July 2014

P R O J E C T U P D A T E S

The Office of Sponsored Programs

There is nothing so POWERFUL as an idea

whose time has come.

—Victor Hugo

The Office of Sponsored Programs was very busy during the fall and spring semesters! February was an especially interesting

month, as Dr. Becky Harvard retired to enjoy some quality beach time and the Tavern was beset by squirrels with a vendetta

trying to take out our communications. We are in debt to Mike Pratt and his IT crew for relocating us until it was safe, and to Dr.

Chandler and the College of Education for allowing us to use one of their conference rooms as a work space!

OSP would like to give a huge shout out to Dr. Mustafa Morsy of the Biology Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

He has been awarded a much-coveted National Science Foundation grant supporting his research on a three-way symbiotic

relationship in tomato plants! This project is a big step forward for UWA in securing future grants from the NSF. Also funded by

NSF and headed up by Dr. Morsy with support of NSM faculty is the BOSS (Biological Opportunities for Student Success)

Scholarship Program. GREAT WORK, Dr. Morsy!!! We’re so proud to have had a small part in this!

We also made it through multiple reschedulings to finally complete the DOL TAACCCT Project site visit we thought might never

happen. Breathe a little easier now, Stephanie Hyche and Veronica Triplett!

The OSP is also preparing to make some changes in services offered to include grants training for graduate students! We are

super excited about that because we know how beneficial these skills will be for them throughout their careers.

APPLIED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAM

The $2.2M TAACCCT program, funded by the U.S.

Department of Labor, has been a catalyst for economic

development in West Alabama. What began as an

endeavor to provide high-quality workforce training and

expand employment opportunities for unemployed and

under-employed adults in the Black Belt has ignited a

network of business, industrial, and educational

partnerships throughout the region, including a

partnership with Mercedes Benz set to begin in the fall

of 2014. At the conclusion of its first program year, The

UWA Applied Manufacturing Technology Program is on

schedule with infrastructure development and

participant outcomes. To date, 41 participants have

completed a certificate program in Industrial Mainte-

nance and 15 participants are currently enrolled in

certificate programs for welding or automotive

technology. 26 others are enrolled in Comp TIA+ and

PLC 1 & 2. The Program provides extensive student

support services, as well as experiential learning

opportunities driven by input from the project’s active

business and industry advisory board.

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PROJECT ENGAGE

In only two short years, the successful implementation of

the Project Engage program at The University of West

Alabama has already made a huge impact on the

institution’s capacity to improve the quality of science

education and attract minority students to scientific

disciplines in preparation for careers in the field. By

offering STEM 101 as the required Freshman Experience

Course and, for the first time, STEM 102 in the spring,

participants have become better acclimated and more

aware of expectations of them as students in STEM

disciplines. The mentoring program offered includes peer

mentoring, as well as mentoring by UWA faculty

members. STEM Engagement is being accomplished

through both in-class and supplementary activities. This

year’s enrichment experiences included field trips to

NASA and the Alabama 4-H Center. Outreach activities

for area high school students include the Invention

Convention, held each fall, and the STEM Challenge each

spring. Project Engage students are required to

complete STEM-related assignments in addition to the

standard University Experience content. Additionally,

Project Engage students receive valuable opportunities

for career exploration and professional networking in the

STEM fields.

CAMPUS SUICIDE PREVENTION

Dr. Debbie Baker-Dean, Project Director for

the Campus Suicide Prevention program, de-

signed a project that would provide outreach

and training to local mental health service

providers, first responders, educators, and

medical personnel to community how UWA

deals with students who are a threat to them-

selves. Leah Sornsin is the Outreach Coordi-

nator for this program, working with resi-

dence halls and student life to coordinate

activities for the program, such as April’s

Mental Health Awareness Week, which in-

cluded seminars, a Mental Health Fair, an

obstacle course, and a Walk Out of Darkness

around the UWA Loop.

