2019 Past Research

Prof. Rus Receives $2.58M Grant to Begin Learner Data Institute

Led by William Dunavant Prof. Vasile Rus, this NSF-funded project will lay the foundation for a future Learner Data Institute (LDI). Its mission will be to harness the data revolution to further our understanding of how people learn, how to improve adaptive instructional systems (AISs), and how to improve the learning ecosystem's effectiveness and cost-efficiency as well as the learners' and instructors' engagement and satisfaction while learning with technology. Visit the Computer Science website for more information.

Department of Biological Sciences

Kennedy, M.L. $160K last year.
McKenna, Duane $104,522 FUNDED (Sept. 30, 2015-Sept. 29, 2016)(Lead PI) A biosystematic identification and threat assessment tool for wood-boring longhorned beetles (family Cerambycidae). United States Department of Agriculture (APHIS CPHST) Farm Bill. This grant funds the first stage of development of publicly available databases indicating host plants and invasive status of longhorned beetles, and a publicly available phylogenetic tool for further assessment of species for which data are not available in the literature.
McKenna, Duane $730,000 FUNDED (May, 2014-May, 2017)(Sole PI) Full proposal: Phylogeny and diversification in the uniquely diverse beetle family Curculionidae (true weevils). US National Science Foundation. This grant has a significant service/outreach component funded by NSF.

Department of Chemistry

NSF awards UofM grant for advanced spectrometer

The National Science Foundation has awarded a University of Memphis team, led by chemistry professor Dr. Ted Burkey, a $339,585 Major Research Instrumentation grant to acquire a spectrometer with solid state capabilities.

The 400 MHz NMR Spectrometer will give the UofM a state-of-the-art instrument for use in graduate and undergraduate chemistry classes, benefiting some 600 students annually. The new spectrometer will also support the research needs of faculty involved in biomaterials, photoresponsive materials and biologically active compounds research.

The instrument will also support an educational partnership with Dr. Yahia Hamada at LeMoyne-Owen College. Hamada will have in-class remote experiments for his analytical and biochemistry classes with remote operation monitored by an Internet camera so that students can monitor their sample loading.

Department of Computer Science

- Prof. Dipankar Dasgupta, "Collaborative Project: Puzzle-Based Cybersecurity Learning to Enhance Defensive Skills of Front-Line Technicians," $365K, NSF

- Prof. Santosh Kumar, "Center of Excellence for Mobile Sensor Data-to-Knowledge (MD2K)," $10.8M, NIH

- Prof. Zhuo Lu, "A Proactive Perspective on Preventing Network Inference: Shifting from Optimized to Dynamic Wireless Network Design," NSF

- Prof. Zhuo Lu, "An Infrastructure for Designing and Testing High-Fidelity Wireless Network and Security Solutions," ARO

- Prof. Zhuo Lu, "Secure and Lightweight Computing Environment for HPC Systems," DoE subaward

Confucius Institute at the University of Memphis

Hsiang-te Kung Grants
Hsiang-te Kung, PI, "Confucius Institute" funded by HANBAN and CI Headquarters, $322,000.00
Hsiang-te Kung, PI, "Chinese language program" funded by private schools and public schools $434,000.00
Hsiang-te Kung, PI, "Model Confucius Institute" funded by HANBAN and CI Headquarters, $900,000.00
Total: $1,656,000.00
The CIUM has been recognized and awarded as one of the six "Model Confucius Institute" .

Department of Earth Sciences

Ryan Parish, (PI), David Dye (co-PI), Ying Sing Li (co-PI), grant from the national Park Service: "Visualization of chert artifacts using Reflectance Spectroscopy as a preservation provenance technology": $40,000.

Roy Van Arsdale, PI
Research Grant from the United States Geological Survey National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program
Quaternary Displacement Rates on the Meeman-Shelby Fault and Joiner Ridge: Collaborative Research between the University of Memphis and United States Geological Survey January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015; Award Amount of $56,722.

