Today@Sam Article
SHSU Professors Receive NSF CAREER Award
July 23, 2024
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd
By Jette Morris
Sam Houston State University is proud to not have one, but two of its faculty receive the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award. This prestigious award aims to establish a foundation for lifelong leadership in integrating education and research.
David Moss from the Department of Environmental and Geosciences, and Meagan Hinze from the Department of Chemistry are the two COSET Faculty to receive NSF’s highest honor for early-career faculty. This award recognizes those who can significantly contribute to their academic communities.
Moss's case study, titled “Using Fossil Bivalves to Study Controls on Longevity and Establish a Palaeobiological Learning Ecosystem in Southeast Texas,” uses fossils to study longevity and fill gaps in our understanding of lifespans and growth rates in fossil organisms. This research provides insights valuable to both paleobiology and aging research.
Funding from the project will not only support Moss’s research goals but will also provide opportunities to enrich the experience of students in the Department of Environmental and Geosciences. In the spring of 2026 and ‘28, Moss will transform his Paleontology of Invertebrates course into a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). Students will travel to Florida to collect samples in the field and use them to answer authentic research questions. In addition, the project will support paid student lab assistant positions and support fieldwork and attendance at national conferences for undergraduate students each year.
Hinze’s project, titled “Development and Application of Oxidative Biocatalysts for Chiral Resolutions and Increasing Student Success in Organic Chemistry,” focuses on developing oxidative biocatalysts, leveraging enzymes to achieve selective synthesis of small molecules.
Hinze also aims to improve student success in organic chemistry, a challenging course for many, by creating activities and resources to help students excel. This will equip students with critical thinking tools for their STEM careers.
The NSF CAREER Program nurtures the next generation of academic leaders by supporting early-career faculty like Moss and Hinze. Their innovative research and dedication to education foster a future where academic leaders inspire in both research and in the classroom.
These projects are supported by the NSF CAREER Program. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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