The following grant announcements were released during the month of May:
Serious and Violent Offender Study
Janet Wilson, Ed Powers, Allison Vetter, from the Department of Sociology, and Lisa Ray, from the Department of Health Sciences, received $32,680 for a grant proposal titled ?An Evaluation of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative.?
According to the authors, ?The primary goal of the reentry initiative is to prevent reoffending by participating serious and violent offenders released from Arkansas correctional facilities into the four target counties.?
Evaluation team members will conduct an outcome evaluation to determine whether participating in the reentry program decreased recidivism and improved reintegration into the community. In addition, a process evaluation will be conducted to determine the ability of the correctional system to identify those inmates most likely to succeed in such a program and to build effective partnerships with community service agencies.
The grant is being funded by the U.S. Department of Justice through the Arkansas Department of Community Correction.
Gene Expression Study
Rahul Mehta, Department of Physics and Astronomy, recently received $6,750 for a grant proposal titled ?Studies on Gene Expression and Signal Transduction in Human Endothelial Cells Under Stimulated Microgravity Environment.?
At the conclusion of the study, presentations will be made at local, state and national meetings and the results will be published in appropriate journals. New proposals will be written to continue this work and the offshoots of it, according to the author.
Mehta reports, ?Students will learn to use the Scanning Electron Microscope, learn about biological samples and develop techniques to prepare and work in appropriate laboratory environments. At UCA, the results from the study will be incorporated in biology and physics courses enhancing the overall effectiveness of these courses.?
Outreach activities are being planned that will benefit the teaching of science at K-12 levels. Area schools will be able to participate in SEM workshops that make use of the results of this research.
The grant is being funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency through the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Spinal Cord Injury Study
Hao Liu, Department of Physical Therapy, received $16,724 to for a grant proposal titled, ?Influence of Combined L-dopa and Passive Exercise on Restoration of the Frequency-Dependent Depression of the H-Reflex in Rats with Spinal Cord Injury.?
According to the author, ?The study will determine if the dopamine precursor, L-dopa combined with 15 days of bicycle exercise will influence the frequency-dependent depression of the H-reflex which is associated with hyperreflexia, presumably spasticity in rats with SCI.
The study is expected to provide a base of animal research on which planned human studies will be based in rehabilitation clinics. It should also generate sufficient preliminary data in Dr. Liu?s field of expertise to allow pursuit of funding from federal agencies for research to be based at UCA.
The grant is being funded by the National Institutes of Health through the National Center for Research Resources, the Arkansas Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Education Partnership
Kathleen Atkins and Dee Dee Cain, Department of Early Childhood and Special Education, recently received $5,000 for a grant titled, ?Inclusive Education Practice.?
According to the authors, ?The study will increase knowledge of instructional strategies in order to facilitate success in inclusive settings.?
The study is a continuation of a partnership between the UCA College of Education and the Mayflower School District. ?The project goals and objectives are designed to provide teachers in the Mayflower Elementary and Middle schools increased professional development opportunities in the area of co-teaching and inclusive schooling practices.?
The grant is being funded by the Arkansas Department of Education.
Professional Development Institute Grant
Linda Griffith and Belinda Robertson, Department of Mathematics, recently received $65,000 for a grant proposal titled, ?Professional Development Institute Summer Training.?
According to the authors, more than 400 K-12 math and science teachers will receive 20 hours of professional development at UCA.
The grant is being funded by the U.S. Department of Education through the Arkansas Department of Education.
Computer Security Framework and Protocol Study
Chenyi Hu and Qiang Duan, Department of Computer Science, recently received $232,208 for a grant proposal titled, ?Building a Framework for Flexible and Robust Security Architectures, and Establishing the Security Protocol for the Grid Computing Environment.?
According to the authors, the project will be conducted jointly with a team from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Selected graduate students from both institutions will participate in the study as well.
The objectives of the project are to construct a framework for building flexible and robust security architectures and to establish the security policy for the grid computing environment. Information security focuses on protecting the confidentiality, integrity, availability, and accountability of information and information systems, whether in the state of transmission, storage or processing.
According to the authors, ?The study will try to answer the most important questions in computing research of the 21st century. This grant will advance the knowledge in the field and prepare high quality students to enter the workforce.?
The grant is being funded by Acxiom.
Pilot Program for Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students
Lisa Ray, Department of Health Sciences, received $59,500 for a grant proposal titled, ?Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS): A Pilot Program.?
BASICS is designed specifically for college students who abuse alcohol. The program is based on a model that combines capability deficits as well as developmental and motivational aspects.
BASICS will function as a pilot program and will be used as a prototype for implementing the program on a larger scale. Additionally, the goals are to reduce average alcohol intake, the attendant risky behaviors and perceived negative consequences.
The training required for this program is being held at UCA, but is open to any college faculty or staff in the state.
The grant is being funded by the Department of Health & Human Services through the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
Infrasonic Thermoacoustic Project
William Slaton, Department of Physics and Astronomy, received $15,032 for a grant proposal titled, ?Infrasonic Thermoacoustic Project.?
According to the author, ?The outcome of this grant will be the building and testing of a thermoacoustic infrasonic (<10 Hz) sound source as a proof of concept device.?
The grant is being funded by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command through the National Center for Physical Acoustics at the University of Mississippi.
