Amy E. Hixon, assistant professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, serves as a GLOBES faculty advisor and is a member of the GLOBES Executive Committee. She recently received an Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation for her research, "Molecular-scale behavior of actinide elements at the mineral-water interface." Hixon and her research group are studying the environmental behavior of the actinide element plutonium, which is important to society because of its use in power generation and national security. The goal is to study the relationships between plutonium concentration, the particle size of a mineral, and the structure of the mineral. Hixon is also working with local high school teachers to develop new teaching materials and she is creating opportunities for Girl Scouts to earn the Get to Know Nuclearbadge.
CAREER awards are the NSF’s most prestigious grant available to early career faculty, and over the past six years, Notre Dame researchers have received more than 40 of these highly competitive awards. Read more.
UPDATE: Prof. Hixon has just been appointed the new Director of the GLOBES program.