Tag Archives: research

Featured Events Archive

Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship event Feb. 22

What: “Kleptomaniacal Chimpanzees, Unripe Figs, and Lousy Knees: Drake Goes to Rwanda” presented by The Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship
When: Feb. 22, 7–8:30 p.m.
Where: Sussman Theater, Olmsted Center

Michael Renner is a professor of biology and psychology and routinely teaches courses in both of these departments as well as the environmental science and policy program. His research is organized around the broad theme of the reciprocal influences between organisms and their environments and has included work in the neuroanatomical and neurochemical influences of environmental enrichment, theoretical models for animal curiosity, and the development of new methods of measuring and quantifying animal behavior. His current projects include optimizing the captive management of endangered species in zoo environments and field studies to model and prevent crop raiding by chimpanzees along the boundaries of the Gishwati Forest Reserve in the Western Province of Rwanda.

For Students Archive

Nelson Institute Undergraduate Conference on Global Affairs

The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs is sponsoring the 3rd Annual Nelson Undergraduate Conference on Global Affairs at Drake University on April 8 and 9. The purpose of the conference is to recognize and share high-quality undergraduate research related to international and global topics.

The conference schedule includes a global diplomacy group exercise; a dinner social featuring international appetizers; a keynote address by noted scholar Valerie Hudson, University of Texas A&M; student panels; and a closing luncheon with visiting Global Practitioner Peiqin Zhou, Nanjing University.

Students from any major are invited to submit papers for consideration. Submissions will be reviewed by a faculty panel for appropriateness of the topic and the quality of the research. Authors of accepted papers will be invited to present a summary of the paper during a conference panel. Accepted papers also will be posted on the conference web site (with author’s permission), and $200 will be awarded to the top presenter(s) as selected by faculty judges.

Find submission criteria here. The deadline for papers is Tuesday, March 3.

STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND EVEN IF NOT PRESENTING A PAPER. The conference registration deadline for those not submitting a paper is March 28; you can register online. Students who attend the full conference (both days) will receive a certificate of participation. Please direct questions to Denise Ganpat (denise.ganpat@drake.edu).

—Submitted by Drake International

News & Achievements Archive

Nelson Institute Global Pressing Issues Grants awarded

The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs at Drake announces its financial support for two interdisciplinary faculty-student research projects to enhance Drake’s involvement in addressing pressing global issues.

  • “Assessing, Collaborating, and Empowering to Improve Water Quality in Rural Uganda,” seeks to address water quality, as well as education and behavior impacting water quality.
  • “Transnational Des Moines: Reframing Des Moines Immigrant and Refugee Narratives through Collaborative Research with Youth,” seeks to better understand the transnational immigrant and refugee experience in Des Moines. Both projects will be funded over a two-year period (2016–2018).

Assessing, Collaborating, and Empowering to Improve Water Quality in Rural Uganda
Water quality is a pressing global issue that affects many aspects of daily life including health, education, and finances. The purpose of this project is to conduct a needs assessment and implement appropriate interventions to improve the utilization of clean water in rural Uganda. The project focuses on Kikandwa, a rural community of approximately 100,000 people located in central Uganda. Its primary water source is a borehole, with local springs and catchment tanks to collect rainwater as secondary sources. The project also will educate and engage the Drake community in addressing water quality issues and will serve as a template for research projects outside of Uganda.

The interdisciplinary research team is comprised of the following faculty and students in Health Sciences, Environmental Science, Finance, and History:

  • Cassity Gutierrez, Associate Professor of Health Sciences and Director of Pre-Professional Programs
  • Jimmy Senteza, Associate Professor of Finance and Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance
  • David Courard-Hauri, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) and Chair of ENSP
  • Amahia Mallea, environmental historian and Associate Professor of History
  • Peter Levi, fresh water ecologist and Assistant Professor in Environmental Science and Policy
  • Karli Kisch, Psychology major and Biology minor with a concentration in Global and Comparative Public Health
  • Hayley LeBlanc, Neuroscience and Psychology double major
  • Megan Lindmark, Environmental Science major with a concentration in Global and Comparative Public Health
  • Augusta Weide, International Business and Finance joint major with a concentration in Management.


