Two faculty receive Presidential science awards

Two UW–Madison faculty were among 60 scientists nationwide Feb. 10 to receive Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers.

The awards, which vary from $200,000 to $500,000 over a period of four to five years, were given by President Clinton during a White House ceremony. They are the highest honors bestowed by the U.S. government upon outstanding new scientists and engineers.

UW–Madison winners are:

Pei Cao, an assistant professor of computer science. Cao, on the UW–Madison faculty since 1996, was honored for outstanding innovations in cache methods to improve World Wide Web servers and global Internet efficiency. She was also cited for developing new tools for realistic Internet simulators for student use.

Julie Anne Jacko, an assistant professor of industrial engineering at UW–Madison since summer 1998. Jacko received the award for innovations in matching partially sighted computer users with hardware/software combinations, allowing them to use graphical interfaces. She also developed graduate courses on related technologies.

The federal PECASE awards program, now in its third year, recognizes scientists who are in the early stages of their careers and need help establishing independent research. Grants are supported by all of the major federal science agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Energy (DOE). The two UW–Madison winners are sponsored by NSF.