GRANT NEWS FOR DECEMBER 2009
Oklahoma Higher Education

January 4, 2010
OSU CHS

Dear Faculty and Administrators,

    This newsletters provides you with announcements of grants that have been won by Oklahoma higher education faculty and administrators. We hope 2009 was a robust grant year, and we look forward to another very productive upcoming 2010! We all know that grants are gifts that are earned, and not easily. The energy and persistence required to obtain grants is rewarded with better programs for Oklahoma students and creative research. Please enjoy this monthly newsletter; if you have news about your grant to share with others in Oklahoma higher education, send it and a jpeg photo to [email protected].

Happy New Year and New Decade,
Dr. Linda Mason
Coordinator for Grant Writing Assistance
In This Issue
NSU GEAR UP Grant
Aircraft Training Grant
USO Prof Honored
OCCC Grant
NSU Reading Clinic Grant
USAO Art Partnership
OU Prof Honored
LU Preservation Grant
OPSU Library Grant
SWOSU Robotics Grant
Grant Tip
Foundations Robust
OCAST Gives 6 Grants
ECU Prof Honored
OSU IT Natural Gas Grants
OSU Faculty Grants
NSU Gets GEAR UP Grant
NSU Kay Grant
Dr. Kay Grant and Northeastern State University received $116,307 from the US Department of Education for a GEAR UP Project (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for University Programs). In order to make a difference in the lives of high school students who are having difficulty with reading, the faculty and candidates involved with Northeastern State University's Masters in Reading program will be working with a cohort of students involved in GEAR UP at four high schools within Tulsa Public Schools. NSU will provide individual and small group tutoring for students during the school day. Specialized professional development will be provided for teachers throughout the year and in the summer. More intensive tutoring and assessment will be provided to students during a three-week summer reading camp on the NSU-Broken Arrow campus in conjunction with a graduate reading class. 
Aircraft Training Grant

Canadian Valley Technology Center has joined forces with the Oklahoma's Workforce Investment Board and the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute to help dislocated workers become Federal Aviation Administration-certified aircraft mechanics, officials with all three organizations announced this week. The Canadian Valley Career Technology Center of El Reno, the Aerospace Institute and the Central Oklahoma Workforce Investment Board have formed a partnership that will help train new aircraft mechanics. To fund the program the Aerospace Institute will manage a US Department of Labor grant through the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to equip workers with the skills needed to aid the Tinker Air Logistics Center. Training will be offered at as an evening class. Interested residents should call the Workforce Oklahoma Centers at (405) 713-2208 or (405) 713-2296.

UCO Professor Honored
UCO David Bass

University of Central Oklahoma biology professor David Bass received the distinction of Fellow from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and will be honored in February at the association's Fellows Forum during the 2010 annual meeting in San Diego. Bass will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin, representing science and engineering respectively. Bass was elected as a fellow for teaching excellence, positively impacting students, original and definitive research on fresh water invertebrates of the Caribbean Islands, and outstanding service to the profession and public. The association includes 262 affiliated societies and academies of science. It is the publisher of the journals Science, Science Translational Medicine and Science Signaling.

OCCC OCAST Grant
OCCC OCAST Students

Oklahoma City Community College received a two-year, $49,408 grant from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST).  The funding supports OCCC's Internships for Biotechnology Program Students project.  Sixteen internships will place students at local biotechnology development companies and agencies, including the Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Hyalose, Cytovance Biologics, DNA Solutions, Immuno-Mycologics, Crescendo Bioscience, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Analystical Research Laboratories and the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute. Dr. Fabiola Janiak-Spens, Professor of Biotechnology, is the Project Director and is pictured here in the back, right of the photo, along with program interns.  The program will begin in February, 2010.

NSU Reading Clinic Grant

Gregg Wadley and his wife, Dr. Betsy Brackett pledged $1 million to Northeastern State University, in memory of Wadley's mother, Cappi. The donation - the largest in NSU's history - will be used for a clinic to help young students overcome reading deficiencies, and to aid educators in helping these youngsters learn to read. The gift neatly caps off a recent remodeling project that restored the third floor to the Education Building. now appropriately named Bagley Hall. Many children have reading difficulties, and until the basic roadblocks are removed, those kids can't progress normally on a path to superior education. And in today's world, a good education is unquestionably the key factor to future success and well-being.

USAO Partnership Art History Grant
Archie Held Flight The Chickasha Area Arts Council, the City of Chickasha, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, and the Office of Oklahoma Art in Public Places are seeking three emerging artists to work as a team under the oversight of a professional sculptor to design and create a public art sculpture for installation in the historic Rock Island Depot area, downtown Chickasha. The resulting sculpture will symbolize the historic cultural connection between the college and the community. The artists chosen for this project will meet on the campus of the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma for an intensive three-day workshop to implement the creation of sculpture.

