The National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded ADVANCE program, in cooperation with the offices of the president and provost, has made nine Elizabeth Caroline Crosby Research Awards to advance the careers of women in science and engineering at U-M.

The awards totaling $100,600 were announced in December by Abigail Stewart, principal investigator of the NSF ADVANCE grant.

Proposals were judged on two criteria: the quality and significance of the scholarly activity itself and, equally important, its value in enhancing women’s participation and advancement in science and engineering at the University. A panel of senior scientists and engineers selected the winners.

“The selection committee had very hard decisions to make. There were many outstanding proposals and they were only able to support a small proportion of those who applied,” Stewart says. “They aimed to provide support to projects that were particularly distinguished and at the same time had the clearest claim to ‘making a difference’ to women scientists’ career trajectory.”

The winners are: Kathleen L. Collins, Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, HIV immune evasion; Kristina Hakansson, Chemistry Department, Tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry for nucleic acid structural characterization; Smadar Karni, Department of Mathematics, Computational methods for compressible gas dynamics; Susan Murray, Department of Biostatistics, Quality-of-life-adjusted analysis of correlated landmark event times; Mary E. Putman, Department of Astronomy, The Milky Way’s eating habits; Gabrielle Rudenko, Department of Pharmacology, Life Sciences Institute, Biochemical, biophysical and structural studies of neurexins and DeltaFosB; Debra A. Thompson, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Department of Biological Chemistry, Phagocytic signaling pathways in the retina; Katsuyo Thornton, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The instabilities of steps on semiconductor surfaces; and Priscilla Tucker, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, A genome-wide assessment of reproductive isolation in a house mouse hybrid zone.

Crosby award recipients collaborate on research with national and international colleagues in their fields; present papers and plenary addresses at national and international conferences; develop pilot research evidence to support applications for external funding; and mentor and introduce students—including women—to scientific and engineering fields of study.

The awards also provide support for family life demands that affect women more than men and can interfere with research-related activities. These include pregnancy and childcare, as well as other kinds of caregiving.

For more information, go to http://www.umich.edu/~advproj/grants.html.