Miss required to match
the award with at least an additional $5,000. The institution's
award can include funds for travel, equipment or other assistance
relevant to the faculty's research.
In addition
to Lowe's postdoctoral work in Sussex and at Southern Miss, he has
"spent time in laboratories around the world (Ontario and Prague)
in collaborative research efforts, showing his independence and
initiative," said Dr. Robert C. Bateman, professor and chair
of the Department of Chemistry.
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