Seven NDSU women faculty women have been awarded NDSU FORWARD course releases for the 2009 spring and fall semesters. Course release funding, provided by the National Science Foundation Advance grant, is designed to increase research productivity of tenure-track or tenured women faculty in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines by providing a one‐time, one-semester release from teaching responsibilities.

Lisa Montplaisir, assistant professor of biological sciences, received a course release for the spring semester. Six women will have course releases for the 2009 fall semester. They are Maria Alfonseca-Cubero, assistant professor of mathematics; Lingling Fan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; Chris Kelland Friesen, assistant professor of psychology; Wendy Gordon, assistant professor of psychology; Mila Kryjevskaia, assistant professor of physics; and Jane Schuh, assistant professor of veterinary and microbiological sciences.

The National Science Foundation Advance grant provides support for five to six course releases annually during the project's five-year duration. Priority for the course release awards is given to assistant professors who have completed their third-year review and associate professors within two years of promotion to full professor.

Future application opportunities will be announced in "It's Happening at State" and at www.ndsu.edu/forward. For more information about course release awards or other funding opportunities through the Advance FORWARD project, contact Canan Bilen‐Green at canan.bilen.green@ndsu.edu or 1‐7040.