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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University
www.las.iastate.edu

1-21-09

Contacts:
Malika Jeffries-EL, Chemistry, (515) 294-5759 (malikaj@iastate.edu)
Laura Engelson, Liberal Arts & Sciences Communications, (515) 294-6426 (lge@iastate.edu)

Malika Jeffries-EL Receives National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award

AMES, Iowa – Junior faculty of NSF-eligible organizations have only three opportunities to apply for the NSF CAREER Award, a prestigious award in support of non-tenured faculty. Malika Jeffries-EL, an assistant professor of chemistry at Iowa State University, received the NSF CAREER Award on her first attempt.

The award recognizes junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and integration of education and research within the context of their organization’s mission.

“I’m really excited because it’s a very competitive program,” Jeffries-EL said. “I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders to get research funding, and I’m glad to clear that hurdle.”

Her current research involves polymers, particularly the development of a new class of materials and exploring how to manipulate the chemical structures to introduce new properties into the polymer. Jeffries-EL said this research is different than her graduate and post-doctoral research, which may have helped identify her as a scholar in the chemistry field and therefore receive this award.

“It’s good to know the outer community views my ideas as solid,” she said. “This was research I developed independently as a young investigator and it’s nice to know the review panel regarded it favorably.”

The five-year NSF award will fund Jeffries-EL’s research, including the purchase of chemicals, supplies and graduate student support. “One of the most exciting aspects of this award is that I can focus on my science, because for the next five years I don’t have to worry about a funding source,” she said.

In addition to conducting research, Jeffries-EL said she will publish papers, make scholarly presentations, write annual reports and may participate in workshops related to her NSF research.

Jeffries-EL’s 15-page research proposal for this award included her interest in scientific research, education and outreach. The outreach portion is significantly weighed by NSF, she said, especially in regards to each project’s potential for community impact. Jeffries-EL is involved in the Iowa Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, as well as the SCIENCE BOUND program. She is also the co-advisor to the ISU chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCCHE). Jeffries-EL said these organizations expose a diverse population to chemistry.

In addition to the NSF CAREER award, Jeffries-EL’s award list includes a 3M non-tenured faculty grant and an ACS/PROGRESS/Dreyfus Lectureship. She was also the first Gregory L. and Kathleen C. Geoffroy Faculty Fellow in the College of LAS for 2005-2008.

Jeffries-EL joined Iowa State in 2005. Her teaching load has included elementary organic chemistry for non-majors, organic chemistry for majors, a graduate class in spectroscopy, and special topics in polymer science.

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