Grants Awarded
2012-2013 Academic Year
Linda French, Chair and Professor of Physics
Donor: National Science Foundation
Adding to the body of knowledge regarding the formation and evolution of our solar system will be the focus of a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded study led by Illinois Wesleyan University Chair and Professor of Physics Linda M. French and involving astronomers from Georgia State University, Lowell Observatory in Arizona, and the Center for Solar System Studies in California.
The three-year award, totaling $256,451, is entitled "RUI: Photometric Survey of Jovian Trojans." The project involves a systematic study of Trojan asteroids, a large group of more than 5,000 objects sharing Jupiter's orbit around the sun. "RUI" is an acronym for "Research at Undergraduate Institutions," NSF's RUI activity supports research at predominantly undergraduate institutions.The grant will allow two Illinois Wesleyan students and a Georgia State University graduate student to travel to observatories in Arizona and Chile, plan observations and learn observing techniques, and present their findings in national conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. As principal investigator, French estimates it will take her two months each summer to complete all tasks.
To learn more about this grant and project go to: French Leads NSF-Funded Study of Asteroids
Ram Mohan, Earl H. and Marian A. Beling Professor of Natural Sciences
Donor: National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $248,000 grant to Illinois Wesleyan University's chemistry department to purchase a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer for use in synthetic chemistry research.
Ram Mohan, principal investigator, and co-principal investigators Brian Brennan and Rebecca Roesner submitted the grant proposal. Brennan is an assistant professor, and Roesner is an associate professor and chair of the chemistry department. The grant was awarded through NSF's Major Research Instrumentation program for the purchase of advanced instrumentation for research.
To learn more about a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer go to: NSF Funds Spectrometer for Chemistry Research
Brian Brennan, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Donor: National Institute Of Diabetes And Digestive And Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health
Brian Brennan, assistant professor of chemistry at IWU, will use the $285,189 grant in the direction of a project that will focus on the identification of molecules that can lead to new treatments for sickle cell disease. The award will fund research supplies, a new fluorimeter, and stipends for four students to work with Brennan in the lab during each of the next three summers. Funding will also allow IWU students to attend national conferences to present their research findings. "The funding greatly expands the type of research I can do with students," Brennan said. "The multidisciplinary approach of this research gives students a unique opportunity to use their chemistry skills to solve a biological problem."
A debilitating hereditary blood disorder with few treatments, sickle cell disease is relatively rare in the United States, affecting fewer than 100,000 people, according to Brennan. In West and Central Africa, however, approximately 25 percent of the population has the sickle cell trait and one to two percent of all babies are born with a form of the disease, according to the World Health Organization. The only cure for the disorder is a bone marrow transplant—a procedure that is not feasible in the parts of the world where sickle cell disease is largely prevalent, Brennan said. Current treatments for sickle cell disease typically focus only on relieving the symptoms.
To learn more about this grant and project go to: Brennan Receives NIH Grant for Sickle Cell Research
BRENDA LESSEN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF NURSING
Donor: Illinois Board of Higher Education
Illinois Wesleyan University's Brenda Lessen has been awarded a State of Illinois Nurse Educator Fellowship from the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
The purpose of the Nurse Educator Fellowship Program is to ensure the retention of well-qualified nursing faculty at institutions of higher learning that award degrees in nursing.
This is the fifth year a member of the Illinois Wesleyan nursing faculty has been awarded the fellowship. Past recipients include Professor of Nursing Sharie Metcalfe, Professor of Nursing Connie Dennis, Director of the School of Nursing Victoria Folse and Assistant Professor of Nursing Susan L. Swanlund.
To learn more about this grant go to: Lessen Receives Nurse Educator Fellowship
Mark Liffiton, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
Donor: Google, Inc.
The goal of the Google App Engine Education Awards program is to assist in and inspire knowledge exploration by offering access to the Google App Engine infrastructure to higher education faculty and students for coursework and student projects.
Dr. Liffiton proposed to develop and run a simple classroom-response system on the Google App Engine infrastructure. The tool is web-based, accessible from any computer or mobile device with a web browser, and it allows students to give instant, anonymous feedback to teachers about how well they are understanding a lecture or discussion. Its aim is to ease the feedback process, making students more likely to provide it, and giving teachers a quick, simple view of how the class is going. The application is free to use for anyone in the world, accessible at http://teachertap.appspot.com/ .
Irving Epstein, PROFESSOR OF EDUCATIONAL StUDIES
Donor: United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and the Institute of International Education (IIE)
Irv Epstein, Professor of Educational Studies, will use this grant to sponsor a workshop for undergraduate students who are pursuing independent research involving food security and conflict, post-conflict reconciliation and peace building. During the workshop, student will present their initial findings based upon their research interests and receive feedback from professors and fellow students with expertise and interest in their areas of inquiry. Also, a keynote speaker who is a Scholar at Risk, will be invited to give a lecture, open to all members of the campus and surrounding communities.
Illinois Wesleyan University
Donor: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded Illinois Wesleyan University a $300,000 grant to re-center the humanities, to reclaim its position at the core of the University’s liberal arts curriculum. The Re-Centering the Humanities grant will allow Illinois Wesleyan to strengthen existing relationships and establish new connections between the humanities and other disciplines and between the humanities and the community.
The funds will be used to establish four major initiatives: Crossing Curricular Boundaries, Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries, Crossing Campus/Community Boundaries, and Crossing Faculty/Student Boundaries.
To learn more about this grant go to: Illinois Wesleyan Awarded $300,000 for Humanities Grant.
IRVING EPSTEIN, PROFESSOR OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES
Donor: Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)
Irv Epstein, Professor of Educational Studies, was awarded a grant to sponsor a seminar entitled, "Reimagining our commitment to Human Rights and Social Justice." This seminar will engage faculty, staff, students, and administrators in purposeful dialogue about ways that a Center for Human Rights and Social Justice would be most effective in serving the University’s mission to prepare students for democratic citizenship and life in a global society.
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
Donor: Illinois Board of Higher Education
The Illinois Cooperative Work Study Program has awarded Illinois Wesleyan University $30,005 to help 25-30 students take advantage of the learning opportunities offered by internships at various businesses, government and social service agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The IWU ICWS program seeks not only to create more opportunities for students to link their course-work with their internship opportunities, and in so doing to ease the financial burden imposed by tuition and student loans, but also to encourage social and community service on the part of our students, thus making them better citizens by helping to make it financially possible for students to accept internship positions with nonprofit organizations and social service agencies unable to offer competitive wages on their own.