Within the next six months, under the direction of Sculptor Archie Held, the artwork will be fabricated, delivered and installed. The sculpture is to be installed by September 2010 with its dedication scheduled for October 1, 2010. Sculptor Archie Held was chosen to lead this project given his international reputation for site specific public art and his connection with the Chickasha community. His site specific sculpture entitled "Flight" was the first public art project on the USAO campus and was the first project supported by the Office of Oklahoma Art in Public Places.
OU Meteorology Scientist Receives Humboldt Foundation Research Award
OU Evgeni Fedorovich
University of Oklahoma meteorology professor Evgeni Fedorovich is one of fewer than 100 scientists and researchers to be selected to receive a Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. While in Germany, he will work on numerical algorithms for simulation of turbulent flows in the nighttime atmospheric boundary layer and in low-level jets. Both atmospheric flow types are common to Oklahoma and the Great Plains.

In addition to receiving the research award, Fedorovich is invited to undertake prolonged periods of research in collaboration with researchers in Germany. He will spend part of 2010 at the Meteorological Institute of Hamburg University and at the Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology before returning to OU in the fall. Fedorovich joins an international network of more than 23,000 scientists and scholars who have been supported in different ways by the foundation since its founding in 1953.
LU Gets Preservation Grant
LU President Joann Haysbert
 
Langston University has received a $500,000 federal grant to restore cottages on its campus that are more than 70 years old. Langston officials said the money from the National Park Service will assist the university in preserving its Cottage Row Historic District, which contains structures built by Langston students in the 1930s to house faculty members. The cottages later served as office buildings until 2006, when they were converted back into private living quarters at the request of current university President JoAnn Haysbert (pictured). The cottages are located on the southern end of the rural Logan County campus.   
OPSU Library Gets NEH Preservation Grant
OPSU Library
The Oklahoma Panhandle State University McKee Library and Elaina Stewart received a $6,000 Preservation Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to preserve a special collection of poetry donated to the library. 
SWOSU Receives Robotics Competition Grant
SWOSU Robotics Madeline Baugher and the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Department of Entrepreneurship and Computer Systems received $4,183 from the Oklahoma NASA Space Consortium to host the First Tech Challenge (FTC) Regional Robotics Competition Event at SWOSU on December 5, 2009.  This regional competition is for high school robotic teams from across the state. More  information about the Robotics Competition can be obtained from Brad Fitzgerald at [email protected]. In the photo are SWOSU students, Daniel Houk, Chris Parton, and Jarred Bechtel.
If you received this newsletter from someone else and would like to be on the regular mailing list, send your request to [email protected].
 
Sincerely,
 
Dr. Linda Mason
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
Grant Tip: Build Relationships With Grant Officials Early

Contact a program director early! If you wait for a grant's RFP or application package to be issued before getting to know program staff, you may miss out on valuable insights or on chances to influence the grant guidance.


Here is a tip to give you a head start: Contact the program staff person once you have decided what you want to know. For example, you might ask to be brought up to date on the program and its history and how the work of your organization may relate to the goals of the grant program.


If you develop a good rapport with the staff person, you may be able to gain insights into the program that give you a competitive edge. 

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Foundations Needed More by Social Service Agencies
Week after week, the economic crisis is hitting Oklahoma as hard as a natural disaster. Hot lines for emergency help with food and lodging are busier than they have ever been. Charitable foundations are needed more than ever, and they do respond.
For example, the George Kaiser Family Foundation is more vital than ever. It will distribute $6.6 million to more than 100 local social service agencies this month. The money will help offset a general decline in fundraising and support local charities as they face an unprecedented demand for services.
For the last 10 recessions in the US, charitable foundations have not decreased their giving, and some even increased during hard times! Federal agencies are enhanced right now with ARRA stimulus funds. So, with robust foundations and enhanced agencies, it is a good time to write grant proposals to fund your project.
 
OCAST Awards 6 Gants
OSU CHS
The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) has awarded $295,752 for six research and development faculty and intern partnerships over the next two years. The program pays half of the student's salary for interning with a private company with oversight provided by university faculty.  Each internship requires a background in a technology-driven field. The partnerships include:
 
 
Surendra Singh of the University of Tulsa received $60,000 to mentor interns who will design and develop transceiver modems and redesign of legacy products to include the new modem and a new magnetic detector. Qual-Tron Inc. is the private sector participant. 
 
