The Office of the Vice President for Research is committed to supporting the University of South Carolina’s researchers at every level through a slate of internal funding programs targeting students and faculty. One of the most impactful programs, ASPIRE, is designed to fund promising faculty and postdoc research, shared research infrastructure and sought-after interdisciplinary research projects to help strengthen the university’s competitiveness for external grants and bolster scholarship throughout the UofSC system.
We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 ASPIRE awards. UofSC Vice President for Research Julius Fridriksson commented, “It is such an honor to support my faculty and postdoc colleagues through the ASPIRE awards. This program has rightfully gained a reputation for providing the seed funding our researchers need to take their scholarship to the next level. I have every confidence that this year’s group of ASPIRE recipients will carry on this tradition of research excellence. Congratulations to you all.”
ASPIRE invests in the future of UofSC research
The Advanced Support for Innovative Research Excellence program—ASPIRE—provides funding for meritorious research projects by UofSC faculty and postdocs 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.
2022 ASPIRE I: Innovation recipients
Sub-track I, junior faculty development
Principal Investigator |
Title |
Department |
College |
| An De Meester | What you see is how you feel: The Animated Motor and Perception Scale (AMaPS) - Understanding how children perceive their motor competence is key for health behaviors, De Meester | Physical Education | College of Education |
| Bai, Ray | Scalable Bayesian Survival Analysis with Informative Cluster Size | Statistics | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Dallas, Tad | Establishing a pigmented yeast microcosm system to understand ecological communities | Biological Sciences | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Hair, Nicole | Expanding Access to Routine Vaccines: The Role of Community Pharmacists in Addressing Disparities in Adolescent Vaccine Coverage | Health Services Policy & Mgmt | Arnold School of Public Health |
| Leon Oyola, Juan | Selective Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease and Other Neurological Disorders | Drug Discovery & Biomed Sci. | College of Pharmacy |
| Li, Yangmei | 4-Imidazolidinone derived bicyclic peptides targeting opioid receptor in peripheral inflamed tissue | Drug Discovery & Biomed Sci. | College of Pharmacy |
| Lizarraga, Sofia | The ASH1L/FOXP1 functional node in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders | Biological Sciences | College of Arts and Sciences |
| McQuail, Joseph | Mechanisms of Cognition in Brain Aging and Alzheimer's Disease | Pharm., Physiology & Neuroscience | School of Medicine |
| Meyer-Gutbrod, Erin | Acoustic detection of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales offshore of South Carolina to assess migration timing and evaluate real-time ship strike mitigation strategies | School of Earth, Ocean & Env. | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Moschini Alcalde, Bruno | An Investigation of Musical Attention, Memory, and Categorization through Hybrid Piano Puzzlers | Music | School of Music |
| Potter, Elizabeth | Uncovering links between racial discrimination and child sleep disparities: An ecological momentary assessment feasibility study | Exercise Science | Arnold School of Public Health |
| Ross, Robbie | Elementary School Teachers' Knowledge, Comfort, and Commitment to Social Emotional Learning | Educational Studies | College of Education |
| Shi, Dexin | Distinguishing Cause from Effect Using Observational Data: Understanding the Causal Link between Low Self-esteem and Depression | Psychology | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Taheri-Qazvini, Nader | Understanding the Role of Molecular Interactions in Engineering 3D Porous Ti3C2Tx MXene-based Hybrids for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding | Chemical Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
| Tang, Hengtao | Metacognitive Underpinnings of Computational Thinking in Science Education (MetaCT) | Educational Studies | College of Education |
| Teng, Chengwen | Assessing the Association Between DPP-IV inhibitors and Cancer in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS): A Data Mining Approach | Pharm - Clin Pharm & Outcomes Sciences | College of Pharmacy |
| Welshhans, Kristy | Regulating axon guidance through local translation at adhesions | Biological Sciences | College of Arts and Sciences |
Sub-track IIA, research faculty development
Principal Investigator |
Title |
Department |
College |
| Bayat, Mahmoud | Comprehensive Seismic Loss Assessment of South Carolina Bridges | Mechanical Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
| Conte, Stefania | Neural Correlates of Face and Speech Perception in Infancy | Psychology | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Erickson, Kenneth | What's Going On With Cattle Ranching? Pilot Ethnography of Rancher Management and Marketing in North East New Mexico | Moore Sch - Dean's Office | Darla Moore School of Business |
| Jalilvand, Golareh | Structural Investigation of High Performance Cathodes in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries for Electric Vehicles | Chemical Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
| Liu, Jin | Improving Students' Ethical Sensitivity in Academic Activities through a Short Course | Educational Studies | College of Education |
| Piroli, Gerardo | Synaptic structure of the glutamatergic system in affected brain areas of a model of Leigh syndrome | Pharm., Physiology & Neuroscience | School of Medicine |
| Yang, Xueying | Patterns and predictors of racial/ethnic disparities in HIV care continuum in the South: a big data approach | Health Prom., Educ. & Behavior | Arnold School of Public Health |
Sub-track IIB, postdoctoral scholar development
Principal Investigator |
Title |
Department |
College |
| Case, Layne | A pilot evaluation of motor skill performance and participation among preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder during traditional versus high-autonomy assessment conditions | Physical Education | College of Education |
