Each year, the Office of the Vice President for Research awards ASPIRE funding to UofSC faculty and postdocs through a competitive grant process. The Advanced Support for Innovative Research Excellence (ASPIRE) program invests in meritorious research projects around three broad goals:
- ASPIRE-I: Innovation funding supports faculty and postdocs in developing new lines of research exploration that show promise for future development and external funding.
- ASPIRE-II: Integration funding promotes interdisciplinary, collaborative research by groups of at least three faculty members across two or more UofSC colleges or schools.
- ASPIRE-III: Infrastructure provides funding to invest in multi-user research equipment and facilities to enhance the university’s research infrastructure.
The ASPIRE program, now in its tenth round of annual funding, has been highly successful in providing the seed funding for faculty to secure larger and interdisciplinary grants from federal funding agencies. Past performance has shown that for every dollar invested, there is a return of about $10.
UofSC faculty researchers submitted a total of 170 proposals for the 2021 ASPIRE competitions. The proposals were reviewed by faculty review committees appointed by the Vice President for Research, and 102 were selected for funding.
“It is always a great day when we can support our outstanding faculty and postdocs and provide the funding they need to take their research to the next level. By investing in these meritorious 2021 ASPIRE projects, we are investing in the future of research at the University of South Carolina. Congratulations to all of the 2021 ASPIRE grant recipients,” said Vice President for Research, Prakash Nagarkatti.
The 2021 ASPIRE recipients are listed below, by funding track. It is the Office of Research’s pleasure to recognize this distinguished group. Complete details about the ASPIRE program, including criteria for each funding track and sub-track, are available on the program’s home page.
2021 ASPIRE I: Innovation recipients
Sub-track I, junior faculty development
|
Principal Investigator |
Title |
Department |
College |
|
Becerril Arreola, Rafael |
Exploring disparate impact and market power in online retailing |
Moore Sch - Div. of Research |
Darla Moore School of Business |
|
Busbee, Philip |
Investigating the link between bacteroides acidifaciens and colitis |
Path, Microbio. & Immunology |
School of Medicine |
|
Chen, Yuche |
Examining social disparities in travel barrier: Development of a perception-based travel difficulty index |
Civil & Environmental Eng. |
College of Engineering & Computing |
|
Fairman, Ciaran |
Feasibility of a hybrid delivery of home-based resistance exercise training in lung cancer patients |
Exercise Science |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Ge, Ting |
Dynamics of Anisotropic Nanoparticles in Polymer Melts |
Chemistry & Biochemistry |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Gibson, Kelly Ann |
Understanding recent changes in water column temperature and upwelling in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific: perspectives from planktonic foraminiferal geochemistry |
AK Biology & Geology |
University of SC Aiken |
|
Hollis, Brian |
Experimental speciation in Drosophila melanogaster: the role of reinforcement in strengthening reproductive isolation |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Jun, Jungmi |
Biometric Responses and Health Outcomes of Youth Exposure to Modified Exposure Claims for Novel Tobacco Products with FDA Authorization Cues |
Journalism & Mass Comm. |
College of Information & Communications |
|
Karami, Amir |
LGBT Health Surveillance via Mining Social Media Big Data |
Library & Information Sciences |
College of Information & Communications |
|
Kathrein, Katie |
Ing4 deficiency reprograms multipotent progenitor cells into a stem cell-like state |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Khalili, Meena |
Wayfinding, Augmented Reality, and Interactive Visual Storytelling: Using Design Technology and the Illustrated Postcard to Express COVID-19 Impact on South Carolina Small Business |
