Author: Tami Jackson – Page 2

GRANTS, GRANTS, GRANTS!

A number of UCO faculty were recently awarded a $1,187,961, six-year grant from the National Science Foundation as part of its Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. This project titled “Master Teachers Conducting STEM Practices and Action Research” will create a new partnership among the University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Public Schools, and the Central Oklahoma STEM Alliance to serve the national need of developing highly effective biology and mathematics teacher leaders in secondary education in Oklahoma.

The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. Fourteen central Oklahoma high school biology and math teachers will become Master Teaching Fellows. They will conduct STEM research and educational action research, do leadership training, and continue professional development and community building with each other while teaching in high-need schools. The program will orient these teachers to effectively support and mentor other teachers, especially those with emergency and alternative certifications.

Program organizers include UCO’s: Allyson Fenwick, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology; Liz Lane-Harvard, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics & Statistics; Elizabeth Allan, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Biology, and Mike Nelson, Ph.D., Professor and Assistant Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies. The program evaluator is Cynthia Murray, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics and Statistics. Additional UCO faculty are senior personnel on the project and will mentor Fellows.

Dr. Ben Tayo, Associate Professor of Engineering & Physics was awarded a National Institutes of Health, R-15 grant. The grant, a three-year, $425,928 research grant will bring deeper insights on a new class of materials for DNA detection. The ability to detect and discriminate DNA bases by reading it directly using simple and cost-effective methods is an important problem whose solution can produce value for areas such as cancer and human genetic disorder research. Despite progress in sequencing techniques, there are still several challenges to be overcome. Because of the challenges, the need for cheaper and faster approaches for automated sequencing is crucial. This research will employ high-performance computing and machine learning resources to investigate the potential of several two-dimensional crystalline materials for DNA sequencing. The knowledge gained from this research will provide deeper insights that will help guide the integration of these materials as active components of electronic devices for fast, direct-read, and affordable DNA sequencing. This award will strengthen the research environment at the University of Central Oklahoma and engage students in computational research.

Dr. Emily Hendryx from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics was awarded a three-year, $410,515 grant from the National Institute of Health. Titled “Summarizing Cardiac Data: An Automated Approach for Identifying Representative Heartbeats in the Clinical Setting,” this project involves a collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital to use applied mathematics and data science in removing noise and summarizing pediatric electrocardiogram data recorded at hospital bedsides. This project will provide a way to present a representation of a patient’s recent cardiac health history to clinicians and deliver clinical decision support toward improving patient outcomes. Co-advised by Dr. Tyler Cook from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, this project will also offer undergraduate students an opportunity to participate in innovative interdisciplinary research.

Dr. John Rhee from the Department of Computer Science received a $87,873 grant from Sandia National Laboratories as part of his effort to build better cybersecurity services for cloud-based software systems. Once completed, the tools developed in his project titled “TelScope: Discovering Blind Spots of Telemetry Diagnosability” will be used to reveal gaps between telemetry requirements and implemented telemetry collection for cloud services.

Dr. Morshed Khandaker from the Department of Engineering and Physics received an Oklahoma Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) grant for his project “Anti Corrosion Behavior of Mg and Zn nanoparticle incorporated nanofiber membrane.” This $5,000 award will be used to evaluate the structural efficacy of magnesium- and zinc-loaded nanofiber membrane coating on steel in reinforced concrete.

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Tami Jackson

Fulbright Scholars 2022

The College of Mathematics and Science (CMS) hosted four Iraqi Fulbright scholars in Summer 2022 as part of the prestigious Fulbright Visiting Scholar for Iraq program sponsored by the United States Department of State.

During the 10-week program, the scholars participated in professional development workshops, mentoring, cultural activities, and research. Seven CMS faculty members from the departments of Biology and Computer Science served as teaching or research mentors to the scholars, engaging in thoughtful discussions about teaching pedagogy and advising interesting research projects that the scholars continue to work on from Iraq.

Iraqi Culture Night, hosted by the scholars in their final week on campus, was a fun opportunity to learn about the history and different geographic regions of Iraq, try traditional Iraqi dances, and eat delicious Middle Eastern food. The scholars also thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in American culture; highlights for them were a trip to the rodeo, driving historic Route 66, visiting many museums, eating lots of delicious ice cream flavors, and being welcomed into the homes of several different families.

The CMS and broader UCO community made the scholars feel so welcome that they talk about UCO as their “American home” and the people here as their “family”. It was a very successful program, and CMS looks forward to hosting another group of scholars in Summer 2023!

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Tami Jackson

STEM Industry Careers Panel

CMS recently hosted 18 industry leaders from around the OKC Metro area for a STEM Industry Careers Panel. Panelists participated in moderator led Q&A sessions followed by industry focused break-out sessions with students. Panelists shared how they entered their careers upon completion of their degree and provided advice to students on how to prepare for career opportunities in various STEM fields.

The event took place in two lecture halls and included panelists from Tinker Air Force Base, Cytovance Biologics, American Fidelity, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Love’s, ASRC Federal, FSB Architects and Engineers, ARL Bio Pharma, Oklahoma City Public Schools, Paycom, ALK OKC Allergy Supplies Inc., Bethany Children’s Health Center, OU Health Center, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the FBI. Over one hundred students attended the panel discussions throughout the two lecture halls and break-out rooms.

Panelists then broke in to five targeted sessions focusing on computer science, math, engineering, nursing, biological and chemical sciences. Students participated in the break-out sessions asking questions and sharing information pertinent to their future career goals.

The event ended with a networking reception for students and professionals to continue visiting and building connections. Throughout the one-hour event conversations revolved around ways to enter an industry as well as how careers take shape as the discipline evolves.

