In This Issue

Research Recognition

Bibo Li to Present at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

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 selected to present a talk at the prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) meeting on "Telomeres & Telomerase" to be held in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, New York. She will present a talk titled, "The oligonucleotide-binding activity of RAP1 is essential for monoallelic VSG expression and cell viability in Trypanosoma brucei." Founded in 1890 and home to eight Nobel Prize winners, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has shaped contemporary biomedical research and education. CSHL’s Meetings & Courses Program hosts more than 12,000 scientists from around the world each year.

In addition, Dr. Amit Gaurav, a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Li's lab, has been selected to present a talk at the prestigious Kinetoplastid Molecular Cell Biology Meeting to be held at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The title of Dr. Gaurav’s talk is "Trypanosoma brucei RAP1 has an RNA binding activity that is essential for VSG monoallelic expression." The Marine Biological Laboratory is a private, nonprofit institution founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888 and an affiliate of the University of Chicago.

Congratulations to Bibo and Amit!

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Meet CSU's New Faculty

Obed Pasha, Urban Affairs

Dr. Obed Pasha joined CSU in 2017 as an assistant professor in the Levin College of Urban Affairs. Dr. Pasha earned his PhD at Georgia Tech & Georgia State University in 2014. Before joining CSU, he taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for three years. His research interests include performance management, organizational behavior, and social justice with a focus on policing and public transportation. Dr. Pasha is currently working on projects that examine the impact of the use of spatial technology in policing, the effects of local transit systems on neighborhood economy and demographics, and how federal grants influence the provision of transit services.

Dr. Pasha's research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals such as Public Administration Review, American Review of Public Administration, Public Performance and Management Review, and Public Administration.

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Featured Alumni Researcher

Kenneth A. Loparo

Kenneth A. Loparo is the Arthur L. Parker Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). He completed his B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering at CSU and received a Ph.D. in Systems and Control Engineering at CWRU. He was a Mechanical Engineering faculty member at CSU from 1977-1979. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and a Fellow of AIMBE, and his research in stability and control has spanned large-scale electricity systems, signal processing, fault detection, and physiological behavior in health and disease. Dr. Loparo is also co-Academic Director of the CSU/CWRU Internet of Things Collaborative (IOTC).

If you know a former Cleveland State student researcher who has gone on to career success, please email Dan Simon or Joy Yard to let us know.

Internal Funding Opportunities

URA Funding Deadline is April 30

Cleveland State University is dedicated to providing students with an exceptional education and research experience that prepares them to compete in a global economy. The Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program provides up to $1,000 for undergraduate student research in a CSU course during the academic year.

Applicants must be CSU students with at least junior standing. All forms of research, scholarship and creative activity are encouraged.

There are two application deadlines each year: one for the fall semester and one for the spring semester. The deadline for fall 2019 funding is April 30. Click here for more information.

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CSU Scholar News

Susan Slotnick, Operations and Supply Chain Management

Dr. Susan A. Slotnick is a professor in the Department of Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSM). Her research focuses on models of managerial decision-making with particular emphasis on how a firm manages financial and strategic trade-offs among cost, quality and sustainability. Her analysis considers the differential influence of internal and external factors on a firm’s decisions about quality, speed of delivery, and sustainability. Her methodological approach combines mathematical modeling and analysis with large-scale computational studies.

Dr. Slotnick has published research papers in the areas of scheduling, order acceptance, lead-time quotation, and supply chain models of quality and sustainability. Her latest research examines the trade-offs faced by a multinational corporation that is vulnerable to adverse publicity resulting from human rights violations at one of its suppliers, and the effect of lead time requirements on ethical sourcing.

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Inspired Creativity

CSU's Special Presentation of Notorious RBG in Song

CSU will host the Cleveland premier of Notorious RBG in Song, a one-act concert highlighting the career, life, and spirit of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The performance will feature Dr. Angelin Chang, a professor and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies in the Department of Music and a professor in the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, on piano. Lee Fisher, Dean of the Cleveland Marshall College of Law, makes a cameo speaking role appearance.

The performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 18 in CSU’s Drinko Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. Register in advance here.

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News from the Technology Transfer Office

CSU Researchers Receive Commercialization Funding

Two CSU researchers have been selected for Ohio’s focused entrepreneurial and commercialization training though the 2019 I-Corps@Ohio Program, an initiative of the Ohio Department of Higher Education to advance the translation of fundamental research to commercial markets. Each selected research team is awarded $15,000 to participate in a seven-week training program to better understand the market for their technology and develop a commercialization strategy for their products.

Dr. Geyou Ao, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, seeks to commercially develop functional boron nitride nanotubes, which are ideal candidates for a variety of applications, such as protective shields, mechanical and/or thermal reinforcements for a range of composites, self-cleaning materials, biology, and medicine.

For more information on commercialization resources available to CSU faculty, contact Jack Kraszewski.

Dr. William Matchum

Dr. Wenbing Zhao

Dr. William Matcham, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, and Dr. Wenbing Zhao, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), are developing an automated method to objectively assess the performance of students during human patient simulation (HPS) training that incorporates computer vision, predefined rules, and a custom designed debriefing mobile application to give feedback to students.

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Research Events

Final Multidisciplinary Research Panel May 3

The Office of Research created the Multidisciplinary Research Panel Series to enhance collaboration across the University that will creatively and meaningfully address the needs of our community and our society.