Art |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Kornbluh, Mariah |
Tailoring Behavioral Health Interventions: Evaluating the Youth Empowered Social Media Valuing Positive Adolescent-Development Intervention |
Psychology |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Larson, Leila |
Integrated psychosocial, nutritional, and health intervention to improve early child development in Liberia |
Health Prom., Educ. & Behavior |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Mills, Mary |
Regulation of Egg Development across Understudied Insect Vectors: the role of vitellogenin |
AK Biology & Geology |
University of SC Aiken |
|
Mohammadizand, Ramtin |
An Energy-Efficient Neuromorphic Patient Monitoring System on Wearable Devices |
Computer Science & Engineering |
College of Engineering & Computing |
|
Nolan, Melissa |
Canine Tick-Borne Disease in South Carolina: Filling in the One Health Knowledge Gap |
Epidemiology & Biostatistics |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Peng, Xuefeng |
Unravel the microbial engine driving biogeochemical cycles in coastal ecosystems |
School of Earth, Ocean & Env. |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Placek, Matthew |
Democracy's Crisis of Legitimacy: Causes and Consequences of Political Support in Global Context |
UPS History, Polital Sci., Phil. |
University of SC Upstate |
|
Poulain, Fabienne |
Testing the role of neuronal activity in circuit refinement during visual system maturation. |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Qiao, Shan |
Mental health of people living with HIV in COVID-19 pandemic: lived experience through a triangulation approach |
Health Prom., Educ. & Behavior |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Roberts, Kenneth |
Expanded kinetic studies of the reaction of 2,4'-dihydroxyacetophenone dioxygenase |
AK Chemistry |
University of SC Aiken |
|
Sadati, Monirosadat |
Cuboidal Soft Crystal Phases Under Geometrical Frustration |
Chemical Engineering |
College of Engineering & Computing |
|
Stewart, Jason |
Determining the role of CST-DNA polymerase alpha-primase interaction in replication rescue |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Tanner, Scott |
Investigation of P-glycoprotein Deficiency on the Development of Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model for Human Necrotizing Enterocolitis |
UPS Science & Eng |
University of SC Upstate |
|
Wu, Linwan |
Understand the Impacts of Social Density and Environmental Uncertainty on Consumers' Subjective Well-being |
Journalism & Mass Comm. |
College of Information & Communications |
|
Xu, Yanfeng |
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Service Utilization and Placement Stability among Foster Children Before and During COVID-19 in South Carolina |
Social Work - Dean's Office |
College of Social Work |
|
Young, Sarah |
Public Opinion and Act 388: Issue Salience of South Carolina School Tax Policy |
AK Hist Pol Sci & Phil |
University of SC Aiken |
|
Zeng, Qiang |
Towards Remote Program Analysis of Internet-of-Things (IoT) Applications |
Computer Science & Engineering |
College of Engineering & Computing |
|
Zhang, Qi |
Meta-Learning Multi-Agent Communication |
Computer Science & Engineering |
College of Engineering & Computing |
Sub-track IIA, research faculty development
|
Principal Investigator |
Title |
Department |
College |
|
Cai, Chao |
Using Mixture Cure Model to Investigate Short-term and Long-term Medication Persistence for Alzheimer's Disease |
Pharm - Clin Pharm & Outcomes Sciences |
College of Pharmacy |
|
Dunn, Robert |
Developing sustainable fishery management procedures for a key estuarine species: blue crabs Callinectes sapidus in South Carolina |
Baruch Institute |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Grillo, Claudia |
Intranasal leptin as a novel therapeutic tool for treatment-resistant depression |
Pharm., Physiology & Neuroscience |
School of Medicine |
|
Guimaraes, Edena |
Assess if Latinx individuals in South Carolina will get the COVID-19 vaccine. |
Health Prom., Educ. & Behavior |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Kimball, Matthew |
