MARCH 2026 AWARDS AND PROPOSALS

Congratulations! The following UTC Faculty and Staff have attracted $493,396 in external grant and contract awards: 

• Dr. Azad Hossain (Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science) has received $227,172 from the City of Chattanooga for the project entitled, “Evaluating the effects of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Friar Branch Creek Using Geospatial, Watershed, and Hydrodynamic Models with Emphasize on Channel Widening and Sediment Transport.” 
• Dr. Bret Eschman is serving as faculty advisor to student researcher Claire Beach (Psychology) who has received $1,321 from Psi Chi, International Honor Society in Psychology for the project entitled, “Developing Resilience: How Temperament Supports Attention after Early Adversity.” 
• Charles Mix and Laura Lee (Center for Applied Geospatial Data Science (CAGDS)) have received $18,270 from the Tennessee Department of Transportation for the project entitled, “TDOT Collaboratory Proposal: A Shared Online Environment for Geospatial Data Collection and Analysis.” 
• Dr. Christine Smith (Nursing) has received $150,000 from the Erlanger Health System for the project entitled, “Affiliated Agreement for the CRNA Program 2026-2031.” 
• Dr. Donald Reising (Electrical Engineering) and Dr. Tian Li (Physics and Astronomy), in collaboration with Tennessee Technological University, have received $19,796 from the National Science Foundation for the project entitled, “Beginnings: Creating & Sustaining a Diverse Community of EQUIS Across the Southeastern US.” 
• Dr. Fatma Ayca Cetinkaya (Mathematics), in collaboration with Brigham Young University, has requested and received $7,300 from the National Science Foundation for the project entitled, “Recovering Images from Blurred Data: A Linear Algebra and Machine Learning Approach to a Simple Inverse Problem.” 
• Dr. Jared Pienkos (Chemistry) has received $16,000 from Organic Syntheses, Inc. for the project entitled, “Synthesis of N-oxide containing bipyridine ligands for the development of transition metal imaging agents.” 
• Dr. Jill Shelton is serving as faculty advisor to student researcher Luke Hicks (Psychology) who has received $1,012 from Psi Chi, International Honor Society in Psychology for the project entitled, “Who Makes You Feel ‘You’: Stories of Authenticity Among Adults with Autism.” 
• Dr. Joey Shaw (Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science) has received $15,000 from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for the project entitled, “Vascular Flora of Scotts Gulf Wilderness State Park.” 
• Dr. Sungwoo Yang (Civil and Chemical Engineering) has received $29,525 from Volkswagen Group of America for the project entitled, “Characterization of Westwood Aerogel for Electric Vehicle Battery Insulation.” 
• Susan Lazenby (WUTC), in collaboration with ArtsBuild, has received $4,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts for the project entitled, “ArtsBuild Artists Work in Partnership – Chattanooga History Documentaries.” 
• Susan Lazenby, Ray Bassett (WUTC), and Dr. Margaret Douglas (Business Administration), in collaboration with ArtsBuild, have received $4,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts for the project entitled, “2026 ArtsBuild United We Create: America 250- Radio Plays.”

Good Luck! The following UTC faculty and staff members submitted proposals for the potential to generate over $7,060,369 in external funding, if awarded: 

• Dr. Dalei Wu and Dr. Yu Liang (Computer Science and Engineering) have requested $160,352 from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture for the project entitled, “AI/Data driven food systems: bridging workforce gaps.” 
• Dr. David Aborn (Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science) has requested $50,251 from the National Park Service for the project entitled, “Inventory of Birds to Inform Management at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Battlefields.” 
• Dr. David Aborn (Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science) has requested $72,678 from the National Park Service for the project entitled, “Inventory of Breeding and Wintering Birds to Inform Management Decisions at Carl Sandburg National Historic Home.” 
• Dr. Ignatius Fomunung, Dr. Bradley Harris, Dr. Joseph Owino (Civil and Chemical Engineering), Dr. Seong Dae Kim (Engineering Management and Technology), Dr. Charles Margraves (Mechanical Engineering), Dr. Chang Phuong (Computer Science and Engineering), and Dr. Jessica Taylor (Learning and Leadership) have requested $3,450,000 from the National Science Foundation for the project entitled, “Building Effective Pathways to STEM Careers (BEPSC).” 
• Dr. Keenan Dungey (Chemistry) has requested $2,400 from the American Chemical Society for the project entitled, “Project SEED site in Chattanooga for 2026.” 
• Dr. Kumar Yelamarthi and Michael Roeser (CECS – Dean’s Office) have requested $500,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission for the project entitled, “Enhancing Workforce Development in Appalachia through Advanced Engineering Lab Equipment.” 
• Dr. Mina Sartipi, Dr. Mohamed Fadul (CUIP), and Dr. Gazi Akgun (Engineering Management and Technology) have requested $1,272,894 from the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority for the project entitled, “CARTA COMPASS (Chattanooga Operations for Mobility, Protection, Access, Safety & Service).” 
• Dr. Morgan Smith and Dr. Andrew Van Slyke (Sociology, Anthropology, and Geography) have requested $75,417 from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for the project entitled, “2026 Historic Preservation Fund.” 
• Dr. Shahnewaz Karim Sakib and Dr. Aruna Ranhotige (Computer Science and Engineering) have requested $492,466 from the National Science Foundation for the project entitled, “CyberAI Innovation: An Integrated Education Framework for End-to-End Security of AI-Driven Systems.” 
• Dr. Shaogang Ren, Dr. Yu Liang, and Dr. Zihao Wang (Computer Science and Engineering) have requested $483,935 from the National Science Foundation for the project entitled, “CyberAI Innovation: Advancing CyberAI Workforce Development Through Stackable Curriculum, Applied Research, and Community Engagement.” 
• Dr. Yu Liang, Dr. Shaogang Ren, Dr. Shahnewaz Karim Sakib, Dr. Zihao Wang, and Dr. Dalei Wu (Computer Science and Engineering) have requested $499,976 from the National Science Foundation for the project entitled, “CyberAI Innovation: A Modular Education and Research Ecosystem for Next-Generation AI and Cybersecurity Workforce.”