In this issue... Impact Accelerator Awards Internal Funding Opportunities Welcome New Staff & Fellows What's new this Fall? Fall Research PD Start a Proposal Preparing Proposals Research Advocates Ask a Question A Message from the Vice Provost for Research Welcome back to a dynamic fall semester! We look forward to working with you to grow the university research profile with a special focus on the current Research Impact Areas. Please see the internal funding opportunities and new staff below that are ready to support your research and scholarly endeavors. -Dr. Christopher Curtis

Impact Area Accelerator Awards

The Impact Area Accelerator Grants catalyze scholarship within the university research impact areas and support active researchers to take their work to the next level. We are offering a funding call for FY23 this fall. Below is a summary of the FY22 awards. This funding opportunity provides summer faculty stipends and research assistants to accelerate program growth as well as the extramural funding needed to support and expand active, established research programs.

Funded Projects FY22 Project: The Georgia Moms Project Phase II: Capacity Building The Georgia Moms Project documents the lived experiences of people who have had babies in Georgia since 2009, specifically focusing on maternal mortality rates among a diverse cohort of Georgia mothers. Funding from the Impact Area Accelerator is being used to expand the project network while providing time to code and analyze existing data. This information will be used to apply for external funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This project aligns with the Community Enrichment research impact area. PI: Heidi Altman; Colleges: CBSS, JPHCPH Project: Monitoring Coastal Habitats The primary objective of the Impact Area Accelerator Grant was to leverage current DNR funding to collect enhanced data sets in the coastal marshes. This information will be used to produce higher resolution habitat maps and models of sea level rise scenarios for the Georgia coast through ongoing funding requests to the National Science Foundation and a new grant proposal to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This project aligns with the Coastal Resilience and Sustainability research impact area. PI: Christine Hladik; Colleges: COSM Project: Bolstering Tactical Athlete Research This research project studies first responders’ health, well-being, and productivity in line with the Holistic Health and Wellness research impact area. Accelerator funding allowed the team to improve marketing and outreach to outside stakeholders through summer improvements to the Tactical Athlete Initiative webpage. Additionally, the team is preparing for two federal grant submissions this year.  PI: Bridget Melton; Colleges: WCHP, COE, PCOB, JPHCPH Project: Scalable and Sustainable Membranes for High-Performance Batteries The Impact Area Accelerator Grant allowed the PI and his research students to focus on writing external grants and doing experiments on rechargeable batteries for efficient energy storage of green power sources. A research proposal was submitted to the Department of Energy. Additionally, one manuscript with three undergraduate student co-authors was drafted and will be ready for submission soon. This project aligns with the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing research impact area. PI: Ji Wu; Colleges: COSM, PCEC

Internal Funding Opportunities

Available this Semester: Supplemental Travel Award Call The Office of Research is offering a limited number of supplemental travel grants with funding up to $1500 for tenure-track faculty to support research dissemination at national and international conferences. EOY deadlines apply. Impact Area Accelerator Grant Call The Office of Research is opening the call for Impact Area Accelerator Grants for FY23. This opportunity is for established faculty conducting research in one of the five research impact areas who have a demonstrated need for support to take their existing project to the next level. Proposals are accepted by nomination only. Publication Assistance The Research Publication Assistance Fund provides support for costs relating to accepted faculty publications for referred journals/publishers. The Research Publication Assistance Fund accepts requests between July 1 and May 1 of each fiscal year or until the fund is fully expended. Future Opportunities: Research Internal SEED Funding The Faculty Research Committee and Office of Research provide a competitive call for SEED funding annually in January for the following academic year. This funding for pilot studies is intended to lead to external funding; there is an expectation for a post-award external funding application. Scholarly Pursuit Award The Faculty Research Committee and Office of Research provide a competitive call for Scholarly Pursuit funding annually in January for the following academic year. Funding to support defined scholarly and creative projects and concrete activities that advance fundamental research; there is an expectation for product generation (e.g. publication, art piece, presentation, performance).

Welcome New Staff & Fellows

New Roles Shelley Salter: Research Compliance Manager.  Shelley has been with the Office of Research since 2011. She has two degrees from Georgia Southern University - BS in Biology and an MBA. Tina Leggett: Interim Director of Research Services.  Tina has been at the university since 2007 and served as the Assistant Director for over 10 years. She has a degree in Business Administration from Brenau University.  New Staff Timiesha James: Grant Coordinator. Timiesha joined the team in May and is currently working to support faculty in the Colleges of Education, Behavioral and Social Sciences, and Graduate Studies. Jessica McLaughlin: Grant Coordinator. Jessica has been at the university since 2010 in the Department of Biology; she transferred to the Office of Research in May. She assists faculty with proposal submissions in the Waters College of Health Professions, the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, and the Honors College. Rudy Norton: Compliance Specialist.  Rudy joined the Research Integrity group in July. Her work will focus on support for various compliance areas including IRB, IACUC, IBC, and FCOI, as well as special projects.

New Research Fellows

The Research Fellows serve in key leadership roles within the Office of Research. They drive faculty professional development, delivering most of the workshops and badging sessions for the Office of Research. In addition, they serve as Research Advocates to facilitate ongoing faculty research needs and support research development.

Dr. Tilicia Mayo-Gamble is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Community Health. She received her Ph.D. from Indiana University, Bloomington, and completed her post-doctoral fellowship in Community Engaged Research with the Meharry-Vanderbilt Community Engaged Research Core. Dr. Mayo-Gamble is a health services and healthcare disparities researcher focused on community and patient engagement methods to facilitate self-care behaviors and enhance patient-centered care among adults with chronic diseases. Her primary target population is individuals with sickle cell disease, and she is currently funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research. As an advocate for health education and promotion, Dr. Mayo-Gamble has served on the Board of Directors for Professional Preparation and Practice, the Board of Commissioners for the National Committee on Health Education Credentialing, and on the Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute’s Rare Disease Advisory Panel.  Dr. Amanda Townley is an Associate Professor of Middle Grades and Secondary Education. She received her Ph.D. from The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Her research centers on the intersections of science and society, specifically the acceptance and rejection of evolution in the Southeastern United States and the impact of the conflict between religion and evolution on science literacy. Her research and outreach have been featured on the NPR radio series Science Friday, Scientific American, Forbes, and others. She collaborates nationally with leading institutions including the Smithsonian Human Origins Project, the National Center for Science Education, and has served on project boards at the Cradle of Humankind for National Geographic’s UMSUKA project. Her academic record includes numerous publications, invited speaking engagements, and scholarly presentations, and her work has been supported with $2M in external funding. Click for more information on Research Advocates.

https://research.georgiasouthern.edu/