GRANT NEWS
                              Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
                            February 2014
                                 
Dear Faculty and Administrators,
  
We are pleased to share with you some of the great accomplishments attained by our institutions who seek external funding for innovative projects and research. If you wish to share your own accomplishments, please send the information to L[email protected] before the 27th of the month. Congratulations to all the dedicated proposal writers who are mentioned in this newsletter! Our students benefit greatly from your effort!
  
Sincerely,
 
  
In This Issue
NSU GRANTS
SWOSU GRANTS
OSU GRANTS
SE GRANTS
TCC GRANTS
TU GRANT
UCO GRANTS
Undergraduate Research
NSU GRANTS
NSU Fife

Oklahoma Humanities Council - $5,000
Dr. Phyllis Fife received funding for the 42nd Symposium on the American Indian to be held April 7-14, 2014. Funds support the academic community as well as the general public of the State of Oklahoma. This year's theme will be "Thriving Nations - Resilient Peoples". The topic will stimulate renewed perspectives on the self-determination of tribal peoples and inspire innovative thought on ways to secure and sustain well-being now and in the future. All events are open to the public and free of charge.

  
  

NIH INBRE - $39,941
Dr. Pam Hathorn, Dr. Joseph Ahlander, Dr. Chris Burba, Dr. Sapna Das Bradoo, Dr. Rui Zang, and Dr. Cindy Cisar received funding to purchase the following biomedical research equipment:  a Promega CloMax Multi+ Detection System; a High Pressure Demountable Liquid Cell; a Motorized Micromanipulator & Controller (left-handed); a PTC 1148C BioRad MJ Mini-48 Well Personal Thermal Cycler, and an Eppendorf Microcentrifuge.

  
NSU Burber            NSU Cizar
                    

Small Business Administration through SE - $181,124

Sharon Nichols received funding for the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center to provide comprehensive services and resources to existing and potential small businesses in the State of Oklahoma.   

SWOSU GRANTS
SWOSU Madeline Baugher

National Aeronautics and Space Administration - EPSCoR - $9,458 and $1,835

Madeline Baugher received funding for the Oklahoma NASA EPSCoR-Research Infrastructure Grant and the Oklahoma NASA EPSCoR-FY13 Research Implementation Grant. This funding will provide longitudinal tracking of student interns and related work for the project and will provide logistical support for workshops.

  

 

 

 

 

 

City of Weatherford, Hotel-Motel Tax Advisory Committee - $5,000

Brad Fitzgerald received funding from the City of Weatherford, Hotel-Motel Tax Advisory Committee to provide funding for the Oklahoma Region FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics Program. The funding hosted the 36 high school teams attending this year's state championship, which was held at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

 

 

 

City of Weatherford, Hotel-Motel Tax Advisory Committee - $2,000

Dr. Richard Tirk received funding from the City of Weatherford, Hotel-Motel Tax Advisory Committee to support the 45th Annual SWOSU Jazz Festival at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. The festival will feature internationally known jazz musicians. The purpose of the festival is to provide SWOSU faculty, students, and the general public with an opportunity to experience, appreciate, and understand jazz.

OSU GRANT

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - $172,177

AJ Johannes and Gary Foutch started to reinvent the toilet for developing countries, and now are on a mission to exterminate a parasitic worm that affects much of the developing world's population. Ascaris lumbricoides, also known as giant round worm, is the target. It's a worthy foe, whose eggs are known to survive more than a decade in soil. In 2011, Foutch and Johannes were awarded a Phase I grant of $112,000 for their "Simple Treatment of Fecal Waste." It was one of 57 funded projects at the fair. Only three projects advanced to Phase II, for which the OSU team was awarded funding last year.

But now the focus is the worm, ascaris lumbricoides, not the waterless toilet. Ascaris infected up to 50 % of residents of the southeastern United States and Appalachia as late as 1982, but today the parasite is thought to infect less than 1 percent of the U.S. population. It still is common, however, in developing countries with tropical or subtropical climates where there is a lack of hygiene and sanitation. Mason Reichard and Jennifer Thomas the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences are part of the team along with Jim Smay of Chemical Engineering.

  

National Math and Science Initiative - $1.45 million

A national program designed to produce highly skilled math and science teachers is coming to Oklahoma State University. OSU received a five-year $1.45 million grant from the National Math and Science Initiative to replicate UTeach. The program prepares future teachers to instruct and engage students in the STEM areas - science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The new program, called OSUTeach, will help transform K-12 STEM education throughout Oklahoma. OSU is the only UTeach university in the state. OSUTeach will begin in fall 2014 as a collaboration of the College of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences. Until then, Education Dean Sissi Carroll and Arts and Sciences Dean Bret Danilowicz will be recruiting students with an interest and passion for the STEM areas and asking them the simple question: Have you thought about teaching?

SE GRANTS

US Department of Agriculture - $50,000

Funds were awarded to Sharon Morrison, Director of the Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library to assist with the upgrade network switches and increase the library's digital collections.

