In This Issue

Meet CSU's New Faculty

Kelle DeBoth, Health Sciences

Dr. Kelle DeBoth, an assistant professor in the School of Health Sciences, joined Cleveland State University in 2016. She has worked as a pediatric occupational therapist in school, home and community settings since 2004. Her current research interests include multisensory processing in autism and sensory processing disorders, neurophysiology, inter-professional education, and multidisciplinary interventions for children with fine motor delays, such as music therapy and occupational therapy collaborations.

Dr. DeBoth currently leads the Faculty Research and Development Internet of Things (FRD-IoT) project “Using interactive media and an augmented reality app to increase access to community spaces for children with mobility and sensory impairments.” She also collaborates on Cleveland State’s PLAAY (Participation in Leisure Allowing Access for everYone) on the Move with Go Baby Go initiative, which recently received funding from the Reinberger Foundation for a project titled, “PLAAY on the Move: Providing Accessible and Engaging Experiences for Children with Sensory and Motor Impairments in the Community.”

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Featured Researcher Video Series

CSU Engineers Help Impaired Children Walk Again

Research to develop a pediatric exoskeleton, led by Dr. Jerzy Sawicki, Vice President for Research and a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Dan Simon, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), is the focus of this month’s Featured Research Video.

Dr. Sawicki and Dr. Simon are collaborating with Parker Hannifin and the Cleveland Clinic to develop a pediatric exoskeleton, which could provide much-needed therapy and restored walking ability for children with cerebral palsy.

Click here to watch.

Faculty Funding News

Hongxing Ye Attracts Industry Funding for Energy Research

Image courtesy of US DOE/NETL

Dr. Hongxing Ye, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), has received $80,000 from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) for a project titled “Data-driven approach to building watch list of security constraint.” This industry-sponsored research award is managed through the CSU Research Corporation (CSURC).

Dr. Ye’s research focuses on improving the reliability and fairness of the electricity market as variable energy resources (VERs), such as solar and wind, become more prevalent in the power generation landscape. In 2017, he received a three-year award from the NSF for his project, “Transactive Uncertainty and Flexibility for High Penetration of Semi-dispatchable Renewables in Electricity Markets.”

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CSU Scholar News

Anthony Berdis, Chemistry

Dr. Anthony Berdis is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and a member of the Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease (GRHD). In addition, he is the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer for Red5 Pharmaceuticals, LLC, an emerging pharmaceutical company developing novel anti-cancer agents targeting drug-resistant cancers. Dr. Berdis is an internationally recognized expert in the synthesis and biological testing of novel therapeutic and diagnostic agents.

Dr. Berdis’s research focuses on developing better treatments for brain cancer, the deadliest of all cancers. His group’s development of an improvement to an FDA-approved drug used to treat brain cancer was featured on News 5 Cleveland in January, and his team is currently performing in-depth safety studies on this compound in order to pursue a Phase I clinical trial within the next two years. He has published more than 80 research papers and book chapters, and his research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense.

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Inspired Creativity

First CSU Music Concert Features Profs. Rindfleisch, D'Alessio

The first fall concert at CSU will feature the works of two music faculty. This concert of collaboration will feature several renowned American contemporary music ensembles and special guest soloists and performers as they join the No Exit Music Ensemble in the premier of “American Monster,” a new work by Dr. Andrew Rindfleisch, a professor of music composition in the Department of Music.

“Running with the devil,” a new multi-media video work by Dr. Greg D’Alessio, an associate professor and Coordinator of the Electronic and Computer Music Studios, will also be featured. Dr. D’Alessio describes his work as a combination of footage, web clips, and other effects with original music in a commentary on “our current very strange cultural and political moment.”

The concert will be held on Monday, September 17 at 8:00 pm in Drinko Recital Hall, in the CSU Music and Communication Building. Admission is free and open to the public.

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News from the Technology Transfer Office

Upcoming Forums for Entrepreneurs

The FDA MedTech Regulatory Forum, presented by Bio-Ohio, will be held on August 28 at the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. This year’s event brings some of the medical device industry’s regulatory professionals directly to you.