Transnational Des Moines: Reframing Des Moines Immigrant and Refugee Narratives through Collaborative Research with Youth
This qualitative research project will offer knowledge-production, collaboration, and change pertaining to the transnational immigrant and refugee experience in Des Moines. This project will seek to document and theorize knowledge from the perspective of immigrant and refugee actors themselves. It will use an asset-based community development approach that recognizes the capacity of transnational peoples and their associations to contribute to the city’s wellbeing. It will assert a new discourse that creates alternatives to age-hierarchical ways of understanding migrant and refugee communities (and indeed, most collectives) through centering youth and elders as key stakeholders, knowledge holders, and social change agents in building the future of Des Moines.

In addition to students who will be invited to join the project, the interdisciplinary research team includes the following professors:

  • Lourdes Guitérrez Nájera, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
  • Kevin Lam, Assistant Professor of Urban and Diversity Education
  • Darcie Vandegrift, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair in the Department for the Study of Culture and Society

The Rolland and Mary Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs at Drake provides in-depth international knowledge and experiences for select students who wish to pursue careers in international public affairs. The Nelson Institute was established in 2012 with a gift from Rolland and Mary Nelson, founders of Kemin Industries.

—Submitted by Denise Ganpat, Administrative Assistant 2

News & Achievements Archive

DUSCI upcoming events

As the semester inches close to the end, the Drake Undergraduate Science Collaborative Institute (DUSCI) extends a big THANK YOU to all who attended and/or supported the Colloquium Series and also the Life After Drake Series this Fall semester. It is because of you that DUSCI continues to grow as an institute that enhances collaboration among the students and faculty in the sciences.

On behalf of DUSCI, allow me to bring your attention to and also to invite you to our upcoming events in spring and summer 2016. The complete information of these events is available on our website.

  • 13th Annual DUCURS Conference will be on Thursday, April 14
  • 2016 Summer Research Program application information is now available.
  • Colloquium Series: We will host three speakers on Feb. 12, Feb. 26, and March 4. Titles and abstracts will be available on the website very soon.

Lastly, DUSCI wishes you a successful end of the semester and a very enjoyable holiday season.

—Submitted by John Gitua, Director of DUSCI

Campus Announcements Archive

First Databook installment online now

Need some information regarding Drake’s enrollment or student body?  You can find it on the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) website.  Please note, faculty information will be available at a later time. As always, if you need anything from OIRA, please fill out the Request for Information form on our site.

—Submitted by Christine Marchand, Institutional Research and Academic Compliance Coordinator

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

New intake form with the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment

The Office of Institutional Research & Assessment (OIRA) strives to provide clients with timely, accurate, and clearly presented information for data-informed decision-making. We can assist you with a report or project requiring University data, data analysis/compilation, IRB/IACUC, Qualtrics questions, or assistance with assessment and evaluation.

In order to process incoming requests in an efficient and effective manner, we are introducing an online intake form. A link to the form is on our website, or you can click here. We look forward to working with you.

—Submitted by Sandra Harris, Administrative Assistant II

News & Achievements Archive

College of Arts & Sciences news: Week of Sept. 14

Maria Bohorquez, chair and professor of chemistry, started her two-year term as president of the Iowa Network for Women in Higher Education.

Mahmoud Hamad, associate professor of political science, had a truly international summer. During May 17-21, Mahmoud traveled to Cairo, Egypt, to work on organizing the fourth annual conference of the Arab Constitutional Law Association—he chairs its scientific committee. Mahmoud also attended the Brandeis University’s Summer Institute of Israel Studies with a select group of U.S. and foreign faculty. Mahmoud was then invited to attend the 2015 Central European University’s Summer University program on Constitution-building in Africa in Budapest, Hungary. Finally, Mahmoud traveled to Tunisia to work with the Libyan Constitutional Drafting Assembly (CDA) in finalizing the first democratic constitution for Libya. The CDA is expected to approve the final draft of the constitution in late October, before being put to a referendum later in 2015.