Long-term changes in fish assemblage diversity and abundance in the Winyah Bay estuary |
Baruch Institute |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Pujhari, Sujit |
Underpinning the molecular mechanism behind the Mayaro virus-induced Zika virus interference |
Pharm., Physiology & Neuroscience |
School of Medicine |
|
Strosnider, William |
Plant Species Suitability for Floating Treatment Wetlands in Brackish Systems |
Baruch Institute |
College of Arts and Sciences |
Sub-track IIB, postdoctoral scholar development
|
Principal Investigator |
Title |
Department |
College |
|
Adeagbo, Oluwafemi |
Assessing the Needs, Barriers and Facilitators of Implementing Telehealth Interventions for HIV Care and Prevention for Men Who Have Sex with Men in South Carolina |
Health Prom., Educ. & Behavior |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Bangert, Katherine |
A comparison of expressive language disfluencies, language ability, executive functions, and autonomic nervous system functioning in children with autism |
Psychology |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Bernhart, John |
NEW Soul for Families: Developing a Healthy Eating Soul Food Program for the Family in Partnership with EdVenture Children's Museum |
Prevention Research Center |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Chan, Jessica |
There is no place like home: Investigating the relationship between home environment and academic outcomes in children with and without language or reading impairments. |
Communication Sci & Disorders |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Chaudhuri, Sandeep |
Machine Learning Reinforced Novel CdZnTeSe Semiconductor Based Radiation Spectrometers for Nuclear Waste Monitoring |
Electrical Engineering |
College of Engineering & Computing |
|
Chauvenet, Christina |
Understanding Decline in Participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in South Carolina |
Health Prom., Educ. & Behavior |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Chen, Huan |
Interaction Between EDS1 and WRKY Transcription Factors Confers Transcriptional Reprogramming in Plant Immunity |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Cho, Yoo Jin |
Package warning labels communicating relative risks of tobacco products: reducing disparities in smoking among disadvantaged populations in the US |
Health Prom., Educ. & Behavior |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Friedman, Laura |
Adults with Fragile X Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Language, Outcomes, and the Interface with Maternal Phenotypes |
Communication Sci & Disorders |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
McFadden, Bridget |
REVISED ASPIRE I TRACK IIb PROPOSAL: An Examination of Inter-limb Functional Asymmetry after a Fatiguing Bout of Exercise in High-Level Soccer Players |
Exercise Science |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
McLaurin, Kristen |
Dose-Dependency of Adolescent Oxycodone Abuse for Neurocognitive Development |
Psychology |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Milosavljevic, Snezana |
Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase: Role in sleep-wake behavior and a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders |
Pharm., Physiology & Neuroscience |
School of Medicine |
|
Naderi, Asieh |
Evaluation of the effects of bonding history in lung cancer cells by using monogamous rodents |
Drug Discovery & Biomed Sci. |
College of Pharmacy |
|
Redd, Priscilla |
Identifying yeast proteins that effect mmPing20 transposition |
AK Biology & Geology |
University of SC Aiken |
|
Shu, Jung |
A Framework based on Parametric Reduced Order Modeling and Large Computational Data Analytics for Hypersonic Flow Analysis |
Mechanical Engineering |
College of Engineering & Computing |
|
Stager, Maria |
Characterizing the transcriptomic mechanisms underlying population-level differences in avian thermogenic flexibility |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Zeng, Wen |
A Mixed Methods Study of Predicting College Enrollment and Completion among Students with and without Disabilities |
U101 and National Resource Ctr. |
University 101 |
|
Zhang, Jingyi |
