Clinton Honors Prof With Teaching/Research Award

President Clinton has named University of Florida associate professor of chemistry Robert Kennedy as a recipient of the first Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

The award, created last spring, recognizes young scientists and researchers with outstanding accomplishments in education and research early in their academic careers. Kennedy, nominated for the award by the National Science Foundation, is one of 60 recipients representing all branches of federally funded research.

Kennedy, who has been at UF for five years, was recognized for his teaching efforts and his work in bioanalytical chemistry. His research is currently focused on finding better and faster ways of determining how insulin is secreted by cells in the pancreas.

``We are working on two different ways of measuring insulin,'' Kennedy said. ``We have developed a micro-electrode that sits next to the cell that measures how much insulin is secreted, as well as rapid immunoassay techniques based on capillary electrophoresis, which involves separating the insulin from the other components of the blood.''

This is not the first award for Kennedy, who also received the National Science Foundation's National Young Investigator Award in 1993. The PECASE award includes $200,000 in continued funding for Kennedy's research on insulin measurement techniques.

Edward Hunter

photo by Jeff Gage

Robert Kennedy