Debra DeLaet, professor of politics and international relations and department chair, is presenting a paper at a conference on Transnational and Transborder Familial and Gender Relations: Comparing the Influence of Blurred and Brittle Borders at the University of Oxford. Her paper is titled, “Female Genital Cutting and the Family as a Site of Cultural Contestation and Change in Transnational Migration Contexts.”

Campus Announcements Archive

Grant opportunities

Selected Federal & Foundation Grant Opportunities
September 14, 2015

STEM

ADVANCE: Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers (ADVANCE)
Agency: National Science Foundation
Deadlines: Letter of Intent Due October 5, 2015; Full Proposal Due November 3, 2015;
Letter of Intent Due November 5, 2015; Full Proposal Due January 20, 2016;
Purpose: The goals of the ADVANCE program are (1) to develop systemic approaches to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic STEM careers; (2) to develop innovative and sustainable ways to promote gender equity in the STEM academic workforce; and (3) to contribute to the development of a more diverse science and engineering workforce.
Note: Primarily undergraduate institutions are encouraged to apply.

NSF Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12)
Agency: National Science Foundation
Deadline: December 7
Number of Awards: 35-45
Cost Share: Not Required
Purpose: This National Science Foundation program seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools.

Minority STEM Professionals
Agency: Nat’l Science Foundation
Program: Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation
Eligibility: Public and private colleges and universities, including community colleges
Funding: $45.6 million for 38 awards
Deadline: Nov. 20, 2016
Purpose: Grantees use these funds to improve the number of minorities graduating with science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM) degrees. Particular emphasis is focused on the following populations: African Americans; Alaskan Natives; American Indians; Hispanic Americans; Native Hawaiians; and Native Pacific Islanders.

Early Career Researchers
Agency/Program: Office of Science (Energy Dept.) – Early Career Research Program
Eligibility: Unrestricted
Funding: $18 million for 30 awards
Deadline: Nov. 19, 2015
Purpose: The program supports research programs led by outstanding scientists early in their careers. Research areas of interest include advanced scientific computing and biological and environmental research.

Studies to Uncover K-12 Improvements
Agency: Nat’l Science Foundation
Program: Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers
Eligibility: State, tribal and local governments, public and private colleges and universities, nonprofits and for-profits
Funding: $35 million for 30 awards
Deadline: Nov. 13, 2015
Purpose: The program improves STEM programs in K-12 schools. ITEST funds research projects to pinpoint innovative strategies, tools and models for engaging students in STEM course and to prepare them for careers in these fields.

Advancing Informal STEM Learning
Agency: National Science Foundation
Deadline: November 4, 2015
Eligibility: Universities and Colleges, Non-profit, Non-academic organizations, For-profit organizations, State and Local Governments.
Summary: The Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program seeks to advance new approaches to and evidence-based understanding of the design and development of STEM learning opportunities for the public in informal environments; provide multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences; and advance innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments.

Therapeutic Strategies Research
Private Funder: Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Opportunity: Therapeutic Pipeline Program
Funding Focus: Research, higher education, health
Geographic Focus: National
Eligibility: State and local governments, public and private colleges and universities, nonprofits and for-profits
Funding: Multiple awards
Deadline: Oct. 28, 2015 (pre-proposals)
Purpose: The program supports the development of Parkinson’s disease therapeutic devices that can assist along the entire preclinical and clinical path. Applications should focus on efforts to address one of the following treatment challenges: (1) disease-modifying strategies; (2) alpha-synuclein therapeutics; and (3) symptomatic strategies.

