9701998 Barabasi This is a CAREER award to a new faculty member and, as such, involves both research and education. The research component is comprised of a study of the connection between theory and experiment which aims for a coherent understanding of the basic mechanisms and universality classes determining the morphology of interfaces moving in porous media. The influence of disorder and fluctuations on surface morphology will be investigated. The research has implications for oil recovery and environmental research. The educational part of the award involves utilizing the world wide web for improving graduate courses. A comprehensive database will be developed of instructional materials available on the web. Effective incorporation of this material into the curriculum will result in a virtual meta-course. %%% This is a CAREER award to a new faculty member and, as such, involves both research and education. The research component is comprised of a study of the connection between theory and experiment which aims for a coherent understanding of the basic mechanisms and universality classes determining the morphology of interfaces moving in porous media. The influence of disorder and fluctuations on surface morphology will be investigated. The research has implications for oil recovery and environmental research. The educational part of the award involves utilizing the world wide web for improving graduate courses. A comprehensive database will be developed of instructional materials available on the web. Effective incorporation of this material into the curriculum will result in a virtual meta-course. ***
