Professors Receive Coveted National Awards, Grants
A French professor and an earth and environmental sciences professor have each received prestigious national grant awards in their respective fields of study.
Earth and Environmental Studies Professor Pankaj Lal recently received a five-year, $450,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development grant to explore sustainable bioenergy solutions in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The highly competitive award supports the research and education initiatives of early career teachers, and Lal’s project also serves as a conduit for research and student mentorship opportunities.
“I’m honored and excited to receive this prestigious award, which acknowledges that we are doing something special here at Montclair State in the study of the sustainability of renewable energy resources in general and bioenergy in particular,” says Lal, one of four faculty members to have ever received the NSF career grant. “The real-world value of this research makes this a worthwhile effort.”
French Professor Elizabeth Emery is one of 80 recipients nationwide to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to conduct archival research and complete a book about Clémence d’Ennery, a 19th-century, working-class Frenchwoman who amassed a collection of Asian art.
For Emery, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant will allow her to finish the book Clémence d’Ennery: A Female Connoisseur in the Age of Male Collecting, which will explore the obstacles female art collectors faced in the 1800s, particularly d’Ennery, who built a museum in Paris to house her collection, which is still on display today.
“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by the NEH because of its dedication to bringing widespread public attention to ideas and events that have impacted and continue to impact human development,” says Emery.