Advanced Technological Education (ATE)
Agency: National Science Foundation
Deadline: October 8, 2015
Award Amount: $25K-$4M (depending on project type)
Expected Number of Awards: 40-55
Summary: The Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation’s economy. The program involves partnerships between academic institutions and industry to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels. The ATE program supports curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathways to two-year colleges from secondary schools and from two-year colleges to four-year institutions; and other activities. Another goal is articulation between two-year and four-year programs for K-12 prospective STEM teachers that focus on technological education. The program invites research proposals that advance the knowledge base related to technician education.

Aging Research
Agency: Nat’l Institutes of Health (HHS)
Program: Networks to Develop Priority Areas of Behavioral and Social Research (CFDA Number: 93.866) (Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-AG-16-008)
Eligibility: State, tribal and local governments, public and private colleges and universities, public housing authorities, nonprofits and for-profits
Funding: $750,000 for three awards
Deadline: Sept. 30, 2015
Purpose: The program will provide infrastructure support for advancing development of specific high priority areas of behavioral and social research of relevance to aging. Applicants must focus on at least one of the following three areas: (1) the measurement of biological risk in population aging studies; (2) decision neuroscience and aging; and (3) the harmonization of cross-national longitudinal aging studies to U.S. Health and Retirement Study. The infrastructure support will facilitate research networks through meetings, conferences, small scale pilots, educational opportunities and dissemination.

OTHER

Financial Education Grants
Foundation: Metlife Foundation
Funding Focus: Youth
Geographic Focus: National
Eligibility: Nonprofits
Deadline: Rolling
Purpose: The foundation supports financial education programs to help low-income households and businesses become self-supporting and sustainable. MetLife partners with researchers, academics, and non-governmental organizations to better understand the problems and potential solutions within the financial inclusion field.

Librarians Can Apply for Career Development Grants
Agency/Program: Institute of Museum & Library Sciences – Laura Bush 21st Librarian Program
Eligibility: Nonprofits
Funding: 22 awards ranging from $50,000 to $1 million each
Deadlines: January 15, 2016
Purpose: The program supports early career development of new library faculty members who are likely to become leaders in library and information science. The grantees will conduct research on any topic in library and information science.

Youth Athletes
Foundation: Finish Line Youth Foundation
Opportunities: The foundation has two funding categories: (1) Youth Athletic Programs; and (2) Youth Camps
Funding Focus: Children, youth, physical activity
Geographic Focus: National (areas with Finish Line stores)
Eligibility: 501 (c)(3) nonprofits
Funding: Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000 each (funds may be used for scholarships)
Deadline: Sept. 30, 2015
Purpose: The foundation focuses on improving the lives of youth through physical activity. Youth athletic programs should be community-based and address active lifestyles and team building skills. Camps must have an emphasis on sports and active lifestyle. Those serving disadvantaged and special needs kids receive preference.

Educating Young Women
Foundation: Lalor Foundation – Anna Lalor Burdick Program
Funding Focus: Women, health
Geographic Focus: National
Eligibility: Nonprofits
Funding: Multiple awards up to $50,000 each
Deadline: Nov. 1, 2015
Purpose: The foundation educates young women about human reproduction in order to broaden and enhance their options in life. The program educates young women about healthy reproduction, with a special focus on those who have inadequate access to information regarding sexual and reproductive health.

Footwear Company to Support Outdoor Projects
Private Funder: Keen Footwear – 2016 KEEN Effect Grant Program;
Funding Focus: Environment, community development;
Geographic Focus: National;
Eligibility: Nonprofits
Funding: $100,000 for 10 awards of $10,000 each; 2016 Nomination
Deadlines: March 1 and Aug. 1.
Purpose: The program supports organizations inspiring responsible outdoor participation as a way to build strong communities, promote creative and sustainable thinking and introduce new audiences to the outdoors. The KEEN Effect encourages KEEN customers and the general public to nominate nonprofits that are aligned with the company’s core, outdoor-focused values.