The program will discuss changing regulations and present actionable recommendations for next steps, along with examining other critical industry trends. The event will also be an excellent networking opportunity with a Social to follow at 3:30 pm. You can find more information and register here.

The Venture Law Meetup Series aims to equip executive officers and founders of new Cleveland-based start-ups with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the various aspects of launching and growing a new venture. The hour-long presentation and discussion event is complimentary and features donuts from local bakeries and fresh coffee.

The first Meetup will take place on September 7 at 8:00 am at the offices of Squire Patton Boggs, LLP, 4900 Key Tower. The topic is Corporate Basics for Start-Ups, an overview of the initial considerations an entrepreneur should be aware of as they take a concept and mold it into a new business.

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Undergraduate Research News

Undergraduate Research on Display at Sept. 6 Poster Session

The Office of Research invites students, faculty, and staff to attend the Annual Undergraduate Research Poster Session on Thursday, September 6 from 11 am - 2 pm in the Student Center Atrium. This event is the culmination of the 2018 Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) program, and seventy-four Cleveland State undergraduate students, including McNair scholars, will share their research and creative activity through print posters and discussions. Some of these students have already had their research accepted for presentation at national and international conferences! Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three posters.

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Research Events

New Multidisciplinary Research Panel Series Kicks Off

Recognizing the need for faculty members to connect with other faculty from diverse disciplines, learn about future directions in research, and share ideas, the Office of Research is launching the new Multidisciplinary Research Panel Series.

The series’ first panel discussion, “IoT in the Community - Connected Devices and Data Driven Screen Level Governance,” will begin at 12:00 p.m. on September 14. The session will be moderated by Nick Zingale (Urban Studies) with panelists Thomas Hilde (Urban Studies), Hongxing Ye (EECS), Wenbing Zhao (EECS), and Xiongyi Liu (Curriculum & Foundations). All seminars will be held in PH-104, and the full seminar schedule can be found here.

Save the Date! Faculty Research Happy Hour October 19

There is no research collaboration without conversation. The Faculty Research Happy Hour is intended to provide faculty members with a break from their offices and computer screens, and an opportunity to meet with colleagues in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. The Happy Hour is scheduled for October 19 at 4:30 pm at Elements Bistro. More details to come!

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Research Funding News

Pilot Funding Opportunity for Collaborative IoT Research

The Internet of Things (IoT) Collaborative initiated by CSU and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) has moved from the planning phase to a full launch with funding from the Cleveland Foundation. Building on the success of CSU’s internally funded FRD-IoT projects, the IoT Collaborative will seek proposals from teams that include Co-PIs from both CSU and CWRU. Projects will be eligible for up to $20K in funding (up to $10K for each institution) to perform pilot studies that lead to larger, funded research projects. The formal RFP can be found on the IoT Collaborative web site, and support for finding collaborators across institutions will be provided.

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Research Resources

New Commercialization Support for Life Sciences Researchers

The Office of Research is pleased to announce a partnership with BioEnterprise to engage in technology transfer growth at Cleveland State. Through this partnership, BioEnterprise will provide CSU's life sciences research faculty with hands-on assistance to identify and advance commercialization opportunities for their research.

The Office of Research will begin reaching out to faculty who may benefit from the BioEnterprise resources, and encourages life sciences researchers to contact Jack Kraszewski regarding potential commercialization opportunities and for an introduction to BioEntreprise.

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Research Support Services

Services and Support from the Office of Research

The Office of Research is focused on supporting CSU faculty as they cultivate their research and scholarship. Our office provides a range of online resources to help you write winning proposals, including the proposal writing guidance page for quick access to grant application guidelines, proposal writing tips, commonly required University information, and templates for supporting documents required by NSF, NIH, and others. 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, CSU faculty can utilize SPIN, a searchable database of grant opportunities from more than 10,000 global sponsors. Our newsletter archive and Faculty Expertise Database are always available to help spark a research idea.

If you are unfamiliar with submitting proposals, please click here for an explanation of the process flow and contact SPRS immediately when you decide to submit a proposal. If you require assistance with developing a proposal concept or finding the right collaborator, contact Ben Ward.

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