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Tami Jackson

UCO’S DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING AND PHYSICS RECEIVES ELEVATED STATUS TO SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

 

The University of Central Oklahoma’s Department of Engineering and Physics has elevated its designation to the School of Engineering, reflecting the school’s overall growth, quality and broad range of STEM-focused programs. The school is home to four accredited engineering programs including biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, engineering physics and mechanical engineering.

“The redesignation as the UCO School of Engineering is based on the excellence of the school’s academic programs, the high level of faculty productivity and the focus on undergraduate and graduate research,” said Gloria Caddell, Ph.D., dean of the College of Mathematics and Science at Central. “It reflects the strengths of what the school has to offer and the benefits of pursuing an engineering degree at UCO.”

The UCO School of Engineering’s bachelor’s programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET), which confirms the programs have met the standards essential to prepare students to enter critical engineering occupations in the global workforce.

“For fifteen years, we have been growing organizations in Oklahoma by evolving well-trained engineers from our accredited programs. With this redesignation, we are forming new industry partnerships that will differentiate us from other universities and colleges,” said Evan Lemley, Ph.D., assistant dean for the College of Mathematics and Science at Central.

Student research and engineering design at the undergraduate and graduate levels remain an important element for the UCO School of Engineering that it plans to add a fully equipped makerspace, which will provide students with a well-designed space to accommodate research and design needs.

“The new makerspace will house student workspace for projects and research in areas such as reverse engineering, additive and subtractive prototyping and outreach activities. Resources, like the makerspace, will ensure that the UCO School of Engineering is ready to engage and meet the educational and workforce needs of the metropolitan community,” Lemley said.

The UCO School of Engineering will continue to integrate multiple disciplines, including a recently created computer engineering program that will undergo ABET review in the next program evaluation.

The school offers a master’s program in engineering physics that gives students the choice between four majors—biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and physics.

Central also has a professional science master’s degree in computational science that combines graduate coursework in a chosen STEM major and management.

Students graduating from the UCO School of Engineering are equipped to enter a vast array of industries and will develop a solid educational foundation to lead the way in innovation and emerging technologies.

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Tami Jackson

College of Math and Science Professors Receive Numerous Grants from OK-INBRE

Written by John Walkup, Director of Sponsored Programs

The Oklahoma IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (OK-INBRE) grant program is administered by the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center through a grant funded by the National Institute of Health to augment and strengthen Oklahoma’s biomedical research capacity and statewide research infrastructure. Recently, a number of professors from the College of Mathematics and Science have received OK-INBRE grants to further their own research in biomedicine.

Five biology professors within the College of Mathematics and Science recently received a total of $192,027 from OK-INBRE to fund biomedical research. Dr. Melville Vaughan will receive a Project Coordinator grant worth $68,207 to oversee coordination of colleges partnering in similar biomedical research and $49,651 in carryover funds to purchase supplies and equipment. OK-INBRE’s Mini-Grant program funded research proposals by Drs. Christopher Goodchild and Hari Kotturi. Dr. Goodchild will use his award of $28,636 to test whether alternative flame retardants impair vasculogenesis, while Dr. Kotturi will use his award of $31,533 to build a library of bacteriophages against multidrug-resistant strains of viruses that infect and kill host bacteria. Drs. Kotturi and Nikki Seagraves will receive $2,000 each to offset the costs of travel to present their research at national conferences. Dr. Christina Hendrickson will receive $10,000 to purchase supplies and equipment to investigate anti-cancer effects of dandelion.

Five professors from the Department of Engineering and Physics also received OK-INBRE grants totaling $116,038. Dr. Yuhao Jiang will receive $42,898 to investigate and optimize the fabrication of green-alga-powered biohybrid microswimmers and to quantitatively evaluate their applications toward localized active drug delivery. Drs. Benjamin Tayo, Gang Xu, Mohammad Hossan, and Morshed Khandaker each received $2,000 Travel Grants. Dr. Khandaker also received a $65,140 Collaboration Grant to design a tibial interlocking nail system for an engineered 3D printed large bone defect model.

The College would like to thank the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and its OK-INBRE program for supporting CMS faculty research that leads to transformative learning experiences for UCO students.

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Tami Jackson

UCO Professors Receive Grants to Research Advances in Electrocardiograms, Cybersecurity, and Materials Science

Dr. Emily Hendryx from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics was just awarded a three-year, $410,515 grant from the National Institute of Health. Titled “Summarizing Cardiac Data: An Automated Approach for Identifying Representative Heartbeats in the Clinical Setting,” this project involves a collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital to ​apply applied mathematics and data science in removing noise and summarizing pediatric electrocardiogram data recorded at hospital bedsides. This project will provide a way to present a representation of a patient’s recent cardiac health history to clinicians and deliver clinical decision support toward improving patient outcomes. Co-advised by Dr. Tyler Cook from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, this project will also offer undergraduate students an opportunity to participate in innovative interdisciplinary research.

Dr. John Rhee from the Department of Computer Science received a $87,873 grant from Sandia National Laboratories as part of his effort to build better cybersecurity services for cloud-based software systems. Once completed, the tools developed in his project titled “TelScope: Discovering Blind Spots of Telemetry Diagnosability” will be used to reveal gaps between telemetry requirements and implemented telemetry collection for cloud services.

Dr. Morshed Khandaker from the Department of Engineering and Physics received an Oklahoma Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) grant for his project “Anti Corrosion Behavior of Mg and Zn nanoparticle incorporated nanofiber membrane.” This $5,000 award will be used to evaluate the structural efficacy of magnesium- and zinc-loaded nanofiber membrane coating on steel in reinforced concrete.

The College of Mathematics and Science would like to thank Sandia National Laboratories, Oklahoma EPSCoR, and the NIH — particularly the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Library of Medicine — for their generosity.

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Tami Jackson
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