FUNDED PROPOSALS: (9/1/12 – 9/30/12)
CONGRATULATIONS!
The following UTC faculty and staff recently attracted $2,628,437 in external grant and contract awards:
Drs. Jennifer Boyd, assistant professor, and Joey Shaw, associate professor, both faculty members of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, attracted $89,000 from the Tennessee Department of Military to provide a detailed survey of invasive plant species at the Tennessee Army National Guard Volunteer Training Sites. The survey will identify the invasive species present and map and characterize the extent of these populations.
Mr. Bob Boyer, Patten Series Manager for the Fine Arts Center, secured $4,000 from the Tennessee Arts Commission to support an upcoming Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Performance and two master classes – one on UTC’s campus, and the other at the Center for Creative Arts, Chattanooga’s Arts magnet high school.
Ms. Twyler Boykin, Project Director of Upward Bound Math and Science, attracted $250,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to continue the Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) program at UTC. The UBMS program is designed to serve low-income, potential first-generation college attendees. Ms. Boykin and her team work in partnership with local high schools to strengthen students’ capacity to succeed in college and encourage them to pursue degrees and careers in math and science. This is year one of a five-year project.
Ms. Shirl Gholston, Director of Student Support Services, secured $284,746 from the U.S Department of Education to continue the work of UTC’s Student Support Services (SSS) Program in the 2012-2013 academic year. The SSS Program works to ensure retention and graduation of UTC students who come from underrepresented backgrounds by providing peer mentoring and peer tutoring.
Dr. Jisook Kim, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, attracted $400 from the American Chemistry Society to present hands-on chemistry experiments to fifth grade students at Brown Academy and to children at the Creative Discovery Museum. The project aims to spark a scientific interest in students at a young age, especially those who may not have had much exposure to fun, scientific demonstrations.
Ms. Mary LaBianca, Director of Dance Education at the Southeast Center for Education in the Arts, secured $2,400 from the Hamilton County Department of Education to conduct a dance residency with first grade students at Battle Academy.
Dr. Kay Lindgren, Director of the School of Nursing, attracted $645,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for year one of a four year project to provide scholarships for financially disadvantaged and underrepresented nursing students pursuing graduate degrees. The funds will increase recruitment, scholarship funding, knowledge, and skills of disadvantaged and underrepresented students and will increase UTC’s capacity to recruit, retain, and graduate these students.
Drs. Kay Lindgren, Chris Smith, and Carolyn Schreeder, Director, Associate Director, and Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing acquired $470,243 from the Health Resources and Services Administration for year one of a three year program, InterProfessional Collaborative Practice Approach for Geriatric Education Strategies. The program will prepare nurses to work in collaborative, interprofessional teams to provide patient-centered, safe, and effective care to older adults.
Drs. Kay Lindgren, Chris Smith, and Joanie Jackson, Director, Associate Director, and Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, acquired $343,410 from the Health Resources and Services Administration for year one of a three year program, Providing Advanced, Culturally Competent Care through Clinical Training (PACT) for Interprofessional Geriatric Care. The program will enhance advanced nursing education and practice to improve health care for older residents of southeast Tennessee and north Georgia.
Dr. Joey Shaw, Associate Professor, and Dr. Jennifer Boyd, Assistant Professor of the Biology, Geology and Environmental Science department, secured $680 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to research the influence of light and soil moisture availability on the flowering of the white fringeless orchid. This species of orchid is native to North America and is a candidate for protection under the United States Endangered Species Act.
The SimCenter Research Team secured $200,000 from the National Science Foundation via SimCenter Enterprises to improve access to information needed to plan for and respond to catastrophic events. The goal is to significantly improve disaster response and potentially benefit thousands of lives in the event of a large contaminant spill or terrorist attack in an urban area. The proposal was submitted in response to the federal US Ignite initiative, which seeks to promote development of applications and services for ultra-fast computing networks.
Dr. Chris Smith, Associate Director of the School of Nursing, attracted $338,558 from the Health Resources and Services Administration to provide traineeship support to students in primary care nurse practitioner programs. This support will help increase the number of nurse practitioners adequately prepared to work in rural and/or undeserved areas.
SUBMITTED PROPOSALS: (9/1/12 – 9/30/12)
GOOD LUCK!
The following UTC faculty and staff members submitted proposals with the potential to generate over $1,410,445 in external funding, if awarded:
Ms. Lisa Darger (Facilities Planning and Management) requested $15,000 from the Benwood Foundation to improve lighting efficiency in the Benwood Auditorium. This upgrade will further UTC’s efforts in pursuing LEED: Existing Building-Operations and Maintenance certification in the EMCS building, potentially making it the first of its kind on campus.
Dr. Cuilan Gao (Mathematics) in collaboration with the UT College of Medicine – Chattanooga requested $504,008 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to test a new approach to improving the quality of health care while lowering costs for patients with complex medical and social needs. Dr. Gao’s role in the project will include experimental design, data collection, and statistical analysis and interpretation of the results.
Dr. Loren Hayes (Biology, Geology and Environmental Sciences) requested $19,827 from the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga for a collaborative educational program that integrates biological research with STEM education, community outreach, and international projects. The project also will involve the UTC College of Engineering, UTeaChattanooga, the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, Chattanooga Zoo, and WTCI TV.
Ms. Catherine Kendall (Interior Design) requested $4,997 from the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners to purchase equipment for the Interior Design Department. Funds will strengthen two studio classrooms and will support instructional delivery methods in all classrooms.
Ms. Cynthia Wallace Long (Educational Opportunity Center) requested $18,740 in a Letter of Intent to the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga to support workshops to raise students’ awareness of college funding opportunities. The Educational Opportunity Center provides college access services to low income, first generation students, youth in foster care, homeless youth, and military connected families.
Dr. Ed McMahon (Engineering and Computer Science) requested $70,689 from the National Science Foundation to incorporate design and construction of custom devices into capstone courses. The project will provide engineering students with real work design experience and will serve the needs of the aging population and persons with disabilities.
Drs. Manuel Santiago, Stephanie Whitson, (Chemistry) Kristin Whitson (Physics, Geology, and Astronomy), David Giles, Jose Barbosa (Biology, Geology and Environmental Sciences) Tricia Thomas (Engineering), and Irene Ozbeck (Psychology) requested $358,559 from the National Science Foundation to provide interdisciplinary research experiences for college students. Over the next three summers, undergraduates from across the region will conduct research under the direction of cross-disciplinary faculty teams.
Dr. Cathy Scott (Social Work) requested $24,417 from the Louisville Institute for a collaborative demonstration project that seeks to examine how focused church support can positively affect the attitudes and abilities of grandparents caring for their grandchildren. This project will also investigate resources that can enhance the overall well-being and social functioning of vulnerable populations in the target community of East Chattanooga.
The SimCenter Research Team submitted a white paper to the U.S. Department of the Navy. The white paper proposes computational research in response to several problems identified by the Navy.
Dr. Cecelia Wigal (Engineering and Computer Science) requested $34,500 from the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners to purchase equipment to update the Engineering Design Courses and laboratory. The new equipment will improve the design interaction environment for students participating in the interdisciplinary and disciplinary engineering design programs.
Drs. Raziq Yaqub and Yu Cao (Engineering and Computer Science) requested $359,708 from the National Science Foundation to provide undergraduate students with an intensive and meaningful interdisciplinary research experience based on Smart Grid technology. Professionals from industry and faculty from other universities will collaborate with UTC to engage students in a ten-week program offered each summer for the next three years.