$226,000 In Dupont Grants Aids Colleges, Research

10-29-97
University Park, Pa.-Recent grants totaling $226,000 from Du Pont's Educational Aid Program will support 20 departments, programs and research efforts at Penn State.

Ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, 13 of the grants are designated to faculty in the departments of agricultural and biological engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, computer science and engineering, electrical engineering, engineering science and mechanics, and materials science and engineering. These grants will support innovative teaching and research initiatives for which other funds are inadequate or unavailable.

Four of the grants, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, are designated for the same purposes to faculty or staff in the Smeal College of Business Administration's departments of accounting and finance, Center for Logistics Research and Institute for the Study of Business Markets.

Two minority education grants are for the Penn State chapter of the national Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) program in the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Minority Engineering Program. These grants, of $5,000 and $10,000, respectively, are to increase the availability of high quality under-represented minority graduates in disciplines of interest to Du Pont.

Lastly, a $25,000 Young Professor Grant goes to Xumu Zhang, an assistant professor of chemistry in the Eberly College of Science. This grant helps young faculty members-who may have difficulty finding sufficient funds for start-up support-develop highly original research early in their academic careers.

**gwc**