An informative video on suicide statistics cre-

ated by UWA students can be found at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=qiP0qZnlLN0. Stay on top of new activities

by following the UWA Counseling Facebook

Page at https://www.facebook.com/

uwa.counseling?fref=ts.

2014 NATIONAL SUMMER TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE

The UWA National Summer Transportation

Institute has been funded for the second

year in a row. This year, UWA was chosen

as ONE OF TWO PROGRAMS selected in

the nation to serve as host site for four

American Samoa & Northern Mariana Is-

lands students to participate in our pro-

gram. The second institution selected was

Merrimack College in Massachusetts. The

Federal Highway Administration personnel

and 2014 NSTI Grant review team named

our program one of the “MODEL” NSTI

PROGRAMS due to our emphasis on class-

room instruction, hands-on laboratory and

careful selection of field trip activities. The

UWA team will work with: Federal High-

way Headquarters and Division Offices of:

Hawaii, California, Alabama and Massa-

chusetts to plan for the exchange students

visit for the three week on campus pro-

gram.

TRIO PROGRAMS: STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

& UPWARD BOUND

First funded at UWA in 1978, the U.S. De-

partment of Education’s TRIO Programs

have made a huge difference on our cam-

pus. The multi-year projects are worth a

combined $1.8 million dollars! The current

Upward Bound program provides seven

services—from academic tutoring to finan-

cial literacy—to 86 first-generation and

low-income high school students to help

prepare them for success at the postsec-

ondary level. Student Support Services

enables 160 UWA students to maintain

enrollment and earn degrees by providing

them with academic, financial, and per-

sonal support. SSS also includes enrich-

ment seminars, networking, and campus

diversity awareness activities. An updated

Student Support Services proposal is cur-

rently underway by Dr. Vicki Spruiell and

Stephanie Hyche for next year’s funding

round.

P E

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S 1. Resiliency and Future Protection Technologies and Training

K. Walker, $150,000 Economic Development Agency

2. Building Resiliency in Military-Connected Children through a Paradigm for Wellness

A. Hollingsworth, $332,000 National Institutes of Health

3. ICE Project (Integrating Climate and Exotics)

K. Shumaker, $121,000 Virginia Tech subaward/USDA

4. Bio-BOOM: Improving Tomato Production

M. Morsy, $25,000 USDA

5. Market to Market: Growing the Rural Marketplace

K. Walker, $100,000 USDA

6. The GENIUS Project (Growing and Empowering the Next Innovative University Students)

K. Chandler, $3,665,824 U.S. Department of Education

7. Alabama Butterfly Atlas

A. Rindsberg, $10,000 Legacy, Inc.

8. COPS Hiring Program

J. Manuel, $145,000 U.S. Department of Justice

9. Black Belt Back to Work

R. Granec, $2,915,980 Partnership with the Rural Development Foundation/USDA

10. VITA Tax Preparation

S. Stipe, $8,653 Impact Alabama

S t u d e n t R e s e a r c h O p p o r t u n i t i e s Almost everyone knows that UWA is a teaching institution. While the College of Education consistently has the largest enroll-

ment, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics has grown at a steady pace since 2011. As more students enroll in

STEM programs, professors find themselves looking for ways to keep their students actively engaged. Being able to offer more

opportunities to learn lab techniques and data-collection methods is a great way to do this, as well as helping students to pre-

pare them for future careers in research. The Office of Sponsored Programs is happy to be able to play a small part in further-

ing student development, whether it be for scientific research or assisting teacher educators in developing programs that en-

hance the skills of future teachers!

Dr. Mustafa Morsy, Assistant Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences, is working to offer UWA under-

graduates opportunities to become more engaged in their studies by involving them on various research projects.

