Purdue News
Purdue News
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February 28, 1986 Three Purdue Professors Received Presidential Young Investigator AwardsWest Lafayette, Ind. – Three Purdue University professors are among 100 young researchers nationwide who have been named to receive Presidential Young Investigator Awards. Each recipient will receive up to $100,000 a year for five years in a combination of federal grants and private matching funds. Purdue recipients are Jeffrey L. Bennetzen, assistant professor of biological sciences; Tien-Chien "Ted" Chang, assistant professor of industrial engineering; and Brent W. Webb, a doctoral student in Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering. The awards are administered by the National Science Foundation. They are intended to help universities attract and retain outstanding young science and engineering professors. Bennetzen, 33, said he will use the award to continue his research in genetic engineering. He is currently studying the way in which plants rearrange their genomes, or genetic material, during the natural course of evolution. "In particular, this grant is to study a type of transposable DNA element which can drastically alter the genetic potential of the maize genome," he added. Bennetzen said his research may help scientists gain a greater understanding how evolution occurs at the molecular level, and could provide a tool for biotechnologists and genetic engineers. Bennetzen joined the faculty at Purdue in 1983. He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of California at San Diego in 1974 and received a Ph.D. degree from the University of Washington in 1980. Chang, 32, specializes in computer-aided manufacturing. He is currently working in the area of automated process planning to develop a computer system capable of planning and executing each detailed step of the manufacturing process. "The award will enable me to continue work in this area and expand to some other areas of manufacturing, such as electronics," he said. Chang came to Purdue in 1982. He received a bachelor's degree from Chung Yuan University in Taiwan in 1976, and earned his master's and Ph.D. degrees at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1980 and 1982, respectively. Webb, 29, is completing work on his Ph.D. degree under the direction of Purdue Professor Raymond Viskanta. He is specializing in the area of heat-transfer, and is currently studying the radiationinduced natural convection and melting of semi-transparent materials. "My research is of a fundamental nature, but may some day be applied in areas such as advanced materials processing, solar-energy utilization and the growth of pure crystals," said Webb. He plans to finish his work at Purdue this summer and seek a teaching position at a major university. Webb received his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering at Brigham Young University. This year's winners will join the ranks of eight other Purdue faculty members who have received Presidential Young Investigator Awards. Supriyo Datta, associate professor of electrical engineering; Stanton Gelvin, associate professor of biology; Kathleen Howell, assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics; and Michael Ladisch, professor of food, agricultural and chemical engineering, received awards in 1984, the first year for the program. Last year, awards were given to Mikhail Atallah, assistant professor of computer sciences; Jean-Lou A. Chameau, associate professor of civil engineering: Daniel S. Elliott, assistant professor of electrical engineering; and Joseph Katz, assistant professor of hydro-mechanics. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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