National Partnership Competition
Private Funder/Program: Best Buy Foundation – 2015 National Partnership Program
Funding Focus: Education and youth;
Geographic Focus: National
Eligibility: Nonprofits
Funding: Multiple awards, up to $200,000 each
Deadline: Nov. 1, 2015
Summary: The Best Buy Foundation offers an array of support. The community grants promote programs that give teenagers access to opportunities through technology to help them excel in school and develop 21st century skills. Grants support nonprofit organizations that create hands-on learning opportunities for underserved teens to engage them in learning, experimenting, and interacting with the latest technologies. The overall goal is to provide youth with access to new technologies and help them become interested and fluent in digital learning while developing skills to better prepare them for future education and career success. After-school programs are eligible. Eligible programs must serve a diverse population, build skills in teens ages 13- 18 and show positive results.

Children’s Obesity
Private Funder: Children’s Obesity Fund
Funding Focus: Childhood nutrition
Geographic Focus: National
Eligibility: Nonprofits
Deadline: Rolling.
Summary: To win funding, projects must educate parents, teachers and other caregivers about the rising obesity rates in America. Applicants must also submit projects that will reverse the statistics and dangerous trends and help prevent the next generation from continuing down this alarmingly unhealthy road. The focus is on increasing awareness and understanding of how to raise healthy and happy children and make sure that ensuing generations are strong and live vital, active lives.

Humanities Summer Stipends
Agency: Nat’l Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Program: Summer Stipends
Eligibility: Scholars
Funding: Multiple $6,000 awards
Deadline: Oct. 1, 2015
Purpose: Summer Stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars and general audiences. Recipients usually produce articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations and editions. Stipends support continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two months.

Soccer Programs
Foundation: U.S. Soccer Foundation
Opportunities: Safe Places to Play Grants and Program Grants
Funding Focus: Physical activity, nutrition, children, youth
Geographic Focus: National
Eligibility: 501(c)(3) nonprofit soccer programs
Funding: Multiple awards ranging from $8,000 to $200,000 each
Deadline: Oct. 2, 2015 (Applicants need to submit a letter of intent by Sept. 25).
Purpose: The foundation supports soccer programs and field-building initiatives nationwide. The Safe Places to Play program provides grants to build or enhance soccer fields. Program Grants fund all aspects of soccer programs, including operations and equipment purchase.

Capacity Building Grant
Foundation/Private Funder: Nat’l Environmental Education Foundation, in partnership with Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.;
Funding Focus: Environment, communities, volunteerism
Geographic Focus: National
Eligibility: 501(c)(3) nonprofits in existence for at least two years
Funding: Multiple awards up to $5,000 each, while event grants may be up to $2,000 each
Final 2015 Deadline: Oct. 30, 2015
Purpose: The program builds the capacity of nonprofits working to improve and promote responsible use of public land sites in the United States. These grants can go for strategic planning, marketing and communications, leadership capacity (board or executive), improved fundraising, assessments and staff training.

Arts Studies to Gauge Impact
Agency: Nat’l Endowment for the Arts
Program: NEA Research: Art Works, FY 2016 (CFDA Number: 45.024) (Funding Opportunity Number: 2016NEAORA);
Eligibility: Public and private colleges and universities and nonprofits
Funding: Multiple awards up to $30,000 each
Deadline: Oct. 20, 2015
Purpose: The program supports research that investigates the value and impact of the arts, either as individual components of the U.S. arts ecology or as they interact with each other and with other domains of American life. By providing financial support to deserving projects, the NEA anticipates that this program will spur growth in the number of people experienced in and knowledgeable about arts-related research in the United States.

—Submitted by Jayne Smith, Director of Sponsored Programs and Grants Management

For Faculty Archive

Call for proposals: Nelson Institute Global Pressing Issues Grant

The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs invites proposals for a two-year grant commencing Jan. 1, 2016, for interdisciplinary faculty-student research projects addressing a global issue of broad public importance.

