Oklahoma colleges and universities are obtaining grants to enhance their programs. See what has happened on Oklahoma higher education campuses in June!
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USAO GRANTS for PERFORMING ARTS |
The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma received $20,000 from the Oklahoma Arts Council, $4050 from the Mid-American Arts Alliance, and $2500 from the Walton Foundation to assist with funding the Davis Waldorf Performing Arts Series. |
SWOSU GRANT for UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH |
Southwestern Oklahoma State University and Dr. Jason Johnson, professor of Chemistry and Physics, were recently awarded an Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education grant for $25,000. Dr. Johnson's project titled "Unraveling the GTP-Mediated Coordination of CTP Synthetase - INBRE FY09" will support biomedical/biochemical research involving undergraduate students. The goals of the project are: (1) to determine mechanisms to reveal new modes of attack for anti-cancer, anti-parasitic, and anti-viral therapies; and (2) to expose SWOSU students to state-of-the-art techniques and to the creative and critical thinking strategies of biomedical research to encourage careers in the natural and physical sciences.
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SWOSU NASA SPACE GRANT LUNCH |
Madeline Baugher, Instructor in the Entrepreneurship and Computer Systems and Director of the SWOSU Space Grant, and the SWOSU Office of Sponsored Programs at Southwestern Oklahoma State University recently hosted a space grant awareness luncheon to educate and inform SWOSU students and faculty about the opportunities for student research and workforce development. The awareness luncheon was funded by the Oklahoma NASA Space Grant Consortium. Over 50 students and faculty heard about the scholarship and educational opportunities that NASA's OSGC program offers. Student research posters were displayed and students Kelly Fine (Biology major), Ashleigh Streit (Engineering Physics major), and Dylan Frizzell (Technology major), shared experiences about their involvement in the SWOSU Space Grant program and how it had impacted their educational endeavors.
Because of Baugher's work, SWOSU students have been selected for special NASA programs. Dennis Ferron, a SWOSU student was selected (from 18 applicants representing 8 Oklahoma universities), by Johnson Space Center for a competitive, paid internship. Chris Parton, another SWOSU student, was selected to be Oklahoma's NASA Ambassador for the International Year of Astronomy. And Kelly Reid, a SWOSU Space Grant Fellowship recipient, was hired by Johnson Space Center as a computer program analyst. These SWOSU students competed against top students across Oklahoma and the nation and were independently selected by NASA for these prestigious positions. |
SWOSU GRANT to ENDOW CHAIR |
Homer Ryan of Frederick pledged $150,000 to the SWOSU Foundation for an endowed professorship in accounting, and it will be matched by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to create a $300,000 endowment.
After graduating from Frederick High School, Ryan came to SWOSU on a football scholarship. He graduated from SWOSU in 1967 with a degree in accounting and business administration. Ryan owned John Deere dealerships in Frederick and Wichita Falls (TX) for over 30 years and currently operates his farming and ranching investments in Frederick. |
UCO NSF GRANT for FIELD RESEARCH |
Dr. William Caire, University of Central Oklahoma Professor of Biology, has received $239,538 from the National Science Foundation Field Station and Marine Laboratory Program to build a multi-purpose education building at the University's Selman Living Laboratory.
The SLL is a Biological Field Station located near Freedom in northwestern Oklahoma. It is the only field station in North America with a combination of mixed-grass prairies, gypsum outcrops, extensive gypsum caves, microbiotic crusts, and associated springs, wetlands, and wildlife. Dr. Caire, the SLL's director, has been studying bats in the area's caves for over 30 years.
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UCO OCAST EXERCISE GRANT |
Dr. Melissa Powers and the University of Central Oklahoma received a grant for $134,560 from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology for the project "Exercise for the Treatment of Sarcopenia and Osteoporosis."
The purpose of this project is to develop an effective and safe exercise program for targeting the functional impairment resulting from sarcopenia, obesity, and osteoporosis. The results of this study will ultimately impact the health of Oklahomas and Americans by increasing the number of active elders through implementation of effective and safe exercise programs in local communities. |
OSU-OKC ENVIRONMENT GRANT |
Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City
received $70,000 from Minick Materials, one of the largest landscape material distributors in the region. The gift will help make the campus more environmentally friendly. Minick has donated $42,000 worth of materials and 562 hours of labor and committed future funding. |
NSU GREAT EXPECTATIONS GRANT |
The Great Expectations Foundation awarded $2,305,072 to Northeastern Oklahoma State University Cheryl Price to teach innovative inspirational education techniques to school teachers in order to help revolutionize the classroom educational experience of children in their school districts. |
NSU AMERICAN INDIAN GRANTS |
Dr. Phylis Fife of Northeastern Oklahoma State University received $1,375 from the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Resarch-Oklahoma University Health Science Center to support the 37th Annual American Indian Symposium. Dr. Fife also received $9,896 from the University of North Carolina for Study Abroad in Cherokee Nation 2009, which will provide students with an experiential and interdisciplinary introduction to Cherokee culture, language, history, and literature. |
NSU GRANT FOR BATTERY RESEARCH |
The American Chemical Society - Petroleum Research Fund awarded $28,702 to Dr. Christopher Burba to research rechargeable batteries. Dr. Burba also received $33,012 from the National Institutes of Health through the OU Health Sciences Center to purchase a spectrometer to improve student research experiences. |
NSU BIG READ GRANT |
The National Endowment for the Arts awarded $20,000 to Tom Messner and Northeastern Oklahoma State University to partner with libraries, schools and other community organizations to develop and produce a well-planned and well-attended community-wide Read with innovative and diverse programming.
