This grant provides support for Prof. Wakefield under the Foundation's Presidential Young Investigator (PYI) program. His research centers on power spectral estimation which has a wide range of applications across the breadth of science and engineering. He seeks to provide better estimates of distribution of power versus frequency in the particularly important case of a small data record. This research combines theory and practice in a balanced manner. The PYI Awards program provides research support to the Nation's most outstanding and promising young science and engineering faculty. The awards are intended to improve the capability of U. S. academic institutions to respond to the demand for highly qualified science and engineering personnel for academic and industrial research and engineering. This PYI has made significant contributions to his field of engineering and has potential to become a leader in academic research and education. The diary note describes the rigorous selection procedure. A basic grant award of $25000 is highly recommended.
