1804 Fund invests over $393K in education and research

Among the three joint proposals receiving 1804 Fund support from both the Undergraduate Learning Awards and the Faculty Research and Graduate Studies Awards was a proposal to provide funding for an outdoor aquatic mesocosm research facility on the Athens Campus. Photo courtesy of the College of Arts and Sciences Forum/Viorel Popescu

The Trustees of The Ohio University Foundation have awarded more than $393,000 of the 1804 Fund to 14 undergraduate learning, faculty research and graduate studies proposals.

An endowment established in 1979 from the estate of alumnus C. Paul Stocker, the 1804 Fund has provided Ohio University with enriched learning opportunities while supporting OHIO’s mission of “maintaining, strengthening and enhancing a learning-centered community.” Since the first grants were awarded in 1980, the 1804 Fund has supported more than 600 OHIO projects and programs and provided more than $15 million to efforts that have elevated the academic excellence of Ohio University.

This academic year, more than $156,000 from the 1804 Fund has been allocated to eight Undergraduate Learning proposals while more than $236,000 has been awarded to six Faculty Research and Graduate Studies proposals.

JOINT UNDERGRADUATE LEARNING/FACULTY RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES PROPOSALS

In the 1804 Fund’s spirit of fostering innovation and collaboration across disciplines, three joint proposals received funding from both the Undergraduate Learning Awards and the Faculty Research and Graduate Studies Awards. Those proposals are:

Ohio University Aquatic Mesocosm Facility

OHIO undergraduate students, graduate programs and researchers in the biological sciences, environmental and plant biology, and environmental studies departments received $49,670 in support of an outdoor aquatic mesocosm research facility, which would allow students and faculty to study the natural environment under controlled conditions. Located on the Athens Campus, the facility would be used by several undergraduate-level courses while also supporting faculty research. The facility would also connect with an international mesocosm network, shining a spotlight on OHIO research and potentially leading to future external collaborations and grants for the University.

Applicants: Viorel Popescu, Kelly Johnson, Natalie Kruse Daniels and Morgan Vis

Acquisition of a Laser Powder Bed Additive Manufacturing Platform for Advanced Manufacturing and Training

Faculty from OHIO’s Russ College of Engineering and Technology with expertise in material sciences and additive manufacturing were awarded $83,856 for the acquisition of a laser powder bed machine, state-of-the-art technology that uses a laser and a bed of powderized material to build up parts with complex shapes or material characteristics. The purchase will allow for the development of new, sustainable research a burgeoning industry; support a new course in additive manufacturing; and be integrated into several existing undergraduate and graduate courses.

Applicants: TJ Cyders, Jason Trembly, Marc Singer and Keerti Kappagantula

Transdisciplinary Research Training in Global Health

Leveraging and building upon international collaborations involving faculty from the College of Business, the Center for International Studies, the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Health Sciences and Professions and the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, this proposal aims to provide undergraduate and graduate students opportunities in research, program evaluation and policy translation. Receiving $52,668 in funding, the proposal seeks to provide OHIO students with the skills sought by global development employers, including analytical skills, experience with program evaluation and the ability to apply research to real-life problems in an international setting.

Applicants: Gillian Ice, Zelalem Haile, Joseph Bianco, Meredith Gartin, Lesli Johnson, Marsha Lewis, Dawn Graham, Luke Pittaway, Debra McBride, Deborah Meyer, Sarah Rubin, Caroline Kingori, Bose Maposa, Kelly Nottingham and Steve Howard

FACULTY RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES PROPOSALS

The proposals receiving Faculty Research and Graduate Studies Awards funding are:

Festivals, Events and Entertainment Management Certificate Program

Heather Lawrence-Benedict, associate professor of sports administration, academic director of graduate programs and the Robert H. Freeman Professor of Business in the College of Business, was granted $16,900 in support of an undergraduate and graduate Festivals, Events and Entertainment Management certificate program. The program will prepare students to develop, plan and implement events in various settings, while allowing faculty to collaborate with event management industry experts for course development, establish an Event Management Fellow and create a marketing student position. A collaboration between the College of Business and the Patton College of Education, the certificate program is expected to launch in the fall of 2019.

