VALLE-LEVINSON TO RECEIVE NSF EARLY CAREER AWARD

Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, assistant professor of ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences, has received a prestigious Early Career Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his proposed research on the hydrodynamic exchange between estuaries and their adjacent waters.

The award is $500,000 for five years. The goal of his research is to propose a dynamic classification of estuary/ocean sub-tidal exchange processes. He also is trying to develop his long-term educational career goal of integrating hands-on experiences to enhance the learning process of physical oceanography concepts at different levels.

The NSF program emphasizes the importance the foundation places on the early development of academic careers dedicated to stimulating the discovery process in which the excitement of research is enhanced by inspired teaching and learning.

Valle-Levinson's project will use innovative materials and methods while integrating practical experiences and research issues for which students have some personal context. This will be achieved through collaborations with the educational curriculum and instruction department at Old Dominion, four high schools in Virginia, a local public television station, the Virginia Marine
Science Museum and the "Windows to the Universe" project at the University of Michigan.

In conjunction with his research, Valle-Levinson will develop and implement educational programs that integrate hands-on experiences geared toward undergraduates and high school students and will integrate multimedia techniques into educational programming for high school teachers and students and the general public.

The Faculty Early Career Development Program is a foundation-wide activity that supports junior faculty within the context of their overall career development. It combines in a single program the support of research and education of the highest quality and in the broadest sense.