ROP Awards almost $400K;  Published PI Acknowledges help

The Office of Research and Graduate Education has awarded $394,729 to fund 31 of the 126 proposals received in response to the 2009 Research Opportunity Program (ROP) solicitation according to Dr. Rosemarie Booze.  She also said a former ROP awardee, Dr. David Barbeau, who subsequently received significant NSF funding as a result, has acknowledged the program in a paper published on his research.

“Dr. Barbeau’s paper in Earth and Planetary Science Letters represents a significant forward step in understanding Antarctic climate controls,” said Booze, “and acknowledges that his research and the $700,000 NSF International Polar Year grant that primarily funded it, were a direct result of the ROP seed grant he received.

“So, we are quite pleased with the faculty response to our 2009 ROP solicitation (a total of $1,752,539 was requested) designed to encourage development of individual research projects we expect will attract funding by external sources and promote scholarly activities, “ she said, adding that ROP funding is allocated in three categories.

Category I funds, considered "seed" monies, are to enhance the competitiveness of a new or renewal proposal for external funding. “Researchers who‘ve received optimistic reviewers’ comments from a federal sponsor get priority for this funding,” said Dr. Amit Almor, Chair of the ROP Review Committee, “and any Junior faculty principal investigators (PIs) involved are mentored in their funding agency and program selection, as well as the preparing and submitting of their extramural grant application,” Almor said. He also said co-PIs “familiar with” the targeted funding source and the external grant proposal process act as the mentors.  

The 2009 Category I funded proposals are:
“Understanding the Mobility of Prevalent Nanomaterials in Bioreactor Landfills”
PI:  Dr. Nicole Berge, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Co-PIs:  Drs. Navid Saleh and Joseph Flora

“Role of Genetic and Dietary Factors in Breast Cancer Risk: Study of a Population in Demographic Transition”
PI: Dr. James Burch, Epidemiology & Biostatistics

“Asian American Youth Language in the South”
PI: Dr. Elaine Chun, English
Co-PI: Dr. Robin Morris

“Child Care Subsidy, Quality of Child Care, and Economic Outcomes of Low-Income Families in South Carolina”
PI: Dr. Yoonsook Ha, Social Work
Co-PI: Dr. Melinda Forthofer

“Creation of a Targeted Mutation in Mice for Transcription Factor Rfx2”
PI: Dr. Stephen Kistler, Chemistry & Biochemistry

“Developmental Neurotoxicity of Prenatal Cocaine”
PI: Dr. Charles Mactutus, Psychology

 “Validation of Forensic Characterization and Chemical Identification of Dyes Extracted from Millimeter-length Fibers”
PI: Dr. Stephen Morgan, Chemistry & Biochemistry

“Glutathione and Thiol Redox Control in the Mitochondrial Intermembrane Space”
PI: Dr. Caryn Outten, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Co-PI: Dr. John Dawson

“A 3-Dimensional Model of Vascularized Bone Development”
PI: Dr. Jay Potts, Cell & Developmental Biology & Anatomy

“Towards the Discovery of Inhibitors of the p53-HIV Tat Complex and the Induction of Apoptosis of Cells Latently Infected by HIV”
PI: Dr. David Reisman, Biological Sciences

“Testing the Reliability of the Silicon Isotope Proxy in Diatoms Using the Cariaco Basin Time Series”
PI: Dr. Howard Scher, Geological Sciences
Co-PI: Dr. Robert Thunell

“Neural Plasticity in Healthy Aging”
PI: Dr. Peter Soros, Communication Sciences & Disorders
Co-PI: Dr. Christopher Rorden

“Algorithm Development to Reconstruct Ancestral Genomes”
PI: Dr. Jijun Tang, Computer Science & Engineering

“Enhancing Data Privacy and Availability in Wireless Sensor Networks”
PI: Dr. Wenyuan Xu, Computer Science & Engineering
Co-PI: Dr. Csilla Farkas

Category 2 funds support the “general development, expansion or enhancement of faculty research and creative activity,” Booze said. “These funds focus on research contributions that increase academic, intellectual and scholarly activity.”

The 2009 Category 2 funded proposals are:
“The Misinformation Effect in Eyewitness Identifications: An Examination of Source, Plausibility, and Warning”
PI: Dr. Jennifer Beaudry, USC Beaufort
Co-PI: Dr. Charles Keith

“Parents' Perception of Promoting Healthful Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors of Children with an Intellectual Disability:  A Qualitative Study”
PI: Dr. Michael Beets, Exercise Science
Co-PI: Dr. Russ Pate

“Characterizing a Novel Antibiotic Compound from a Marine Bacterium Effective Against Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens and Has Low Cytotoxicity to Mammalian Cells”
PI: Dr. Alan Decho, Environmental Health Sciences

“This Far by Faith: Carolina Camp Meetings, An African-American Tradition”
PI: Dr. Minuette Floyd, Art

“Between Business and Bureaucrats: Pingtan Storytelling in Maoist China”
PI: Dr. Qiliang He, USC Upstate

“Schoenberg in Words: Program Notes and Analyses (1904-1951)”
PI: Dr. John Daniel Jenkins, Music

“’Inca’ Citizens: Ethnic Identity and Nation Building in Early Twentieth-Century Bolivia”
PI: Dr. Gabrielle Kuenzli, History

“Mexican Immigrants in South Carolina: Responding to Social, Political and Economic Change”
PI: Dr. Elaine Lacy, USC Aiken
Co-PI: Dr. Myriam Torres

“The Arab Imago:  The Social History of Indigenous Photography”
PI: Dr. Stephen Sheehi, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

“Snapshot Photography: A Global History”
PI: Dr. Rachel Snow, USC Upstate

“Conjugating Victorians: Meditations on Grammar, Time, and Other Living Forms”
PI: Dr. Rebecca Stern, English

“Child Music-Related Behaviors and Parent Music Activities Questionnaire – Expansion”
PI: Dr. Wendy Valerio, Music

Category 3 funds “support the creative and performing arts, said Booze, “and may include costs associated with creating an exhibit, a performance, or a musical work.”

The 2009 Category 2 funded proposals are:
“Benjamin Wilson, FRS: Painter and Electrical Scientist”
PI: Dr. Andrew Graciano, Art

“Recording of Contemporary American Music for Bassoon”
PI: Dr. Peter Kolkay, Music

“No Wonder People Think Martha Graham is a Snack Cracker: Pairing Eau Claire High School Ninth Grade Students as Proteges with University of South Carolina Dance Students as Mentors”
PI: Dr. Susan Schramm, Instruction & Teacher Education

“Home Movies of Global Capital”
PI: Dr. Simon Tarr, Art

“USC in New York: A Pilot Program in Co-Production and Collective Creation”
PI: Professor Nic Ularu, Theatre & Dance