11 cross-college research teams awarded UAH funding

"I firmly believe that interdisciplinary research activity by our faculty often leads to external funding," says Dr. Ray Vaughn, UAH vice president for research and economic development.

UAH

Eleven proposals received $5,000 each in funding  for a total of $55,000 awarded in the 2015-16 Cross-College Faculty Research program by The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

The grants help facilitate interdisciplinary interaction between UAH faculty from more than one college around a common research theme.

A total of 15 proposals were submitted for review from UAH tenured and tenure-track faculty who had a desire to create interdisciplinary, cross-college research groups on campus.

"I firmly believe that interdisciplinary research activity by our faculty often leads to external funding, and these seed grants are designed to support collaboration between faculty of different colleges who agree to work together on research efforts leading to a proposal to an external funding agency," says Dr. Ray Vaughn, vice president for research and economic development.

The collaborative teams meet on a regular basis to share research ideas. Each team must prepare at least one proposal to an external funding agency within the first 12 months after receiving the award.

There is an opportunity for continued funding for the second year of a previously awarded CCFR effort if the research group is successful in its first year.

"I believe this program has been a catalyst for the increase in UAH external proposal submissions," Dr. Vaughn says. "My hope is that it leads to more novel proposals that will be accepted and funded by those agencies receiving and reviewing these proposals."

Awarded proposals and their principal investigating faculty are:

• "Human-Robot Cooperation via Artificial Robotic Vision" (renewal award), Dr. Farbod Fahimi;
• "A Collaborative Microbiology and Nursing Approach to Promote Safety in Neonatal Suctioning Practices," Dr. Joseph Leahy;
• "Algae to Biofuel," Dr. Yu Lei;
• "Science & Nursing Collaborative Research Team (SNCRT)", Dr. Gordon MacGregor;
• "Calcium Loss in Sweat: An Unrecognized Risk Factor for Bone Fracture and Osteoporosis," Dr. Shannon Mathis;
• "Effects of Piano Instruction in Reducing Stress Levels and Anxiety for Autistic Children," Dr. Ka-man Ng;
• "Serious Game Development for STEM Learning – Apollo Lunar Rover Adventure Game," Dr. Chao Peng;
• "The Effects of Acoustic Waves on Spray Patterns of Like-Doublet Injectors," Dr. Dave Ragsdale;
• "Fate and Transformation of Emerging Chemical Contaminants in Advanced Oxidation Processes," Dr. Tingting Wu;
• "Low-Cost Functionalization of Polymer Surfaces with Microplasma," Dr. Kunning Xu;
• "Cancer Survivorship in the Workplace," Dr. Dianhan Zheng.