Nov. 8, 2010

Three University of Michigan researchers, including SNRE's Shelie Miller, are among the 85 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the nation's highest honor for professionals at the outset of their independent research careers. Ten federal departments and agencies annually nominate scientists and engineers whose work shows exceptional promise for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge. Participating agencies award these talented researchers up to five years of funding to further their work in support of critical government missions.

Miller, who joined SNRE this fall as an assistant professor, was nominated by the National Science Foundation, is developing a research tool to predict the environmental impacts of novel renewable energy sources such as switchgrass, a native perennial grass that is considered a promising biofuel candidate.

"The idea is that it's reasonably easy to determine the environmental impacts of systems that are already in use, but the systems we really need to know about are the ones we haven't created yet," Miller said. "The ultimate goal is to make sure we're not creating significant new environmental impacts as we pursue potential solutions to the energy problem." Miller will also produce an educational video that examines public perceptions about bioenergy and explores some of the myths surrounding the topics.

The U-M researchers honored are:

•  Cell biologist Haoxing Xu, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology.
•  Engineer Jerome Lynch, an associate professor in the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Electrical Engineering and Computer  Science.