Featured Awards – February 2013

NASA awarded Mark Chopping (Earth and Environmental Studies, CSAM) a $22,315 supplement for “Forest and Shrub Mapping with MISR” which uses a geometric-optical model inversion approach to allow the large area mapping of forest and shrubs in grasslands. Dr. Chopping is using data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Earth Observing System Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer.

Elizabeth Erwin (Early Childhood, Elementary Education, and Literacy Education, CHSS) received a $1,500 supplement for “Building Foundations for Self-Determination in Young Children with Disabilities” from the US Department of Education and the University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc.

Pankaj Lal (Earth and Environmental Studies, CSAM) received a $51,246 subaward from the US Department of Energy and the University of Florida for the first year of “US-India Consortium for Sustainable Advanced Biofuels System.” The aim of this project is to develop and optimize advanced non-food biomass (switchgrass in United States and biomass sorghum, pearl millet and bamboo in India) based biofuels and biobased products. Dr. Lal will develop certification standards and conduct economic and environmental analyses of advanced biofuels.

Dibyendu Sarkar and Yang Deng (Earth and Environmental Studies, CSAM) received a $69,673 subaward from the US Department of the Interior and the University of Southern Illinois for “Low-cost, Green Technology to Improve Water Quality in Mining-Impacted Ecosystems. Phase-I: Model Development and Optimization.” The project’s goal is to prove that drinking water treatment residuals and vetiver grass are capable to effectively reclaim acid mine drainage-impacted water by adsorption and/or neutralization, as well as reduce soil erosion in abandoned mines.

‌‌The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society awarded Cigdem Talgar (Research Academy for University Learning, Academic Affairs), David Lee Keiser (Secondary and Special Education, CEHS), and Julie Dalley (Research Academy for University Learning, Academic Affairs) $5,000 for “Competitive Pedagogy and Practice (CPP): Faculty Fellows Development Program” which will establish an initial half-year program whose central mission will be for a select group of Faculty Fellows and Mentors to create and/or redesign courses that incorporate concepts of contemplative pedagogy, mindfulness, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Meiyin Wu (Biology and Molecular Biology, CSAM) received $119,939 from the National Science Foundation for the fourth year of “REU Site: Transdisciplinary Environmental Science Research on Forest Lakes in Northwest New Jersey,” the goal of which is to inspire and enable REU scholars regarding pursuing degrees and careers in science/engineering research and to build their confidence that such degrees/careers are desirable and feasible. Drs. Huan Feng, Josh Galster and Greg Pope serve as faculty mentors of this program.