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NSU GRANT FOR WATER RESEARCH |
OSU through the National Science Foundation awarded $7,500 to Dr. Cindy Cisar of Northeastern Oklahoma State University to support student Maegan Dallis to study the impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent antibiotic resistance in bacteria in the stream.
The National Institutes of Health through the OU Health Sciences Center awarded $124,439 to Dr. Cisar for research to determine if coliform bacteria in a freshwater ecosystem that received effluent from a waste water treatment plant act as an environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance and to assess the impact these bacteria may have on the spread of antibiotic resistance and, ultimately, on human health. |
NSU BEETLE RESEARCH GRANT |
The Oklahoma Military Department awarded $45,983 to Dr. Amy Smith for the American Burying Beetle Survey to monitor the population of the American Burying Beetle at Camp Gruber Training Center and provide statistical data and comparisons of the beetles and their habitat. |
NSU INBRE GRANTS FOR MARINE RESEARCH |
Dr. Jessica Martin of Northeastern Oklahoma State University received $114,923 from the INBRE NIH OUHSC Junior Investigator - Iron Binding Compound, Marine Fungi. The
project will provide examples of marine fungal siderophore structures by
screening open-ocean fungal strains for the iron-binding compounds under
conditions of iron limitations.
Martin and Dr. Cindy Cisar also received $2,200 each for the INBRE Mentor Program. Mentors provide students training and research during the summer months. Funds are for supplies required to perform this research. This is the second year for this award for both Dr. Cisar and Dr. Martin. |
INBRE GRANT NAMES NSU HEAD |
The National Institutes of Health through the OU Health Sciences Center awarded $42,487 to Dr. John de Banzie of Northeastern Oklahoma State University for Dr. de Banzie to serve as Program Coordinator for OK-INBRE. As coordinator over the past 5 years, Dr. de Banzie has made major contributions to the initial shaping and subsequent development of the highly successful undergraduate components of INBRE's program. |
OSU AND TU RECEIVE CONOCO PHILLIPS AWARD |
ConocoPhillips has donated $2 million to Oklahoma State University and $375,000 to the University of Tulsa for scholarships, student group development, career services and other academic endeavors.
Recommended use for the OSU gift includes $1 million for the alumni center, which is named after the corporation. OSU's school of business would received $225,000, and $192,000 would go to the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. OSU says that ConocoPhillips is its largest corporate donor and hires more of the OSU graduates than any other company. TU will use $200,000 for the SPIRIT SCHOLARS and OSU designated $350,000 for its SPIRIT SCHOLARS.
The scholars are introduced to service projects and industry mentors and also given the opportunity to intern with ConocoPhillips. TU has nine students interning with the company. |
OUHSC RECEIVES GAS SHUTTLE |
A natural gas-powered shuttle bus soon was donated to University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center by OKC-based Chesapeake Energy. The bus, which is a compressed natural gas, or CNG, vehicle, will be used throughout the campus as part of the center's fleet. The addition of the CNG shuttle will help with the OUHSC goal of focusing on environmental protection and clean air. |
ECU AND OC GRANTS FROM OSCPA |
In a statewide competition of college accounting departments, East Central University has received a $5,000 grant from the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants. In the third annual Campus Competition, ECU won first place, while Oklahoma Christian University won the $1,000 grant for second place. The majority of the work necessary to apply for the grant was completed by ECU accounting student, Susan Leonard from Sulphur. Leonard commutes to ECU to attend classes and works at the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center on campus. Many of the students competing are going to continue on to earn ECU's new Master of Science in Accounting Degree. |
SOSU GRANT FOR AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES |
Chris Wesberry, Director of the Native American Center for Student Success at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, received $1,160,483 from the US Department of Education Office of Indian Education for the Native American Excellence in Education Project. Project PIs are Chris Wesberry, Director, Tim Boatmun, Associate Dean of Enrollment Management, and Dr. Charles Weiner, Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs. |
OPSU RECEIVES GRANTS |
Oklahoma Panhandle State University and R. Wayne Stewart, Dean of Education, received $84,500 for MATH-ESE 4 ALL: Providing Equity and Excellence in Math from Title II through the Oklahoma State Regents. This project brings math teachers across grade levels to campus for an intensive summer workshop, where they investigated how to teach the reading and writing of math problems, learned new skills in creating and teaching math, and increased their technology skills. The focused on diverse students with different backgrounds. Since the Oklahoma Panhandle schools are highly diverse with increasing numbers of ESL students, the ability to display mathematical ideas appropriately becomes an even more critical need. The OPSU McKee Library received $3,000 from the Oklahoma Historical Records Advisory Board for the "Threats to Your Collection" grant. Grant funds will be used to preserve and protect OPSU publication and memorabilia. Joe Breeden, Assistant Professor of CIS & Computer Graphics at OPSU, received $10,800 from the Oklahoma State Regents for a Summer Computer Graphics/Video Game Design Camp. |
OU-TULSA ANNOUNCES WAYMAN TISDALE HEALTH CLINIC |
The University of Oklahoma-Tulsa will name its north Tulsa speciality clinic after OU basketball legend, Wayman Tisdale. The $20 million 50,000-square-foot clinic will feature cancer, cardiac and urgent care services, outpatient surgery and a cardiac rehabilitation center. The clinic has special significance because of Tisdale's battle with cancer, a disease that will be treated at the clinic. Tisdale died in May at age 44 of complications from bone cancer. Funding includes $10 million from the Legislature and state agencies and the other $10 million from private foundations and health organizations. | |
Please visit the Grant website at www.okhighered.org/grant-opps for help with your grant writing, information on training opportunities, and grant lists.
