In This Issue

Meet CSU's Faculty

Alexander Hoover, Mathematics and Statistics

Dr. Alexander Hoover is an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Prior to joining CSU, he was an assistant professor at the University of Akron. He received his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a postdoctoral fellow at Tulane University in New Orleans. His research area is broadly in applied and computational mathematics, with a focus on mathematical biology, computational fluid dynamics, and biomechanics. Much of his work involves developing fluid-structure interaction models of organ and organismal systems, and using these in-silico models to understand the fundamental physics driving these biomechanical systems.

Dr. Hoover was involved with the Northeast Ohio Covid response team working with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to provide weekly, local forecasts of the number of new infections in the Northeast Ohio region. He recently was awarded a $298,547 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to examine the role of neuromechanical resonance and pacemaker processes in fluid pumping. This research will combine modeling methodologies to examine how internally actuated neuromechanical fluid-structure systems are affected by both the timing of the underlying nervous systems and the elastic response of the system. This research is important for the development of tissue-engineered pumps and soft-bodied robotic actuators.

In addition to his research, Dr. Hoover is a board member of Spectra, the Association for LGBTQ+ Mathematicians. In 2021, he helped organize the first LGBTQ+ in Math Conference at the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM). He is passionate about increasing equity and representation in STEM.

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Featured Research Resource

New Proposal Creation Form

Sponsored Programs and Research Services (SPRS) provides full pre- and post-award services to grant-seeking faculty and provides financial management for grant awards for research, education, and community service at CSU. SPRS has created a new online form to assist faculty with grant preparation and submission approvals in Cayuse, the electronic grants management software used by CSU.

If you are submitting a proposal and want SPRS to start the form in Cayuse, complete the Request to Set Up Cayuse form. Please note this does not change the requirement that the full proposal should be completed and routed three (3) days prior to the due date.

If you have questions about the new form, contact Teri Kocevar by email or by phone at X3675.

Research Policy Guidance

NIH AREA and REAP Eligibility

In 2019, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (NIH) issued a notice regarding changes to the NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) R15 Program. In addition to AREA grants, which target predominantly undergraduate institutions like CSU, the Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) supports health professional schools and graduate schools.

CSU is eligible for AREA program solicitations, and may be eligible to submit to REAP solicitations if the PIs home department is in the health professions (e.g., Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy). Notably, PIs in biomedical engineering departments are not eligible for REAP.

Please contact the Office of Research for guidance regarding your eligibility to submit a proposal to an AREA or a REAP solicitation to avoid potential rejection and delay in submitting a responsive proposal.

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Inspired Creativity

CSU's Theatre and Dance Department Presents Sweeney Todd

The Department of Theatre and Dance brings the musical Sweeney Todd to the Allen Theatre Mainstage November 3-13. Professor Russ Borski and Associate Professor and Department Chair Holly Holsinger co-direct the production, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler.

An infamous tale, Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to nineteenth century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which, he opens a new barber practice.

Ticket information can be found here.

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News from the Technology Transfer Office

UPDATE: U.S. Patent Issuance

On July 19, 2022, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent 11,393,318 titled Systems and methods for privacy-aware motion tracking with automatic authentication that names Dr. Wenbing Zhao, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS).

The patented technology provides a system for tracking the body mechanics of STNA’s and patient handlers in real time with haptic feedback and a mobile app to track a healthcare workers proper body mechanics. They system uses a Bluetooth beacon badge to identify the wearer but not the patient in order to meet HIPAA compliance. Behind construction workers, STNAs and patient handlers are the second highest submitters of worker’s compensation claims.

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

TeCK Fund Phase 3 Accepting Letters of Intent

The TeCK Fund, a joint technology commercialization and startup fund co-managed by Cleveland State University and Kent State University, is now accepting Letters of Intent for the opportunity to submit a full proposal. The deadline for awards is February 1, 2023.

A successful full proposal will require the approval of the Selection Committee, to whom the PI will have to present. The TeCK Fund provides faculty pursuing applied research projects with funding to assist with commercialization activities, including prototype creation, third-party validation, and market research, which are required to successfully spin off technologies. Applicants who have participated in an I-Corps customer discovery program are given priority.

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Scholarship of Note

Research and Scholarship News from Across Campus

Undergraduate research students presented their work at the 2022 Undergraduate Research Poster Session on September 22. Students, faculty, and staff presented research that was funded by the Undergraduate Summer Research Award (USRA) Program and the McNair Scholars Program.

