FUNDED PROPOSALS: (7/1/2012 – 7/31/2012)
CONGRATULATIONS!
The following UTC faculty and staff recently attracted $1,757,183 in external grant and contract awards:
Dr. Loren Hayes, Assistant Professor of Biology, Geology and Environmental Sciences, secured $50,280 from the National Science Foundation via the University of Louisiana at Monroe to continue his current study of Chilean rodents. Dr. Hayes and a team of students from UTC and other universities will travel to Chile to investigate the social behavior of the degu, a rodent that lives in communal burrows.
Dr. Hunter Huckabay (GEAR UP), attracted $624,281 from the U.S. Department of Education to continue the work of GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) in the second year of a 7-year award cycle. GEAR UP works with sixth and seventh grade students at five local urban schools to increase students’ academic preparation for high school and participation in postsecondary education.
Dr. Kay Lindgren, Director of the School of Nursing (SON), secured $21,010 from the Health Resources and Services Administration to continue the Nurse Anesthetist Traineeship program, which provides scholarships for full-time nurse anesthesia students. The goal is to increase the number and diversity of nurse anesthetists and to encourage graduates to practice in health professional shortage areas.
Dr. Kay Lindgren, Director of the SON, and Dr. Susan Davidson, Director of the School of Nursing RN-BSN Gateway Program, acquired $291,365 from the Health Resources and Services Administration to continue the BSN Gateway program in the coming academic year. The BSN Gateway Program targets working RNs from Tennessee and Georgia who hold a diploma or associate degree and want to pursue a BSN degree. The program provides a flexible, self-paced, and accelerated curriculum that builds upon the students’ previous nursing knowledge and experience.
Drs. Kay Lindgren and Martina Harris, Director and Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, respectively, secured $380,857 from the Health Resources and Services Administration to continue the Diversity Recruitment & Education to Advance Minorities in the Nursing Workforce (DREAMWork) program in the coming academic year. The goal of this program is to build capacity along the educational pipeline from middle school to enrollment in the UTC School of Nursing to increase the number of individuals from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds who enroll in and complete a nursing degree.
Dr. Kay Lindgren and Professor Karen Sarnosky, Director and Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, respectively, attracted $371,490 from the Health Resources and Services Administration to continue the Baccalaureate Enrollment Expansion Activities for Nursing (BEE A Nurse) program in the coming academic year. This program is designed to meet growing nursing workforce needs in a 21-county region in southeast Tennessee and north Georgia by preparing students to use evidence-based practice and provide culturally-sensitive, safe, and effective care.
Dr. Deborah McAllister, UC Foundation Professor in the School of Education, attracted $17,900 from the Tennessee Space Grant Consortium for a project titled “Robotics for Middle Grades (4-8),” which will serve pre-service and in-service teachers of middle grades. The goal of the project is to improve and maintain student skills in mathematics and science and to encourage students to take an active role in planning for math and science experiences in school.
SUBMITTED PROPOSALS: (7/1/2012 – 7/31/2012)
GOOD LUCK!
The following UTC faculty and staff members submitted proposals with the potential to generate over $2,258,546 in external funding, if awarded:
Ms. Twyler Boykin (Upward Bound) requested $1,250,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to continue the Upward Bound Math and Science program at UTC for the next five years. Upward Bound provides supplemental academic assistance, educational and career guidance, and cultural enrichment activities to help participating students develop the skills necessary to succeed in high school and college.
Dr. Ben Byard (Civil Engineering) requested $40,007 from TN-SCORE to develop concrete mixtures that maximize solar thermal storage and minimize heating and cooling energy demands of buildings in the Tennessee climate. The concrete mixtures will contain lightweight aggregate which decreases the thermal diffusivity, density, and thermal mass of concrete.
Dr. Stylianos Chatzimanolis (Biology, Geology and Environmental Sciences) requested $772,517 from the National Science Foundation to study and produce monographs and databases on Xanthopygine rove beetles. Xanthopygina is a megadiverse, understudied group of insects in danger of extinction, for which there are very few experts. This project will increase the pool of rove beetle experts by training additional taxonomists in the U.S. as well as local biologists in Latin America.
Ms. Lisa Darger (Facilities Planning and Management) requested $146,022 from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to replace a chiller necessary to cool the Administrative Services Building at UTC. A primary concern of the University is to find and purchase an energy-efficient unit that will replace the 20-year old unit that recently failed.
Dr. Lucien Ellington (Education; Asia Program) and Dr. Wilfred McClay (Humanities) requested $50,000 from The Bradley Foundation to fund the planning and implementation of two teacher institutes by the Center for Reflective Citizenship. Participants in the two-day institutes will consist of specially recruited local and regional teachers as well as accomplished and promising UTC students who intend to become teachers and who demonstrate a commitment to civic education.