| Deas, Kendall | Mentoring for Math Proficiency-M4MP | African-American Studies | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Hartman, Catherine | Sense of Belonging and Transitions: Exploring Affinities between Transfer Students and their Institutions | U101 and National Resource Ctr. | University 101 |
| Kristinsson, Sigfus | Effects of BDNF Genotype on Functional Recovery in Stroke Survivors | Communication Sci & Disorders | Arnold School of Public Health |
| Mehrani, Azadeh | Doped Nano-particles as an Effective Nutrient in HLB-Infected Citrus Trees | Environmental Health Sciences | Arnold School of Public Health |
| Mei, Hanfei | Angle-beam Tomography Damage Detection for Aerospace Composites | Mechanical Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
| Qian, Yingxiao | Implementing Dialogue Videos in Online STEM Courses | Educational Studies | College of Education |
| Saxena, Archana | Role of AhR in colonic epithelial cell (CEC)-mediated regulation of the IL-22 receptor expression during colitis | Path, Microbio. & Immunology | School of Medicine |
| Yi, Yanjiao | Preparation of Catalysts Involving Single Atom and Low Nuclearity Clusters of Platinum and Palladium Supported on Nickel Nanoparticles Using Galvanic Displacement | Chemical Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
Sub-track III, bridge funding
Principal Investigator |
Title |
Department |
College |
| Compton-Lilly, Catherine | Investigating Cultural and Linguistic Assets of Schools, Families and Communities: One District, Three Elementary Schools | Instruction & Teacher Educ. | College of Education |
| Deflem, Mathieu | Law and Popular Culture in Japan: Towards a Comparative-Transnational Perspective | Sociology | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Herzberg, Tina | Examining the Effectiveness of Four Lessons to Increase Understanding of Tactile Bar and Line Graphs by Students who are Blind in Grades 2 to 5 | UPS Dept of Education | University of SC Upstate |
| Lavoie, Holly | MMP14-overexpressing mice as a new ovarian cancer model | Cell Biology & Anatomy | School of Medicine |
| Mandal, Krishna | Development of Novel CdZnTeSe Semiconductor Detector Arrays for Real-time Monitoring of Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Casks | Electrical Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
| Murphy, Elizabeth (Angela) | Challenging the current chemotherapy treatment paradigm for obese individuals | Path, Microbio. & Immunology | School of Medicine |
| Ohrt, Jonathan | Pre-Service Teacher Training in K-12 Student Mental Health: A Pilot Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy Study of a Training Plus Consultation Model | Educational Studies | College of Education |
| Osokina, Elena | The Political Economy of Atheism: The Paradox of the First Soviet Exhibition of the Russian Orthodox Icons Abroad | History | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Paul, Titan | Flow Boiling Stabilization by using Interconnector in Counterflow Microchannel | AK Mathematical Sciences | University of SC Aiken |
| Sun, Yi | Hybrid Kinetic Monte Carlo Methods with Applications in Epidemics | Mathematics | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Waldman, Alan | The Impact of Progerin on DNA End-Joining | Biological Sciences | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Wang, Guoan | Enable Next Generation Resilient and Cognitive Communication Systems |
Electrical Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
| Wang, Hui | Multimetallic Nanozymes with Oxidase-Mimicking Functions at Physiological pHs | Chemistry & Biochemistry | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Wang, Xiaofeng | Partial-Label Learning for Multi-Label Classification | Electrical Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
| Yang, Xiaofeng | Modeling, algorithm developments, and simulations for two-phase ferrofluid flow in a coupled region of porous medium and channels | Mathematics | College of Arts and Sciences |
2022 ASPIRE-II: Integration recipients
Principal Investigator and Team |
Title |
Department |
College |
Caicedo, Juan
|
Monitoring activities of daily living (ADL) in individuals with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) using floor vibrations | Civil & Environmental Eng. | College of Engineering & Comp. |
Gavin, Michael
|
Language Difference and Language Policy: Measuring Key Factors of Global Conflict | English | College of Arts and Sciences |
Gwara, Scott
|
The Otto F. Ege Digital Archive | English | College of Arts and Sciences |
Hu, Ming
|
Discover New Cubic Superionic Conductors beyond Traditional Perovskite Structures | Mechanical Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
Rao, Vasanthi
|
Supporting Child Welfare Case Managers' Preparation for and Performance in Child Protection Court Proceedings: A Mixed Methods Study in South Carolina | Child Development Res. Center | College of Education |
Shaw, Timothy
|
New Research Toward Renewal of the USC Oceans and Human Health Center: Sediment Nutrient Dynamics and Proliferation of Harmful Benthic Cyanobacteria in Lake Wateree, SC | Chemistry & Biochemistry | College of Arts and Sciences |
Valafar, Homayoun
|
ASPIRE II: Automatic and personalized identification of smoking using smartwatches | Computer Science & Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
2022 ASPIRE-III: Infrastructure recipients
Principal Investigator |
Title |
Department |
College |
| Chruszcz, Maksymilian | Macromolecular Crystallography at the University of South Carolina | Chemistry & Biochemistry | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Huang, Xinyu | Acquisition of An ONH Analyzer based on Inert Gas Fusion Principle | Mechanical Engineering | College of Engineering & Comp. |
| Pappas, Lydia | Digital Transformation for Researchers: Providing enhanced access to Library Special Collections for users on demand | Univ Libraries - Dean's Office | University Libraries |
| Price, Robert | Echo Revolve Light Microscope for the Instrumentation Resource Facility | Cell Biology & Anatomy | School of Medicine |
| Shimizu, Linda | Upgrade and Relocation of the Bruker EMX plus Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectrometer to the UofSC Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Core Facility | Chemistry & Biochemistry | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Shtutman, Michael | Advancing UofSC genomics research by purchasing of 5200 Fragment Analyzer System from Agilent | Drug Discovery & Biomed Sci. | College of Pharmacy |
29 April 2022