Southern Polytechnic State University's Dr. Julie Newell has received a significant grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that will enable her to complete her research on the history of science.

Newell, an associate professor in SPSU's social and international studies program, has received $135,020 from the Science and Technology Studies program of the NSF. These funds will support a full year of work on Newell's project "Geology and the Emergence of Science as a Profession in the United States," allowing Newell a year without teaching responsibilities to focus on her research.

"Obviously, I am thrilled that the project has been funded, and that I will be able to finish research that I first began over a decade ago," said Newell,

"Geologists of the 19^th century were the first group of scientists in the U.S. who figured out how to make a living doing science," said Newell. "In my research, I'm looking at two questions: why geology was the first science, and how do the solutions of geologists shape the way we think about and fund science in the United States today."

Newell, named Southern Polytechnic's Teacher of the Year in 1999, discussed the early results of her research in her Teacher of the Year lecture in April of 1999.

The National Science Foundation is an independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting science and engineering through programs that invest $3.3 billion per year in almost 20,000 research and education projects in science and engineering.