His laboratory focuses on two major projects: 1) Characterization of the three-way symbiosis associated with plant

heat tolerance, and 2) Discovery of fungal endophytes associated with environmental stress tolerant plants in Ala-

bama. In the last 3 years with UWA, his lab offered opportunities to more than 10 undergraduates and 2 graduate

students to be involved in various aspects of his projects. Students have had plenty of opportunities to present at

local, regional and national conferences. In addition, Dr. Morsy is collaborating with Yale University in a discovery

based course “Molecular and Microbial Biology” that is offered for freshmen biology students to inspire them and

increase student retention rate via involvement in hands-on research experience. Two UWA students studying mo-

lecular biology as a part of the Yale Consortium, Mara DeLuca and Savannah Wooley, recently presented at the

American Society for Microbiology Meeting in Boston, MA. This was a great experience for freshmen students to

present at a national conference.

Dr. Ketia Shumaker, Assistant Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences, mentors and recruits undergrad-

uate students for summer research internships. Since 2009, Dr. Shumaker has been able to take four undergradu-

ate students with her to Pennsylvania State University to participate in a ten-week long paid summer research pro-

gram. The students will receive an intensive week-long workshop in molecular biology techniques, followed by two

months of research on genomics or bioinformatics aspects of the project. The students will present their findings in

the undergraduate summer research day at Penn State and at the annual meetings of the American Society for Plant

Biology. Funding for these summer programs have been provided by grants from The Natural Science Foundation

(NSF) and The United States Department of Agriculture.

Need a proofreader

or a peer reviewer?

In OSP, we know a little something about editing your own work. It’s tedious, time consuming, and can cause some serious

delirium! There are only so many times most of us can look at one body of work before we stop seeing mistakes and start

seeing Shakespeare, usually in response to our brains screaming for a break. Because of our big hearts and benevolent na-

tures, the staff of OSP will begin offering editing and proofreading services to those who request them.

For those faculty who are preparing publications, OSP can assist you in finding a suitable peer reviewer. We know the value

of having a pair of fresh eyes look over your work. And while we understand that most of us never make mistakes when

writing, we want everyone to have the best chance at publication (or funding)! If you are interested in finding a peer review-

er or acting as a peer reviewer for a fellow academian, just give us a call or swing by the Tavern and let us know!

WHAT’S OSP BEEN UP TO LATELY?

F L O O D I N G

T O R N A D O E S

H U R R I C A N E S

W I N T E R S T O R M S The Sumter County Emergency Management Agency has been taking part in a series of emergency preparedness exercises

based on our county’s Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment. The classes are offered by the Emergency

Management Institute via videoconference and include community leaders from all facets of public safety. The Office of

Sponsored Programs is happy to offer technical support for the conferences held in the Callaway Schoolhouse. We would

like to thank Mrs. Margaret Bishop-Gulley, Director of Sumter County EMA for the work she does in helping to keep us safe

and informed in dangerous situations.

OSP staff members Rodney Granec (‘12-’14 Chair of NCURA Region III),

Stephanie Hyche, Hoda Hassan, and Carmen Giles recently attended the

2014 Spring Meeting in St. Pete Beach, Florida. NCURA advances the

field of research administration through professional development, the

sharing of knowledge, and by fostering a sense of community in the

Southeast Region of the U.S. Our office had a great time, enjoyed the beautiful beaches,

and learned some exciting new things that we can’t wait to put into practice!

On Monday, July 21st, Ms. Cameron Craft, a Research Administrator at the Medical

University of South Carolina, will be speaking to UWA faculty about the ins and outs of

NIH funding. We are super excited to have her here and we look forward to learning

some neat tricks! To find out if space is available in the Callaway, call 3424.

NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

NIH is the largest source in the world of medical research funding

NIH is made up of 27 Institutes & Centers

OSP pays for access to several online providers of grants and grant information. Make sure you’re taking advantage of them!

The Grants Resource Center is a service of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)

that provides personalized and comprehensive federal and private funding information. Not only do they send updates

on deadlines, they can track down sample proposals from funded projects!

The Foundation Directory Online offers access to over 120,000 foundations and corporate donors with information on

recent grants made by funders and access to 990’s!

InfoEd Global will send you daily or weekly emails of federal and foundation grant opportunities if you’re signed up with

SMARTS!