Dissecting the Pathogenic Mechanism of a Bacterial Type III Effector Through Yeast Killing Rescue Assays |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
Sub-track III, bridge funding
|
Principal Investigator |
Title |
Department |
College |
|
Fadel, Jim |
Hypocretin/orexin modulation of cognitive correlates of brain aging: role of neuroinflammation |
Pharm., Physiology & Neuroscience |
School of Medicine |
|
Outten, Caryn |
Characterization of iron trafficking and regulation mechanisms in fungal pathogens |
Chemistry & Biochemistry |
College of Arts and Sciences |
Sub-track IV, senior faculty exploration
|
Principal Investigator |
Title |
Department |
College |
|
Brugler, Mercer |
Characterizing the biodiversity and anticoagulant repertoires of marine leeches in Port Royal Sound |
BFT Natural Sciences |
University of SC Beaufort |
|
Carver, Wayne |
Computational modeling of alcohol-induced fibrotic networks |
Cell Biology & Anatomy |
School of Medicine |
|
Egbue, Ona |
A Multi-Agent Model for Power System Resilience |
USC Upstate - Informatics |
University of SC Upstate |
|
Elfenbein, Jessica |
“The Adventure is an Experiment”: Lumbering South Carolina’s Swamps and Creating a New South Industry, 1890-1940 |
History |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Frizzell, Norma |
Investigating L-2-hydroxyglutarate Regulation of Adipocyte Transcription during Diabetes |
Pharm., Physiology & Neuroscience |
School of Medicine |
|
Fu, Zhengqing |
Dissecting the Functions of the PR5_1 Peptide and Its Putative Receptors in Plant Immunity |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Jasnow, Aaron |
Bidirectional and sex-dependent regulation of context fear generalization |
Pharm., Physiology & Neuroscience |
School of Medicine |
|
Jones, Eric |
The Archaeological Settlement Ecology of a Nineteenth Century Rural American Town |
Anthropology |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Leaman, Clifford |
New Music for Two Saxophones and Recording |
Music |
School of Music |
|
Mott, David |
Seizures and Convulsions Induced by Synthetic Cannabinoids |
Pharm., Physiology & Neuroscience |
School of Medicine |
|
Patel, Rekha |
Screening for compounds that disrupt PACT-PKR interaction- potential drugs for treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and dystonia 16. |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Pfeffer, Carla |
Transgender Pregnancy and the Creation of Twenty-First Century Families |
Sociology |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Shah, Payal |
Assessing the gendered dynamics of COVID-19 amongst rural communities in Western India |
Educational Studies |
College of Education |
|
Speiser, Daniel |
Snapping shrimp have helmets that dampen shock waves, but do these helmets protect the brains of shrimp from blast-induced neurotrauma? |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Stratmann, Johannes |
A Phosphoproteomics Approach to Characterize the Green Leaf Volatile-induced Signaling Network in Tomato Cells. |
Biological Sciences |
College of Arts and Sciences |
|
Walsh, Kenneth |
Molecular Signaling and Anti-Nociceptive Actions of Minor Cannabinoids |
Pharm., Physiology & Neuroscience |
School of Medicine |
|
Wang, Xuewen |
Association between Sleep Assessed by Ambulatory Polysomnography and Chronic Low Back Pain |
Exercise Science |
Arnold School of Public Health |
|
Watanabe, Nicholas |
The effect of large-scale sporting events on local area air pollution |
Sport & Entertainment Mgmt |
Hospitality, Retail, & Sport Management |
|
Zhu, Jun |
Molecular mechanism: HIV-1 Tat protein potentiates the rewarding effects of methamphetamine |
Drug Discovery & Biomed Sci. |
College of Pharmacy |
2021 ASPIRE-II: Integration recipients
| Principal Investigator and Team | Title | PI Department | PI College |
Azhar, Mohamad
|
Calcific Aortic Valve Stenosis: Sex-Specific Mechanisms and Therapy | Cell Biology and Anatomy | School of Medicine |
Chandrashekhar, MVS
|
ASPIRE II: Rare-earth free high brightness quantum dot inks for III-nitride pumped light emitters | Electrical Engineering | College of Engineering and Computing |
Dal Molin, Aria
|
