Funded Proposals (5/1/2015-5/31/2015)
CONGRATULATIONS!
The following UTC faculty and staff recently attracted $951,149 in external grant and contract awards:
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 2015-2016 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, Director of the Center for Community Career Education (CCCE), received $99,984 from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to support the highly successful Each One Reach One (EORO) program in partnership with the Hamilton County Department of Education. The project will focus 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. Additionally, Ms. Cole attracted $8,975 from Hamilton County Public Schools to conduct a PAWS Summer Workshop, which will engage 40 fourth and fifth grade students in college and career experiences that will increase their desire to go to college and improve their grades.
Dr. Lucien Ellington and Mr. Jeffrey Melnik, Director and Assistant Director of the UTC Asia Program, attracted $17,996 from the Freeman Foundation to increase professional development opportunities for teachers at the local, state, and national levels to increase cultural awareness and understanding.
Ms. Anne Gamble, Project Director, Dr. Valerie Rutledge, Dean of the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, Kay Cowan, Associate Professor in the School of Education, Sarah Sandefur, UC Foundation Professor in the School of Education, and Dr. Amye Warren, Professor of Psychology, were awarded $510,725 from the U.S. Department of Education for year four of the five year program, “Teachers Helping English Language Proficiency (HELP).” The program prepares 140 additional ESL-endorsed teachers and supports them as they work in classrooms serving English learners.
Dr. Zibin Guo, UC Foundation Professor of Anthropology, secured $1,998 from the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga to conduct workshops on the history and methods of Wheelchair Tai Chi, a series of rhythmic movements to encourage mindfulness and physical activity for community members with limited mobility, requiring the use of a wheelchair or other seated position. After the workshops, the area will gain 20 new instructors for the program.
Dr. Nicholas Honerkamp, UC Foundation Professor of Anthropology, received $1,115 from St. Simons Land Trust to perform an archaeological survey and mapping of the Cannon’s Point Preserve. The project will provide St. Simons Land Trust with data concerning the aerial extent of historic archaeological remains at this site.
Dr. David Levine, Professor of Physical Therapy, secured an additional $1,000 from LiteCure Inc. to continue research on the effects of laser therapy on muscle endurance. The study will investigate if lasers can improve the exercise capacity and performance on the rotator cuff, an important muscle for shoulder stability.
Dr. Jon Mies, Professor of Geology, received $2,085 from Chattem Chemicals, Inc. to perform a powder X-ray diffraction analyses. This partnership brings UTC’s research capacity to bear on research and development activities for Chattem, one of Chattanooga’s flagship businesses.
Submitted Proposals (5/1/2015-5/31/2015)
GOOD LUCK!
The following UTC faculty and staff members submitted proposals with the potential to generate over $409,944 in external funding, if awarded:
Deputy Chief of Police, Craig Hamilton (Campus Law Enforcement), Ms. Stephanie Rowland (Title IX Coordinator, Office of the Chancellor), Ms. Sara Peters (UTC Counseling Center), and Dr. Helen Eigenberg (Criminal Justice) requested $180,000 from the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs to improve UTC’s ability to respond to sexual misconduct and relationship violence. The team plans to hire an investigator, while increasing training and the expertise regarding sexual violence at UTC Police Department.
Ms. Ruth Grover (Art) requested $6,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to perform a collection level assessment of the Permanent Collection of Art in the UTC Library specifically focusing on the collected works on paper. The goal of the project is to preserve the integrity of each work in the collection while making them accessible to the community and public.
Drs. Zibin Guo (Sociology), Dalei Wu, and Yu Liang (Computer Science) requested $171,778 from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs to promote the wheelchair Tai Chi Chuan program as a sport alternative for veterans with ambulatory limitation. The project will involve conducting wheelchair Tai Chi instructor training workshops, developing an instructional website, and organizing and hosting an inaugural Tai Chi demonstration event for veteran wheelchair Tai Chi practitioners.
Drs. Elizabeth O’Brien Oden (Education) and Morgan Cooley (Social Work) requested $13,106 from the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga Inc. to train local community stakeholders, organizations, and citizens in Youth Mental Health First Aid. The training program will introduce participants to the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems in adolescents, build understanding of the importance of intervention, and teach individuals how to help youth experiencing a health crisis or challenge.
Dr. Nicky Ozbek (Psychology) submitted a preliminary proposal to the National Science Foundation to engage in an Ideas Lab aimed at understanding the nature of olfactory processing and sensory representations in the brain. The NSF’s Ideas Labs program is a group of intensive workshops that bring together researchers from diverse backgrounds to engender new approaches and find solutions to complex scientific problems.
Drs. Seong Park and Tammy Garland (Criminal Justice) requested $39,060 from the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice to conduct research on repeat victimization. The study anticipates two peer-reviewed journal articles and paper presentations at national-level conferences.