Building on several unique curricular and CO-curricular strengths as well as the resources of its 186-acre forested campus, drew university - a highly selective, private institution of higher…

Building on several unique curricular and CO-curricular strengths as well as the resources of its 186-acre forested campus, drew university - a highly selective, private institution of higher education located in northern new jersey - has launched a multi-pronged effort to transform itself into a vibrant national center for education, research, "best practices," and public outreach related to the environment and sustainability. To support the continued enhancement and expansion of those aspects of this effort that relate directly to environmental science, drew university respectfully seeks a three-year grant of $1 million from the national aeronautics and space administration (NASA). The requested funds, congressionally-appropriated as part of the FY 2010 federal budget, will specifically be used to seed the establishment of a new and much-needed faculty line in environmental physics, i.e., a physicist whose teaching and research focuses on some aspect of applying the approach and tools of physics to analyzing and mitigating environmental problems. At present, drew's faculty in environmental science does not include a physicist; as such, the creation of this new faculty line will considerably strengthen teaching and research in this interdisciplinary field, enabling US both to offer a fuller menu of environmental science courses and to provide our students with more extensive faculty-mentored research opportunities. Depending on the successful candidate's particular teaching and research interests, his or her appointment to drew will allow US to offer coursework and research experiences related to, for instance, renewable energy, energy efficiency, materials engineering for energy storage and conversion, the management of nuclear waste, and the functioning of components of earth systems. The requested NASA grant will pay the salary and benefits for this position for academic years 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14, subsidize start-up costs associated with the new faculty line, and provide funding for the new faculty member to pursue research, with drew undergraduates, during the summers OF2012, 2013, and 2014. A portion of the grant will also be used to fund a new laboratory technician / assistant position, which will support coursework and research in environmental science, including the anticipated work of our new environmental physicist and our two-semester laboratory-based introductory chemistry course - a sequence that environmental studies and sustainability majors who choose to pursue the environmental science track are required to complete.