Dr. Maria Z. A. Pour has won a National Science Foundation Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award.
Michael Mercier | UAH
New research in phased array antenna engineering and new antenna engineering classes for students at 糖心原创出品 (UAH) are being advanced after an assistant professor鈥檚 five-year, $500,000 National Science Foundation Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award.
Dr. Maria Z. A. Pour, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, garnered the award on her first proposal submission. CAREER awards are NSF鈥檚 most prestigious awards 鈥渋n support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through research, education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations."
The NSF allots tenure-track junior faculty three proposals maximum for CAREER award consideration during their tenure-track career. In engineering, about 15 percent of proposals are awarded on average.
鈥淚鈥檓 really happy to win this award, and especially on the first try," says Dr. Pour, whose research interests are in the areas of antennas, applied electromagnetics and remote sensing.
鈥淭here is a growing demand for advancement in antenna technologies," she says. 鈥淭hey are ubiquitous."
Dr. Pour鈥檚 proposed research focuses on phased array antennas, an array of antenna elements that create a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the antennas.
鈥淧hased array antennas have a promising potential for the next generation of wireless technologies," she says. Applications include remote sensing, advanced radar, next generation mobile communications, and wireless communications for military, space and satellites.
鈥淭his new research opens the doors to electronically reconfiguring the element spacing and the radiation patterns with wide-angle scanning capabilities," says Dr. Pour.
The research will pave the way to a new phased array antenna design and then a prototype. Initial experimental efforts will be performed at UAH and Huntsville鈥檚 Adtran Inc. Full prototype testing will be conducted at the University of Michigan鈥檚 Radiation Laboratory (Radlab).
In a military technology environment like Huntsville鈥檚, antenna engineering is a subject of much interest. Yet while demand grows, finding people trained in these technologies can be difficult.
That鈥檚 why Dr. Pour鈥檚 proposal includes an outreach program to foster participation by local colleges in antenna research activities, to engage high school students in workshops held at UAH and to attract young students, particularly from underrepresented groups, to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. Her plans have been well received by Alabama A&M University and by Huntsville City Schools.
鈥淐urrently, there鈥檚 a noticeable shortage in antenna scientists and engineers," says Dr. Pour. Students who matriculate in these areas have excellent chances of finding employment upon graduation, she says.
An antenna workshop at UAH will draw together students from high schools and college with professionals working in this field from the greater Huntsville area, Dr. Pour says.
By filling the workshop with STEM education opportunities and student research reports, she hopes to reach out to spark early interest in young students and provide an atmosphere where students can connect with those already in industry.
鈥淭his will open many opportunities for students to establish relationships and to find internships and cooperative work opportunities," says Dr. Pour. 鈥淢y plan with this workshop is to be able to foster those types of beneficial relationships."