Applicant: Heather Lawrence-Benedict

Acquiring MRI-Compatible Visual Stimulation and Manual Response Equipment for the Holzer Scanner

Faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Health Sciences and Professions were granted $65,390 to enhance a research partnership with Holzer Clinic in Athens, which has provided Ohio University access to its Tesla MRI scanner at a discounted rate. The proposal will fund the purchase of visual stimulation goggles, manual response devices and pain stimulation equipment, all of which will improve OHIO’s research infrastructure, make its researchers more competitive for external grants and foster graduate student training.

Applicants: Dominik Mischkowski and Dustin Grooms

Return to Rashidieh: Chronicle of an Inconvenient People

Tom Hayes and Steve Ross, faculty members in the College of Fine Arts’ Film Division, were granted $17,756 to support the creation of “Return to Rashidieh,” a documentary chronicling the dispersion of a Palestinian refugee family. The funding will allow students in the Master of Fine Arts in Film Program to work on the documentary, in some cases traveling out of the country to film. The finished product, which will incorporate Hayes’ filming of the family in 1983, is intended for distribution through PBS and Netflix.

Applicants: Tom Hayes and Steve Ross

UNDERGRADUATE LEARNING PROPOSALS

The proposals receiving Undergraduate Learning Awards funding are:

Fostering Open Educational Resources at Ohio University

Building on Ohio University’s commitment to student access and affordability, staff and faculty from University Libraries and the College of Arts and Sciences were awarded $20,000 to further develop Open Educational Resources (OER) for undergraduate students. The funding will support the development of several open textbook projects with the goal of identifying commonalities in the OER creation process. That data will be used to draft recommendations for new University Libraries support services that continue to cultivate a culture of affordable course materials at OHIO.

Applicants: Bryan McGeary, Ashwini Ganeshan and Christopher Guder

Innovative Learning Through Pediatric Nursing Simulation

Faculty in Ohio University Zanesville’s School of Nursing were granted $25,000 to purchase a computerized infant simulator for the campus’ nursing lab. The new equipment will complement the adult and birthing simulators previously purchased, providing students with experiential learning opportunities and nursing skills across the lifespan, maximizing faculty’s ability to evaluate student performance, enhancing recruitment efforts and positively promoting relations between the program and its clinical agencies and community partners.

Applicants: Christy Vickers, Susan Dowell and Carol Schaumleffel

Building a Community Engagement Hub in the College of Fine Arts: The Ohio Valley Center for the Arts

Samuel Dodd, a faculty member in the College of Fine Arts, received $15,000 to support the launch of a 30-Mile Studio. The initiative is part of the Ohio Valley Center for the Arts, a new community engagement hub within OHIO’s College of Fine Arts that aims to foster creative exchanges between the college and community partners.

Applicant: Samuel Dodd

Ohio University Southern OMSAR Peer Mentorship Program

Faculty and staff from Ohio University’s Athens and Southern campuses were awarded approximately $20,082 for Ohio University Southern’s Office for Multicultural Student Access and Retention (OMSAR) Peer Mentorship Program, which serves targeted first-year students to ensure retention and graduation by employing successful practices within OMSAR’s LINKS program. With the funding, scholarship recipients in the Bobcat PAWS (Pursuing Achievement With Southern) Program will be provided peer mentors, academic enrichment and training, collaborating with staff at OHIO’s Career and Leadership Development Center and the Campus Involvement Center.

Applicants: Purbas Das, Marlene De La Cruz-Guzmán and Imants Jaunarajs

Healthy Homes for Healthy Living

Faculty members in OHIO’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and Scripps College of Communication were granted $26,750 to create and implement a marketing and communication campaign for crowdsourcing funds for the reconstruction of up to 30 homes in southern Ecuador and with a broader goal of eliminating Chagas disease. Building on the efforts of OHIO’s Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute, this project would provide training to undergraduate students in the Scripps College and facilitate interaction between OHIO students and Ecuadorian students and faculty.

Applicants: Mario Grijalva, Benjamin Bates and Eric Williams

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The impact of Ohio University’s 1804 Fund stretches even further with support from Ohio University alumni and friends. For more information on the 1804 Fund and how you can support it, click here.