Translating Piranesi | Languages, Literatures, & Culture | College of Arts and Sciences |
Frizzell, Norma
|
Exploring the Modulation of Neuroinflammation by Itaconate in Neurological Disorders | Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience | School of Medicine |
Iachini, Aidyn
|
ReadySET: School Readiness for Teaching Social-Emotional LearningSkills | Social Work - Dean's Office | College of Social Work |
Imran, Jasim
|
ASPIRE II: A Rapid Response System for the Assessment and Prediction of Contaminant Dispersion in Wet-Weather Emergencies | Civil and Environmental Engineering | College of Engineering and Computing |
Irvin, Matthew
|
Collaborative Artificial Intelligence for Learning to Solve the Rubik's Cube | Educational Studies | College of Education |
Knight, Lisa
|
mHealth to Improve Carbohydrate Counting Accuracy in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes | Pediatrics | School of Medicine |
Mandal, Krishna
|
Direct Detection of Sub-GeV Dark Matter Using Reinforced Single-Crystalline Diamond, 4H-SiC Detectors, and Convolutional Neural Networks | Electrical Engineering | College of Engineering and Computing |
Mott, David
|
The role of FMR1 in sensory neurons in the pathogenesis of Fragile X Syndrome | Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience | School of Medicine |
Murphy, Elizabeth (Angela)
|
Ameliorating Side-Effects of Chemotherapy to Improve Treatment Tolerance and Quality of Life | Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology | School of Medicine |
Myrick, Michael
|
Drone-based Screening and Triggered Sampling of Water | Chemistry and Biochemistry | College of Arts and Sciences |
Peryshkov, Dmitry
|
ASPIRE II: Synergistic Lewis Acidic and Basic Sites in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Photoinduced Decomposition of Chemical Warfare Agents | Chemistry and Biochemistry | College of Arts and Sciences |
Rodney, Steven
|
ASPIRE-II : Machine Learning for Astronomical Images | Physics and Astronomy | College of Arts and Sciences |
Smith, Mark
|
SHARE Consortium | History | College of Arts and Sciences |
Steck, Susan
|
Racial and Rural Disparities among Early-onset Breast Cancer Survivors | Epidemiology and Biostatistics | Arnold School of Public Health |
White, Ralph
|
On the Road to Prototyping and Understanding Structural Batteries for Energy Storage through Modeling and Experimentation | Chemical Engineering | College of Engineering and Computing |
Wilson-King, Dawn
|
Positive Action for Today's Health (PATH) USA: A Multi-Site Trial to Improve Physical Activity, Blood Pressure, and Social Connectedness in Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities | Psychology | College of Arts and Sciences |
Ziehl, Paul
|
Sensors vs. Humans in Monitoring the Health of Systems: The Case for SC Bridges | Civil and Environmental Engineering | College of Engineering and Computing |
2021 ASPIRE-III: Infrastructure recipients
| Principal Investigator | Title | Department | College |
| Boyd, Kate | Revised Proposal for Obsolete Media Digitization Program | Univ Libraries - Dean's Office | University Libraries |
| Donaldson, Matthew | Studio Upstate: An Undergraduate-Run, Faculty-Led Design Firm | UPS Fine Arts & Comm | University of SC Upstate |
| Hancock, Charles Nathan | Expanding the microscopy imaging capacity to advance research activities at USC Aiken | AK Biology & Geology | University of SC Aiken |
| Paul, Titan | ASPIRE III: Acquisition of a Modern Materials Science Instrumentation Suite to Enhance
Research Capacity, Student Work-Readiness, and External Partner Engagement at USC Aiken |
AK Mathematical Sciences | University of SC Aiken |
| Pettay, Daniel | Acquisition of a Hand-held Multi-omics Nanopore Sequencer to Innovate Faculty Research and Enhance Student Employability | BFT Natural Sciences | University of SC Beaufort |
| Sikirzhytski, Vitali | IncuCyte SX1 Live-Cell Analysis System | Drug Discovery & Biomed Sci. | College of Pharmacy |
| Wilsbacher, Greg | Acquiring a new 6.5K Kinetta Archival Film Scanner to support evolving research into film imaging methodologies | Univ Libraries - Dean's Office | University Libraries |
30 April 2021