Based on faculty votes, the first place prize was awarded to James Iler (pictured right) for his poster titled “Protecting Information with Linearized Polynomials.” With mentoring from Department of Mathematics and Statistics faculty members Dr. Hiram López and Dr. Ivan Soprunov and graduate student Kyle Traum, James developed an error-correcting code to protect messages from eavesdropping when transmitted over insecure channels.

Additional posters receiving awards were:

• George Tomaras (advisors Chandra Kothapalli and Petru Fodor) “Development of Micromixing Strategies Using Elements of Elongational Flow”
• Olivia Russo (advisors Grace Huang and Eddie Lam) “A Mixed Method Approach to Examine Resettled Refugees’ Parenting Practices”
• Kara Timinski (advisor Mekki Bayachou) “Modified Silver Nanoparticles Coated with Alginate Hydrogels as a Drug Delivery Platform to Modulate Biological Function”
• Marko Krieger (advisor Metin Uz) “Flexible Electronic Device For On-Demand Ocular Drug Delivery”
• Dawud Sharieff (advisor Antonie van den Bogert) “Simulation-based estimation of muscle forces from wearable sensors”

The Office of Research congratulates all of the students and their mentors, and encourages undergraduate and graduate students to continue to actively engage in research.

 

Dr. Rachel Lovell, an assistant professor in the Department of Criminology and Sociology, is a co-editor and contributor to the new book Sexual Assault Kits and Reforming the Response to Rape. The bookcurates the current state of untested sexual assault kit research and highlights emerging best practices by exploring the past, the present, and the future of our collective response to rape. This book is the first to address the most critical topics related to untested sexual assault kits and the Department of Justice’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, bringing together leading US scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and survivors.

More information about the book can be found here.

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), and members of her lab delivered platform presentations at the Kinetoplastid Molecular Cell Biology meeting IX and The Annual Molecular Parasitology Meeting XXXIII, held on September 13-17 and 18-22, respectively in Woods Hole, MA. The title of Dr. Li's talk at the Kinetoplastid Molecular Cell Biology meeting (IX) was "The RNA Recognition Motif (RRM)-mediated RNA binding activity in T. brucei RAP1 is essential for VSG monoallelic expression."

SK Abdus Sayeed, a PhD student from Dr. Li's lab, presented his research titled "Investigating TERRA functions in VSG switching and telomere maintenance in Trypanosoma brucei" at The Annual Molecular Parasitology Meeting XXXIII, for which Dr. Li also serves as a co-organizer.

Dr. Siu-Tung Yau, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), has published a paper in ACS sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (impact factor 9.221) that is featured as the cover art for the September 2022 issue.

The paper, titled “Enhanced Growth of Microalgae and Production of Lipids via Electrostatically Controlled Photosynthesis,” describes a simple and economically viable electrostatic method to increase growth of microalgae that are utilized for the synthesis of biodiesel. The method is able to increase the overall production of the microalgae consistently and significantly beyond the algal level caused by natural photosynthesis with the normal light intensity.

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Research Events

Ohio Supercomputer Machine Learning Workshop and Users Group Conference

Workshop: Machine Learning with MATLAB

Learn how to leverage machine learning in MATLAB directly from the experts at MathWorks and the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) in an interactive session on October 20, offered online and in person at OSC’s offices on Ohio State’s west campus in Columbus from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Learn more and register.

OSC Fall Statewide Users Group Conference

The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) will host the Statewide Users Group (SUG) conference in person and online Thursday, Oct. 27. Learn about the center’s services, stay apprised of developments in advanced computing and participate in a flash talk and poster competition in this free event. Learn more and register.

For additional information about Ohio Supercomputer Center computing resources available to CSU faculty and students, contact Dr. Shawn Ryan (Mathematics and Statistics) and Dr. Thijs Heus (Physics), co-directors of the Center for Applied Data Analysis and Modeling (ADAM).

Cleveland State will partner with Kent State, NEOMED, Youngstown State, and University of Akron to host an online proposal writing seminar the week of February 27-March 3 2023. The workshop will consist of roughly two hour sessions over four days, with training led by the AtKisson Training Group (ATG).

Details on registration for the workshop will be announced in upcoming newsletters.

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