Presidential Early Career Awards

The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, or PECASE, are the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on science and engineering professors in the early stages of their research careers. Two UGA professors are among 105 professors announced as recipients, including Danny Krashen of the department of mathematics:

Established in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education or community outreach. The recipients receive the awards in person each spring at the White House.

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Krashen joined the UGA faculty in 2008 following postdoctoral positions at the University of California, Los Angeles, Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania. He began studying math more in depth to better understand physics, he said, and was quickly captivated by the beauty of its internal structure and ideas. With an interest in researching the interface of abstract algebra and geometry, his research focuses on the use of shape and geometry to gain insight into problems whose origins lie in algebra and arithmetic.

"My motivation for doing this research is aesthetic: I am compelled to do mathematics, because it is interesting in itself and I find it beautiful," he said. "While the work I am involved with now has no particular applications to current problems, as a pure mathematician, I hope that the foundational ideas we create now will help to make the science of 100 years from now possible."

And congratulations as well to associate professor of engineering Jo Walter, a PECASE recipient who has been an innovative, longtime collaborator with art and education faculty on campus. Terrific acknowledgement of the early accomplishments and extraordinary potential of these faculty members. And they get to meet the President.

Image: Associate professor Danny Krashen