January 2009 Issue

UGA Scientists Receive Early-Career Awards from White House

Two University of Georgia scientists have been awarded the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists and engineers beginning their careers.

Dr. Sonia Altizer, associate professor in the Odum School of Ecology, and Dr. Chad Fertig, assistant professor of physics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, were among 68 researchers honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at a White House Ceremony in December.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy looks for a combination of “innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and community service demonstrated through scientific leadership and community outreach” in selecting honorees.

“This is a tremendous honor for Dr. Altizer and Dr. Fertig, and I congratulate them on behalf of the entire university,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “The fact that two of the 68 honorees are on this campus speaks to the growing strength of the UGA research program in the sciences and the university’s commitment to supporting and developing outstanding young faculty.”

Altizer studies the ecological and genetic relationships between pathogens and their hosts. She has helped connect the public with scientific research through a recently developed citizen science project in which volunteers from across North America examine monarch butterfly-parasite interactions.

Fertig uses Bose-Einstein condensates to explore magnetism at the atomic level. He also was recognized for his role in creating links between university faculty and high-school educators to promote careers in science and technology among youth.