  
  
US Small Business Administration - $1,159,699

Funds were awarded to Dr. William Carter, State Director, of the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center to provide small business management advising to entrepreneurs throughout Oklahoma. The program is funded through a partnership with the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), Oklahoma's public universities, and funds appropriated by the Oklahoma Legislature through the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Oklahoma Small Business Development Center (OKSBDC) also partners with many other organizations including Chambers of Commerce, local and regional economic development entities, and Oklahoma's Native American tribes. The statewide OKSBDC program is hosted by Southeastern Oklahoma State University which partners with other universities to provide business advising, training, and technical support throughout the state. OKSBDC provides services to over 4000 Oklahoma entrepreneurs each year which results in increased business growth, employment, and economic vitality.

TCC GRANTS

American Association of Community Colleges - $15,000

A growing number of baby boomers who are considering or pursuing new careers, and some are attending TCC's Plus 50 Encore Program. Dr. Sarah Plunkett, Plus 50 Encore Grant completion coordinator and Assistant Dean of Health Sciences, received funding to survey and assess the needs of TCC students who are age 50 or older. TCC will consult with internal and external partners, including agencies that often work with older adults, to plan services for the targeted student population. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the percentage of adults over age 55 in the workforce will grow to 25% in 2020, up from 13% in 2000.

 

US Department of Labor - $14.9 million

A new national program designed to prepare students for jobs in aviation and aerospace manufacturing is being offered through Tulsa Community College. The purpose of the program is to develop accelerated training for the aerospace industry to provide skilled employees to fill the nationally recognized skills gap. Don Freeland is program director at TCC. The college is part of the National Aviation Consortium, which was started with a four-year grant from the US Department of Labor. The goal of the 12-week program is to help students develop the skills needed to enter the aerospace workforce. The college is one of five consortium partners. The Wichita Area Technical College in Kansas is the project leader. Other partners are Edmonds Community College in Washington, Guilford Technical Community College in North Carolina and Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana.

TU GRANT                               

US Department of Energy - $1.76 million

The US Department of Energy recently selected a TU joint venture for $1.76 million in funding as part of $30 million awarded for developing FOCUS - short for full-spectrum optimized conversion and utilization of sunlight. The grant money will help support Todd Otanicar, TU Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and his TU colleagues as well as his private partner, California startup Cogenra. Another West Coast company, nanoComposix, will help develop a large-scale synthesis of the TU-Cogenra work.

UCO GRANTS                               

US Fish & Wildlife Service through the Oklahoma Depart of Wildlife Conservation - $15,000

Joseph Grzybowski received funding for Assessing Black-capped vireo response to wildfire in SW OK. This project will examine the dispersal of Black-capped Vireos away from the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge following widespread wildfires in 2011 and their potential colonization of suitable habitat on private land surrounding the refuge.

  
  

Oklahoma Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office - $21,577

Robert Delano received funding for the Oklahoma Pickup Truck Seatbelt Usage Survey 2014. Its purpose is to design a new survey for pickup truck seatbelt usage in Oklahoma, and to utilize this new survey at 32 different sites in the State.

 

 

 

Undergraduate Research
H & K NSU

What are the Benefits of Undergraduate Research?

 

* Enhances student learning

   through mentoring

   relationships with faculty

 

* Increases retention

 

* Increases enrollment in

   graduate education and 

   provides effective career

   preparation

  

* Develops critical thinking,

   creativity, problem solving

   and intellectual

   independence

 

* Develops an understanding 

   of research methodology

 

* Promotes an innovation-

   oriented culture

 

Undergraduate research has been noted as the strongest academic engagement activity for improving the academic quality and persistence of students. Many faculty members enhance their teaching with research with their students. Grants for research are very supportive of undergraduate involvement. NSF encourages researchers to ask for a $75,000 supplement for any research project to include undergraduate researchers.

 

Reminder: OKLAHOMA RESEARCH DAY on the UCO Campus is Friday March 7!

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The Oklahoma Journal for Undergraduate Research
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education is sponsoring a statewide online research journal for projects by Oklahoma higher education undergraduate students. The OKJUR website will be http://www.okjur.org. All subjects of research and creative endeavors are encouraged for submission. The OKJUR Advisory Board is Dr. Linda Mason of OSRHE, Tim O'Neil of OSU, Dr. Susan Walden of OU, Dr. Jennifer Long of USAO, Dr. Michelle Hepner of UCO, Gina Weaver of SNU, Dr. Kara Ryan-Johnson of TCC, Dr. Karen Harmon-Miletell of TCC, Dr. Amanda Evert of Redlands, Dr. Darrin Akins of INBRE, and Dr. Jerry Malayer of EPSCoR. We will sponsor a student competition for the journal logo, so watch for information. For more information, contact Linda Mason at [email protected]                            

 

Promoting

Undergraduate

Research
April 11, 2014

Presbyterian Health Foundation Conference Center

Oklahoma City

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