Two University of Hawaii at Manoa engineering professors have received one of the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards for junior researchers.

Peter J. Berkelman, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Yingbin Liang, assistant professor of electrical engineering, received CAREER Awards, which recognize those who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, education and integration of education and research.

Berkelman received a five-year, $534,356 grant for his proposal entitled “;CAREER: High Fidelity Haptic Interaction Using Large Range of Motion Magnetic Levitation Systems for Medical Applications.”;

Liang received a five-year, $399,998 award for her proposal, “;CAREER: Secure Communication via Source and Channel Randomness.”;

“;Both Peter and Yingbin have now joined the ranks of an elite group of young researchers in the United States,”; said Dean Peter E. Crouch.