2017 Funded Proposals
Ten proposals were selected for funding through the Office of Research and Economic Development 2017 Equipment and Infrastructure Support Award program. The program supports equipment purchases, upgrades and repairs to enhance research, scholarship and creative activity at the university.
A total of $172,222 was awarded through the program across six colleges. Recipients were selected from a competitive field, with 32 submissions requesting a total of $600,017 from ORED. Awards range from $8,000 to $45,000.
Proposals were evaluated by a subset of UI Research Council, and the evaluation process also took into account priority rankings from the college deans as well as existing equipment and infrastructure. The proposals that had the most potential to result in increased research, scholarly and creative productivity were ranked highest. A minimum 1:1 cost share was required. Vice President for Research and Economic Development Janet Nelson made the final funding decisions.
“I am impressed by the number of high-quality, diverse proposals we received for the EIS Awards,” Nelson said. “Our scholars and researchers clearly have significant ideas and goals, and I am pleased that the Office of Research can help grow the university infrastructure to enable their scholarship, research, and creative activity. I hope to continue this program in the future and support even more of our dedicated faculty members.”
The selected proposals and their principal investigators are:
Richard Christensen, professor of mechanical engineering and Nuclear Engineering Program director, College of Engineering. Funding will build two natural convection loops for research related to nuclear reactor cooling systems.
Ann Hoste, chair of the Department of Theatre Arts, College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS). Funding will support repair, replacement and purchase of equipment for the Hartung Theatre, such as LED lights.
Tara Hudiburg, assistant professor in the Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences, College of Natural Resources (CNR). Funding will replace a muffle furnace and a microbalance for the CNR Core Laboratory.
Hyung-pil Jun, assistant professor in the Department of Movement Sciences, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. Funding will purchase equipment to capture human movement and performance data necessary to assess rehabilitation and injury prevention programs.
Anne Laarman, assistant professor in the Department of Animal and Veterinary Science, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). Funding will upgrade and expand housing used for calf studies on topics including molecular development of the gut.
Torrey Lawrence, professor and director of the Lionel Hampton School of Music, CLASS. Funding will rebuild a piano, and purchase or repair UI-owned instruments.
Tanya Miura, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science. Funding will upgrade an existing microscope to better serve the imaging needs of biomedical sciences researchers.
Matt Morra, professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences, CALS. Funding will support the purchase of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer to be used in developing natural products as safer alternatives to synthetic pesticides, and on delineating and remediating environmental contamination.
Edwin Odom, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. Funding will purchase a low-force, single column universal testing frame, an experimental apparatus that will support new research at the intersection of biology, agriculture, medicine and mechanical engineering.
Lisette Waits, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, CNR. Funding will support the purchase of equipment needed for a Biosafety Level 2 upgrade for a lab that uses wildlife fecal samples to obtain DNA.