Ricardo Prada-Silvy with Southwest NanoTechnologies Inc. in Norman received $59,910 to direct student interns in nanotechnology research. 
 
Ranji Vaidyanathan with the Oklahoma State University New Product Development Center received $42,434 to oversee interns who will develop the technology for composite over-wrapped storage containers. The National Science Foundation Partnerships for Innovation will provide the private sector match for the award.
 
� The Oklahoma Life Science Fund directed by William Paiva receuved $24,000 to oversee interns in the New Venture Professional Development Program in biotechnology and the venture capital industry. Seven portfolio companies in the Oklahoma Life Science Fund will participate in the project.
 
Fabiola Janiak-Spens at Oklahoma City Community College received $49,408 to oversee interns in various biotechnology programs develop a skilled biotechnology workforce.
 
David Makanani of OMEDtech LLC in Edmond received $60,000 to work with four undergraduate engineering interns at Oklahoma Christian University to develop and test novel medical devices.
ECU Flute Professor
Receives Prize

ECU Overmeier
Juliana Overmier, an adjunct flute instructor at East Central University, has been named a prize winner in the 2009 Solo Artist Competition sponsored by the Chicago Flute Club. The competition was held at the Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston. Overmier was one of five finalists chosen from recorded entries of applicants from across the nation. She then performed before a panel of international judges who awarded her one of the three cash prizes.

After earning her bachelor's degree at DePauw University in Indiana, traveled to Paris to study at the Conservatory of Bourg-la-Reine/Sceaux, where she received a gold medal, the highest diploma awarded. In 1996 she earned her master's degree in flute performance from the University of Southern California. She joined the faculty at ECU in 2004.
OSU IT's Natural Gas Program Receives Gifts
OSU IT Compressed Gas Scholarships
 Ten Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology students in the Natural Gas Compression program received $1,500 scholarships from DCP Midstream, LLC, which is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. This is the first year that DCP Midstream has issued the scholarships to students pursuing a two-year degree in an energy-related field at an accredited community college or technical school. The students who received scholarships are: Mason Beavers from Elgin; Skye Bergman from Blackwell; Jordan Bedwell from O'Keene; Marvin Boehm from McLoud; Matthew Campbell from Glencoe; Warren Geionety from Apache; Jeremy Willingham from Blanchard; Brandon Willis from Chickasha; and Brian Wise from Broken Arrow. Also receiving a scholarship were Timothy Dainty, Jr. from North Zulch, Texas and Samuel Spade from Buffalo, Wyoming.

Two prominent Oklahoma-based entities combined resources and presented $150,000 to Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology in Okmulgee, to benefit the school's Natural Gas Compression Program. The Gas Processors Suppliers Association and the Pat and Pete Bartlett family each contributed one-half of the donation. The gift will create an endowment earmarked to provide scholarships for students enrolled in the Natural Gas Compression Program, the largest on the school's campus and boasts a 100 percent employment rate for those who successfully complete the training.
OSU Technology Business Assessment Group Awards 5 Faculty Research Projects

The Oklahoma State University Technology Business Assessment Group has awarded more than $111,000 to five faculty research projects:

- Advanced Honeycombs for Aerospace Applications, Jay Hanan, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, $25,000

-Fiber Optic Sensor for Measurement of Web Lateral Position, Prabhakar Pagilla, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, $20,000

-Novel Method for Water Softening, Allen Apblett, Chemistry, $25,000

- Solvent Protection Pellets, Allen Apblett and Nick Materer, Chemistry, $29,092

-Comparison of the absorption rate and plasma level concentration of liquid and tablet dosing of glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM in companion animals, Lara Maxwell, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, $11,934     
2010
Summer
Grant
Writing
Institute
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education invite 40 first-time and novice grant writers to participate in the 2010 Summer Grant Writing Institute, July 26-30. The purpose of the Institute is to complete a grant proposal by the end of the Institute. Participants will select a grant proposal topic and an agency or foundation solicitation and send all information regarding the proposal with the application. Participants will select one of two tracks for the Institute, Track 1: individual or collaborative scientific research project or Track 2: department or collaborative program development project, including facilities enhancement, curriculum revision, professional development, student fellowships and scholarships, student recruiting, summer bridge programs, and other projects. Apply now to attend the 2010 OSRHE Summer Grant Writing Institute. For more information, see http://www.okhighered.org/grant-opps and select Training Opportunities. First priority will be given to individuals and teams of faculty and administrators of public and private Oklahoma Higher Education institutions and their project partners. 
 
Offer Expires: April 30, 2010