RASP Fall 2022 Faculty Newsletter

Intel Semiconductor Education and Research Program Grant 

By now I assume everyone has heard that Kent State was selected as a recipient of an Intel Semiconductor Education and Research Program grant. More importantly, although 80 institutions in Ohio are part of Intel funded grants, there are only seven institutions that are leads (basically the PI) on the grants. There is no doubt that our growing reputation as an R1 institution that can also flexibly provide microcredentials, certificates and Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees was a strong factor in our lead role and in the success of the proposal. This proposal was also a shining example of the strength of collaborative culture as Benjamin Tipton (Division of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement), Peggy Shadduck and Susan Emens (College of Applied & Technical Studies), Dana Lawless-Andric (University Engagement and Outreach), Torsten Hegmann (Advanced Materials & Liquid Crystal Institute), Christina Bloebaum (College of Aeronautics & Engineering) and RASP joined together to draft and coordinate this proposal. This grant will provide phenomenal opportunities for our current and future students. They will benefit from our ability, along with our partner institutions, to scale existing educational opportunities, develop new experiential curricula, and establish/refine pathways for learners seeking to enter, reskill, or upskill in areas relevant to semiconductor fabrication across the region. Please join us for a townhall October 27, 2022 at 3 pm to discuss what this funding means, plans for implementing the grant, ways that you can get involved, and ways we should be thinking as we move forward leveraging this funding to expand our workforce development, research opportunities, and corporate engagement strategies. 

Game Changer Pilot Funding 

With the submission deadline behind us, we are now in the selection phase of the Game Changer Pilot program, with final funding decisions anticipated by the end of October. This pilot funding program is part our three-pronged approach to increase levels of external funding and resultant expenditures. We received 33 applications, underscoring interest in the program, and reviewers are engaged in the difficult task of selecting recipients from among the many high-quality proposals. Obviously, we are not able to fund all applications, but RASP is poised to work with faculty to identify additional possible funding opportunities for those not selected. 

New Humanities RASP Fellow

Last year, RASP implemented the Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program in which a faculty member from the arts or humanities (alternating each year) works closely as a member of the RASP leadership team to aid our division in better meeting the research/creative activity needs of these disciplines. Dr. Brian Hayashi, professor, Department of History, was selected as a RASP faculty fellow for AY 2022-23. Dr, Hayashi plans to aid RASP and the research community through projects focusing on increasing the number of Fulbright scholars, building inter-disciplinary research teams and increasing knowledge of funding opportunities. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Hayashi to this role.  

                                  Student Research Highlights 

The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)

SURE set a record with 122 SURE students participating this summer, shattering the prior record of 70. 

On October 18th, faculty, staff, family and friends of SURE students gathered to hear the research presentations given by the 2022 summer class. The competition challenged students to consolidate their research discoveries and explain the breadth and significance of their work using only three-minutes and one static slide. Students were also asked to present their research without using professional jargon or technical language.

The list of SURE participants and mentors and a description of their projects can be found at the Office of Student Research website. First and second-place winners of the Three-Minute Competition will be posted on November 1 and can be found on the SURE webpages.

Garrett Hartley and Professor John West Sponsored by the Shirley and Bill Doane SURE Fund for Research in PDLC Cells 

Garrett Hartley, a SURE participant in the college of arts and sciences, was supervised by John West, Ph.D., in his research on Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) cells. They hope to identify specific qualities these cells possess and apply them to sensing and fibers. 

Read more 

The Research Review 

DIVE-IN to our PODCASTS on your DRIVE IN- The Research Review Podcasts are the brainchild of Jonathan Evanick, a public health sophomore with a concentration in clinical trials research. Jonathan has been engaged in research and has been a SURE fellow since his freshman year. Evanick also serves as an Undergraduate Research Ambassador. 

The podcasts showcase the work of our students and specifically those that were engaged in the SURE program. 

Jonathan has yet to interview himself for the podcast, but this past summer, he worked with geography professor Aimee Ward on a mixed-method study of college student homelessness. The goal of their research is that all future students will receive equal opportunities in higher education. To achieve this, they are encouraging universities to establish resources and destigmatize the need to receive assistance within the college student culture.

Updates 

External review of RASP services 

We have engaged with both the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) and the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) to complete two independent assessments of Kent State resources and systems. The NORDP review will inform our efforts to build an Office of Research Development, while the NCURA review is intended to holistically identify efficiencies throughout the research process from research development to post-award spending. These assessments will better enable us to maximize our people and efforts and inform future investments to facilitate research success. 

Personnel Changes in RASP

The Division of Research and Sponsored Programs is thrilled to welcome Carey Stumpf as a new sponsored programs administrator and Sarah Pfeiffer as the assistant director, research compliance. Often uncelebrated, our RASP research support staff are second to none in their passion for helping our faculty and students succeed. We are excited to welcome Carey and Sarah to the team. 

Grants, Grants, Grants 

Faculty have also been busy this semester. Here are just a few examples of recent grant success: 

• Marty Ropog and Martha Lash received $1,020,199 from a U.S. Department of Education

      subaward for ODHE Aspire FY2023. 

• James Tudhope received $657,894 from the Health Resources and Services Administration

      (HRS) for Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency Integration Program.

• LaDarrius Steele received $589 415 from the U.S. Department of Education for Upward Bound

      Classic.

• Qing Guan received $574,640 from National Science Foundation (NSF) for AC Core:

      Interpretable Resilience Analysis Platform for Scientific Workflow Applications.

• Deric Kenne received $525,000 from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

      Administration (SAMHSA) for Summit County MAT Expansion (Sc-MATx).

• Michael Fisch received $511,885 from National Science Foundation (NSF) for US-Ireland R&D

      Partnership: Structure-property relationships of new polar liquid crystalline phases through

      synthesis and characterization using a range of analytical techniques.

• Qing Guan, Barry Dunietz, and Michael Strickland received $500.000 from National Science

      Foundation (NSF) for CyberTrainina: Implementation: Small: Interactive and Integrated Training

      for Quantum Application Developers across Platforms.

• Joanne Caniglia and Rhonda Hylton received $490,065 from an Ohio Department of Education/

      U.S. Department of Education subaward for The Kent State Tutoring Project.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities 

RASP Brownbags 

On October 28, 2022 at 1:00 pm a RASP brownbag will be taking place, that will focus on Compliance Areas that Complement IRB Research. This session will include high-level overviews of Public Records, FERPA, HIPAA Privacy and Security Laws.

On November 3, 2022 at noon there will be a RASP brownbag that will focus on the International Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter (ICAM) funding opportunities, featuring speaker Dr. Khandker Quader, professor, Physics. 

On November 17, 2022 at noon there will be a RASP brownbag that will focus on grants administration from a department perspective, featuring speaker Katie Johnson, grants administrator in the Department of Biological Sciences. 

Research & Innovation Forum 

On November 8, 2022 at 3:30 pm the RASP Research & Innovation Forum will be taking place in the Kent Student Center Ballroom Balcony. This event will feature speakers Catrina Johnson, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Management & Information Systems; Elaine Hsiao, Ph.D., assistant professor, School of Peace & Conflict Studies; and Gregory King, M.F.A., associate professor, School of Theatre and Dance. This forum will be hosted by The Anti-Racism & Equity Institute.

Student Research 

The Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors will be held on April 17, 2023. Submissions for the symposium will be accepted beginning December 5, 2022 through February 17, 2023. 

Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) applications for 2023 will be accepted from December 1, 2022 through February 17, 2023. 

Undergraduate Research Ambassadors - Do you know undergraduate student researchers who would be great at sharing their stories with potential and current KSU students? Encourage them to apply.