Funded Proposals (6/1/2014-6/30/2014)
CONGRATULATIONS!
The following UTC faculty and staff recently attracted $1,359,255 in external grant and contract awards:
Dr. David Aborn, Associate Professor of Biology, Geology and Environmental Sciences, attracted $40,000 from the Tennessee River Gorge Trust to conduct a two-year study to determine the presence, distribution, and abundance of breeding pairs of the cerulean warbler a migratory songbird whose population is declining faster than that of any other U.S. warbler. Dr. Aborn will also identify post-fledgling foraging habitat needs of the bird and provide recommendations for habitat modifications based on his findings. The study will take place in the Tennessee River Gorge and surrounding areas.
Dr. Neslihan Alp, Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, secured $773,015 from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission for support of UTC’s Center of Excellence in Applied Computational Engineering in fiscal year 2014. The overall purpose of the Center is to establish a cohesive and expanding base of multidisciplinary research in applied computational science and engineering to produce sustained growth in research funding, excellence in integrated research and education, and increases in national and international stature and economic competitiveness for Tennessee.
Dr. Jose Barbosa, Associate Professor of Biology, Geology and Environmental Sciences, attracted $50,010 from the NephroGenesis Corporation for research relating to the binding of Lipocalin proteins and various non-polar organic compounds that accumulate in patients with impaired renal function. The research may lead to improved therapy and outcomes for people who undergo dialysis.
Mr. Joel Baxley, Director of Visual Art Education at UTC’s Southeast Center for Education in the Arts, secured $1,475 from the Lusher Charter School in New Orleans. Mr. Baxley will conduct a workshop for the school’s faculty and arts specialists on the topic, “Introduction to Arts Integration.”
Drs. Carol Brand, Lecturer, and Kim Wingate, Assistant Professor in the School of Education, attracted $60,284 from the Tennessee Department of Education to continue the Special Education Summer Institute and the Licensure Program through June 2015. These programs provide coursework for teachers of exceptional students and instructional assistants who are working toward a teaching license with an endorsement in special education.
Ms. Belinda Brownlee, Director of Upward Bound, secured $302,271 from the U.S. Department of Education to continue the work of Upward Bound during the 2014-2015 academic year. 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.
Ms. Sandy Cole, Executive Director of the Center for Community Career Education (CCCE), secured $50,200 from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission for year two of the Each One Reach One (EORO) program. In addition to offering various avenues of support and resources, the CCCE focuses on clinical experiences to prepare pre-service teachers for the realities of education, recruit candidates for critical needs areas of Hamilton County’s public schools, and provide early intervention and preparation for the PRAXIS exam.
Dr. Lucien Ellington, UC Foundation Professor of Education and Director of the UTC Asia Program, attracted $2,000 from the Jack Miller Center to support a Constitution Day Lecture on the UTC campus in September. Dr. Michael Federici, Professor of Political Science and Department Chair at Mercyhurst University, will speak on “American Constitutional Politics in Perspective: Why Parchment Barriers are Insufficient.”
The SimCenter Research Team secured an additional $60,000 from the Office of Naval Research to continue development of an improved model of simultaneous physics processes relevant to ship and aircraft design. In addition,The SimCenter Research Team secured $20,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to enable two local science teachers to participate in the SimCenter’s NSF-funded wind-energy research project and translate their research experience into lessons in their classrooms. The selected teachers, both from East Ridge High School, will develop exciting, hands-on lesson plans and share their experiences with colleagues in their school and the broader district.
Submitted Proposals (6/1/2014 – 6/30/2014)
GOOD LUCK!
The following UTC faculty and staff members submitted proposals with the potential to generate over $1,401,405 in external funding, if awarded:
Dr. Vasabjit Banerjee, who will be joining UTC’s Political Science, Public Administration and Nonprofit Managementdepartment in the fall, requested $55,040 from the Smith Richardson Foundation for archival research in support of an upcoming book publication. The book will compare peasant rebellions from revolutionary Mexico, colonial India, apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia/Zimbabwe.
Drs. Yu Liang, (Computer Science and Engineering) Weidong Wu (Civil and Chemical Engineering), Farah Kandah(Computer Science and Engineering), and Cuilan Gao (Mathematics), in partnership with UTK, University of Cincinnati, and Old Dominion University requested $978,852 from the National Science Foundation to integrate sensors and big data computational simulation and performance capabilities into a system that monitors and evaluates the safety status and serviceability of bridges. With one in nine of the nation’s bridges rated as structurally deficient, the system has the potential to save lives, money, and manpower.
Drs. Yu Liang, Mina Sartipi, Li Yang, Claire McCullough, Farah Kandah, Joseph Kizza, and Ms. Kathy Winters(Computer Science and Engineering) in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga requested $30,000 from the Mozilla Foundation to develop a system to monitor safety in real-time through an integration of sensing technology, a Gigabit speed network, and big data analytics. In addition, UTC graduate and undergraduate students will participate as members of the research team.
Dr. Deborah McAllister (School of Education) in collaboration with the Tennessee Space Grant Consortium requested $1,200 from NASA to support a series of four Saturday programs for students in grades 4-8. Workshops will center on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and include activities focused on Earth and space science, engineering, and life science.
Drs. Gretchen Potts (Chemistry) Ethan Carver, and Peggy Kovach (Biology, Geology and Environmental Sciences) requested $336,313 from the National Institutes of Health to analyze the potential adverse effects of e-cigarette filling solutions. The study will determine if filling solutions are mislabeled and contain unintended alkaloids and nicotine.