On May 3 at 12:00 p.m., Dr. Grace Hui-Chen Huang, an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education, will moderate a panel titled, “Multidisciplinary Research Opportunities in University and K-12 School Partnerships.” All panels are held in PH-104, and the full schedule can be found here.

Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Seminar Dr. Jessica Winter, The Ohio State University
April 18, 11:30 a.m. in Washkewicz Hall 405

Digital CSU’s Student Digital Research Showcase
April 23, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in the Berkman Hall Atrium, First Floor

Center for Urban Education Colloquium Series “From Last to Leader: How Building Partnerships between Education Researchers and Educators Helped Chicago Schools” with Dr. John Q. Easton
April 25, 4:00 p.m. in the Mather Mansion Atrium, First Floor

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Research Guidance

Common Rule Guidance for Researchers

The Common Rule, established in 1991, serves as the federal regulation (law) governing conduct of investigators involved in human subjects research. The Common Rule was revised (RCR) in 2017 for the first time and took effect January 21, 2019. The revisions are intended to unburden both investigators and reviewers. Changes include (1) an expansion of non-research categories, (2) modification of the review categories, (3) restrictions pertaining to the continuing (annual) review process, (4) expanded consent considerations for additional human subject protection provisions, and (5) adoption of a single IRB approval process when more than one institution is involved. The CSU IRB webpage and the CAYUSE application process have been updated to comply with the RCR. Please contact the IRB office should you have any questions regarding the full implementation of the RCR here at Cleveland State University!

IRB Points of Contact

Dr. John Jeziorowski

Dr. Ton van den Bogert

If your class or program would like to meet with the CSU IRB chair to discuss the review process, please contact IRB chair and associate professor in the School of Health Sciences Dr. John Jeziorowski (j.jeziorowski@csuohio.edu) or the administrative coordinator, Mary Jane Karpinski, 687-3624. Dr. Antonie (Ton) van den Bogert, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been appointed to serve as the faculty liaison to the IRB. Investigators who encounter difficulties that are not readily resolved by the IRB are encouraged to contact Dr. van den Bogert for assistance at a.vandenbogert@csuohio.edu.

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Internal Funding News

2019-2020 Internal Funding Awards

The Office of Research is pleased to announce another exciting portfolio of internal research projects that have been funded across the University.

65 Undergraduate Summer Research Award (USRA) proposals were funded across six colleges. These projects are expected to support more than 100 undergraduate students this summer. More than 80 faculty will volunteer time to support research conducted by our students. The students will learn and share experiences throughout the summer as a single cohort, and will present their research results at a poster session at CSU on September 5.

33 Faculty Scholarship Initiative (FSI) proposals were selected for funding, with awardees representing seven colleges. The FSI Program funds faculty conducting quality research, or other creative or scholarly activity, that advances the respective field or discipline. 13 Graduate Student Research Award (GSRA) proposals were supported across four colleges. These projects will support thesis and dissertation research in areas such as memory, cancer, intimate partner violence, exercise interventions, and functional electrical stimulation. Four Faculty Research Development (FRD) applications were funded. These awards promise to culminate in external funding proposals to the NSF, NIH, and other federal agencies. The funded FRD proposals include:

			Shawn Ryan (Mathematics) and Chris Wirth (CBE) Swimming near elastic deformable boundaries		Chandra Kothapalli (CBE) Stimulating elastogenesis by human aneurysmal smooth muscle cells via exogenous NO delivery
	Thijs Heus (Physics) Implementation of multi-GPU capabilities in the MicroHH computer model for atmospheric fluid dynamics				Xue-Long Sun (Chemistry) Investigation of desilylation dynamics in LPS/TLR4 signaling pathway

The Office of Research would like to thank all applicants for their proposals, congratulates all awardees, and thanks all reviewers for their careful and conscientious reviews!

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Research Funding News

NASA Research Funding

Dr. Jerzy Sawicki, Vice President for Research, and D. E. Bently and A. Muszynska Endowed Chair and Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has received $84,436 in research funding from NASA via the University Space Research Association (USRA). Prof. Sawicki's research focuses on the development and application of nondestructive evaluation techniques for advanced aerospace materials and structures.

NSF Revises PAPPG

A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), NSF 19-1, has been released. Editorial changes have been made throughout to either clarify or enhance the intended meaning of a sentence or section.

The new PAPPG is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after February 25, 2019.

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Office of Research News

George Howe Takes New Position in the Office of Research

There is a new addition to the Office of Research: Mr. George Howe, the owner of the former Millionaire’s Row mansion that is now CSU’s Parker Hannifin Hall. A 19th century portrait of Mr. Howe was donated by a curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art who is a descendent of Mr. Howe.

George Howe (1832-1901) was a Cleveland business man and later Cleveland Police Commissioner. He was a nephew of Elias Howe, who patented the first sewing machine in America. The 36” x 41” framed oil portrait was painted by Chester Harding, a portrait artist for several U.S. Presidents.

Mr. Bill Barrow, Head of Special Collections at the Michael Schwartz Library, led the efforts to find a permanent campus home for Mr. Howe’s portrait. The Bonfoey Gallery restored the piece, which included cleaning, mounting, and labeling. A reproduction of the portrait will be installed on the first floor of Parker Hannifin Hall in the future.

CSU’s Center for Public History + Digital Humanities (CPHDH) has additional information about the history of the Howe Mansion/Parker Hannifin Hall, which was built in 1894. Stop by and say “hello” to George in PH 205!

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