In This Issue

Research Funding News

Bibo Li Receives NIH Equipment Award

Dr. Bibo Li, a professor in the Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences (BGES) and a member of the Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease (GRHD), has been awarded $163,096 via a National Institutes of Health (NIH) S10 Shared Instrument Grant.

The Shared Instrumentation Grant Programs support the purchase of state-of-the-art, commercially available research equipment that enhances the research of multiple NIH-funded investigators. Dr. Li’s S10 project is titled A Digital Laser Scanner Biomolecular Imaging System: Amersham Typhoon 5. Her research focuses on the function and structure of telomeres, which are proteins on the ends of chromosomes that protect against errors during DNA replication. Much of her work has focused on telomere function in Trypanosoma brucei, a protozoan parasite that causes human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness).

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Meet CSU's New Faculty

Dakota King-White, CASAL

Dr. Dakota King-White joined the Department of Counseling, Administration, Supervision, and Adult Learning (CASAL) in fall 2016. She is a core faculty member and coordinator of school counseling in the CACREP-accredited counseling program. She has an extensive background in working in K-12 education, where she has served as a school counselor, mental health therapist, and administrator.

Dr. King-White studies the psychological, emotional, and behavioral effects of parental incarceration and strategies to developing mental health models in K-12 schools. Through her research she has designed a group counseling curriculum for children of incarcerated parents, which has been implemented within K-12 education. Her most recent tool for children of incarcerated parents is a children’s book, Oh No! When a Parent Goes Away. Dr. King-White is passionate about children succeeding and believes that all students can succeed if given the right tools and opportunities.

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Featured Researcher Video Series

Mark Holtzblatt, Accounting

Research by Dr. Mark Holtzblatt, an associate professor in the Department of Accounting, is the focus of this month’s Featured Researcher Video. Dr. Holtzblatt’s research focuses on international accounting and taxation, international financial reporting standards, and technology and accounting pedagogy.

Click here to watch.

Undergraduate Research News

CSU Student Wins NSF Fellowship

Congratulations to Ms. Kyra Rudy, a graduating senior in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (MCE), for her recent Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award from the NSF. The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who demonstrate potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education.

Ms. Rudy has been a prolific researcher at CSU, including two summers working on Undergraduate Summer Research Award (USRA) projects in 2016 and 2017, and an Undergraduate Research Award (URA) project in 2018. All were performed under the guidance of Dr. Eric Schearer, an assistant professor in MCE.

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CSU Scholar News

Adam Sonstegard, English

The climactic scene of The Scarlet Letter, as rendered by Mary Hallock Foote in 1878

Dr. Adam Sonstegard is an associate professor in the Department of English. His scholarship examines the role of illustrations that appeared in the original printings of American literary realists from the Civil War until World War I. These illustrations were often not authorized by the writer, but were still essential to the context of those works and how they were interpreted by readers. The artist’s interpretation of the text might align with the writer’s intent, or the artist could misconstrue or distort plot or character elements.

Many works from this time period are republished today without the artwork that originally accompanied the prose. Dr. Sonstegard’s studies suggest that the absence of the original illustrations may obscure essential components of classic works of literature. He draws a parallel with adaptations of modern literary works to film, which are shaped by authors, screenwriters, and directors, noting that artists, authors, and literary agents had already “adapted” their arts to one another’s mediums when literary realism first debuted.

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Inspired Creativity

Student Art Show and Merit Scholar Exhibition

Selt-Portrait by CSU freshman and Merit Scholar Lauren Zawie

The 47th Student Show and CSU Merit Scholar Exhibition are currently appearing at the CSU Galleries. The Student Show is a juried exhibition of works in all media by CSU students that is organized by the Student Organization for Fine Arts (SOFA). SOFA is advised by Russ Revock, an associate professor in the Department of Art and Design.

The Merit Scholar Exhibition showcases the works of CSU students majoring in Art who received merit scholarship support. This year’s Merit Scholars worked in a wide variety of media, including photography, drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Associate Professor Mark Slankard coordinates the exhibition, which runs from May 4 through June 9. The Student Show is housed in the South and Center Galleries, while the Merit Scholar Exhibition can be viewed in the North Gallery.

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News from the Technology Transfer Office

Invention Disclosure Pipeline

The European Patent Office has allowed the patent application titled Nano-Engineered Ultra-Conductive Nanocomposite Copper Wire, which names Dr. Taysir Nayfeh, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as inventor. The invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing ultra-strong nano-composite wire in a die-casting machine using copper material that has been pre-loaded with carbon nanotubes.

Contact Jack Kraszewski for assistance with a disclosure to begin the process of protecting your invention or intellectual property.

CSU Entrepreneurs Advance

A team of CSU MBA students has reached the semifinals of the Akron LaunchTown Entrepreneurship Awards. The PneuKinetics team is commercializing technology developed by Dr. Antonie van den Bogert, a professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. A provisional patent application, titled Exoskeleton System, was recently filed for the technology, which is a passive exoskeleton that helps patients regain walking ability and accelerates functional improvements both in daily life and in physical therapy. Commercialization partners are being sought. Contact Jack Kraszewski for further information.

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Internal Funding News

Final MIRP Awarded to CLASS, CEHS, COSHP Team

Kimberly Fuller Assistant Professor School of Social Work

Katie Clonan-Roy Assistant Professor Department of Curriculum and Foundations (C&F)

Shereen Naser Assistant Professor Department of Psychology

Elizabeth Goncy Assistant Professor Department of Psychology

The Office of Research is pleased to announce that the final Multi-College Interdisciplinary Research Program (MIRP) award has been granted to a multidisciplinary team with members representing the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, (CLASS), the College of Education and Human Services (CEHS), and the College of Sciences and Health Professions (COSHP). Assistant professors Kimberly Fuller, Katie Clonan-Roy, Shereen Naser, and Elizabeth Goncy will carry out the project, titled “Sexual Health Information Access for Gender Minority Adolescents.” The MIRP funding will allow the team to collect and interpret pilot data for a proposal to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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Research Events

CEHS Faculty Hold 2018 Action Research Showcase

The CSU Action Research Program, an innovative professional development (PD) model, held a research showcase on April 19 in Julka Hall to highlight activities by CSU faculty in partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). The program is supported by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, and provides PD to K-12 teachers through teacher-driven action research. CSU professors from different colleges pair with K-12 teachers/staff and provide one-on-one mentoring to develop and conduct a one-year research project.

The Action Research Program is led by Dr. Grace Huang, an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education. Eighty-five projects have been conducted since the program’s launch in 2013. This year, thirty-four K-12 teachers partnered with seventeen CSU professors to conduct twenty-two projects.

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Research Funding Resources

Funding Resources for the Summer

Summer’s arrival may mean the end of classes, but research and scholarship continue!

The Office of Research provides a range of resources to help faculty secure external funding to support their work. Every week, we prepare a curated list of funding opportunities that is sent via email to faculty members on Friday. If the weekly funding list doesn’t have what you are looking for, you can utilize SPIN, a searchable database of grant opportunities from more than 10,000 global sponsors. SPIN is accessible from computers on campus, but requires an account for remote access (e.g., from home). If you don't have a SPIN account yet, you can follow these simple instructions to sign up.

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