Sincerely,
Dr. Linda Mason Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education |
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INASMUCH FOUNDATION AWARDS 55 GRANTS
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The Inasmuch Foundation announced the distribution of $6.8 million in grants to 55 Oklahoma groups. Edith Kinney Gaylord founded Inasmuch Foundation in 1982 to support charitable, scientific and educational causes that enhance the progress and quality of life for Oklahomans.
Higher Education grants include: $1.5 million to University of Oklahoma for its study abroad program in Arezzo, Italy. $1 million to Oklahoma City University building on to the Kramer School of Nursing. $25,000 to the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art at St. Gregory's University for the 2009-10 special exhibition season and for scholarship funding for school tour admissions and bus expenses.
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OCAST NANOTECHNOLOGY GRANTS
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The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science has given more than $1.2 million to four nanotechnology projects with promising business development futures. Nanoscale-sized particles are much smaller than body cells; one nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. But nanoscale sized business potential is much, much larger: nanotech applications in medicine alone will be worth more than $160 billion by the year 2015.
Raja Vaidyanathan of OSU received $500,000 for light composite material storage containers capable of storing and transporting alternative fuels under high pressure. Matching funds will be given by NASA EPSCoR and Wilco Machine and Fab Inc. OSU Professor Jessie Mao's grant of $90,000, with matching funds provided by the OSU Agriculture Exeriment Station, and Sustainable Solutions, Inc. and Circle, LLC, to develop nano-coating surface treatments for fabrics and leather for sustainable products in health care, transportation and hospitality facilities. At the University of Tulsa, Parameswar Hari researches zinc oxide nanorods as sensors and monitors in anesthesia applications. The project will receive $90,000 and is supported by Access Optics. K. Hossain of Amethyst Research, Ardmore , will use nano-engineering in the growth of defect-free films to make high performance transistors. His project received $500,000 and will receive matching funds from Navy Research. |
MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS RECEIVE INCENTIVE REWARD |
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Twenty-one OK math and science teachers received more than $13,500 each for completing the Oklahoma Teacher Shortage Employment Incentive Program, an incentive program of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
State lawmakers created TSEIP in 2000 to attract and retain more teachers in math and science. To be eligible for TSEIP, teachers plan to participate while in college, obtain a math or science education degree and teach in an Oklahoma secondary public school for at least five years. After completing their fifth year of teaching, they may receive their award.
Since the first award in 2006, 93 teachers have received more than $1 million in cash incentives for teaching secondary math or science in Oklahoma public schools. Students interested in learning more about TSEIP should contact the education department at their respective college or university or go to www.cashforteachingok.org. |
HUMANITIES COUNCIL GRANTS
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| Area cultural organizations will receive more than $78,000
in grants from the Oklahoma Humanities Council to fund their exhibits,
discussions, a book festival, a TV documentary and other cultural events. The Oklahoma Humanities Council is the state partner of the
National Endowment for the Humanities. Higher Education grants include: -Cameron University - $3,500 for a reading by author, professor and
attorney Hannibal Johnson called " Poetic Reflections on Race and
Diversity."
-Oklahoma Christian
U - $6,200 for the 2009
McBride Lecture featuring Dr. Charles Kimball, who will speak on "Reading 'Kite Runner
and A Thousand Splendid Suns' in the Context of Islam." -OSU -
$5,000 for "The Role of Russian Emigres in Shaping Western Perspectives on
Russian History," a series of lectures with Russian historian Pavel Tribunsky.
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