The purpose of this initiative is to enhance Drake’s involvement in examining and approaching pressing global issues, thereby helping position the University as a global knowledge hub in service to local, national, and international communities.

Through a series of focus groups held in spring 2015, Vice Provost for International Programs Christa Olson identified two clusters of global pressing issues that Drake, together with its local and international partners, has the expertise and institutional capacity to address with depth and breadth:

  1. Food and water security and environmental sustainability
  2. Global public health and access to quality health care

Several other issues were identified in which Drake has experience and expertise, but not with breadth across campus and disciplines: poverty and access to quality education, bridging cultures, immigration and refugees, and freedom of information and expression.

We especially encourage research proposals that relate to these issue clusters, although proposals on other topics are welcome, and no priority will be given based upon topical area.

See the full call for proposals at Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs. The submission deadline for proposals is Dec. 1. Proposals should be sent to Denise Ganpat (denise.ganpat@drake.edu).

—Submitted by Drake International

News & Achievements Archive

Drake faculty receive more than $83,000 in external funding

Principal Investigator: Matthew Zwier
Project Title: High-Performance Weighted Ensemble Software for Simulation of Complex Bio-Events
Project Summary: Matthew Zwier is a primary developer of the WESTPA software package, whose continued development this grant is intended to support. WESTPA is a tool for controlling other software tools: It orchestrates up to thousands of trajectories run natively by other software at any scale (e.g., Gromacs, Amber, BioNetGen, MCell) using a “weighted ensemble” strategy. He will be doing computer programming related to WESTPA. This programming will include implementing new features for the software, improving the performance (e.g. speed) of the software, and validating the software (ensuring that it produces the correct results). His particular focus will be ensuring that the WESTPA software package can run effectively on large supercomputers and interface smoothly with a number of chemical and biological simulation software packages.
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health thru University of Pittsburgh
Award Amount: $28,000

 

Principal Investigator: Tom Rosburg
Project Title: Remnant Prairie Inventory in the Grand River Grassland CCS Landscape in Northwestern Harrison County, Missouri
Project Summary: The objective of this project is to intensively survey the recently expanded southern portion of The Grand River Grasslands Conservation Landscape in northwestern Harrison County for native prairie remnants. When complete, such an inventory will enable partner agencies working in this Conservation Landscape to better target grassland conservation efforts on both public and private lands.
Funding Agency: Missouri Department of Conservation
Award Amount: $20,000

 

Principal Investigator: Neil Hamilton
Project Title: Iowa Landowner’s Legal Guide
Project Summary: Drake staff will utilize project infrastructure funding to research and write educational materials relating to the Iowa Landowner’s Legal Guide, to be used to help educate Iowa land owners and their advisors and to enhance partnerships with other organizations using Sustainable Agricultural Land Tenure (SALT) resources.
Funding Agency: Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Award Amount: $9,736

 

Principal Investigator: Keith Summerville
Project Title: Targeted Reptile Assessment at Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt
Project Summary: This project will conduct an assessment of reptiles of Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt with an emphasis on poorly documented species such as smooth green snakes, Graham’s crayfish snake, and six-lined racerunner. The project will also assess whether hay management increases mortality in snakes that are considered declining in the state.
Funding Agency: Polk County Conservation Board
Award Amount: $1,500 (total funding for this project is $6,250)

 

Principal Investigator: Jerrid Kruse
Project Title: K-12 Energy Education Pilot Project
Project Summary: The Drake School of Education will work with AEA PD Online to develop effective e-curriculum that is uniquely tied to Iowa schools including those schools in rural locations. All students in our state will be provided access to STEM curricular materials through the development of a modular e-curriculum. This curriculum will be delivered online via a learning and management system geared specifically for personalized learning. Teachers will have the ability to create individualized units, mini-courses, or full courses for student use during or outside the normal school day.
Funding Agency: Iowa Energy Center
Award Amount: $24,000