Department of English

Teresa Dalle (with E. Thrush and D. Owens), grant from the Tennessee Department of Education
Emily Thrush, Fulbright Academic Specialist grant

Foreign Languages and Literature

Yuki Matsuda: Center for Global Partnership, the Japan Foundation, $10,000 grant for "Developing Communities of Practice for Japan Outreach in the Southern Tri-States Region, October 2014-March 2015
Diana Ruggiero, 2015 University of Memphis Strengthening Communities Initiative Capacity Building Grant for the "Creating Communities Engaged Scholarship" project
Will Thompson, University of Memphis Faculty Research Grant for the 2014-2015 academic year in support of the "Old Mines Archive Project"

Institute for Intelligent Studies

Arthur Graesser, Sponsor: University of Southern California PAL3 - On The Job Training - Amount Funded $111642

Arthur Graesser, Sponsor: University of Southern California PAL3 - On The Job Training – Amount Funded $288358

Arthur Graesser, Sponsor: Univ of Wisconsin-Madison Developing and Testing the Internship-inator, a Virtual Internship in STEM Authorware (VISA) System – Amount Funded $233040

Leah Windsor, Sponsor: Office of Naval Research Political Crisis and Language: A Computational Assessment of Social Disequilibrium and Security Threats - Amount Funded $416232

Philip Pavlik, Sponsor: Carnegie Mellon University Building a Scalable Infrastructure for Data-Driven Discovery and Innovation in Education – Amount Funded $144,544

Philip Pavlik, Sponsor: Carnegie Mellon University Building a Scalable Infrastructure for Data-Driven Discovery and Innovation in Education – Amount Funded $147,550

Philip Pavlik, Sponsor: Carnegie Mellon University Building a Scalable Infrastructure for Data-Driven Discovery and Innovation in Education – Amount Funded $150,620

Philip Pavlik, Sponsor: Carnegie Mellon University Building a Scalable Infrastructure for Data-Driven Discovery and Innovation in Education – Amount Funded $153,080

Philip Pavlik, Sponsor: Carnegie Mellon University Building a Scalable Infrastructure for Data-Driven Discovery and Innovation in Education – Amount Funded $154,206

Department of Political Science

Dr. Leah Windsor's grant proposal "A Computational Assessment of Social Disequilibrium and Security Threats" was selected for a Minerva Research Award. The Minerva Research Initiative is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and focuses on areas of strategic importance to U.S. national security policy. Dr. Windsor will serve as the PI on this grant, which will run for three years and is budgeted at $1,285,649. The project analyzes the speech of international actors to detect motives, identify threats, and find predictive patterns of language and behavior. There will be three components to this research: identifying language patterns related to armed political crises; identifying bluffs and threats pertinent to both national and international security; and analyzing the relationship between language and contentious behavior like protests, riots, and rebellions.

Department of Psychology

Frank Andrasik is co-PI on a $500,000 NSF grant titled "CPS: Inkjet Printed Flexible Electronic CPS with Context-aware Events of Interest Detection." Grant period is January 2020 through December 2022.

Co-investigators Nick Simon and Helen Sable have been awarded $395,791 by NIH for a project titled "Identifying the Neurophysiological Basis of Risky Decision-Making." The research will help identify the biological mechanisms that promote compulsive reward seeking in the face of punishment.

Katie Howell has received an NIH grant to conduct a randomized clinical trial of the Pregnant Moms' Empowerment Program. The study will be conducted at the UofM and the University of Notre Dame. Funding is $2.5 million over the next five years.

Dr. Deranda Lester is part of an interdisciplinary team that has been awarded $897,342 by HRSA to establish the Memphis Opioid Workforce Paraprofessional Expansion Program. The three-year grant will provide training and stipends to undergraduate students in psychology, counseling, criminal justice, human services and social work who complete a certificate in substance abuse with an emphasis on opioid addiction. Dr. Melissa Hirschi of the School of Social Work is principal investigator.

Opioid Addiction Research: Drs. Meghan McDevitt Murphy (principal investigator), James Murphy and Frank Andrasik were awarded a $1M grant from the Health and Services Administration (HRSA) to train future behavioral health services providers in substance abuse and opioid treatment. Partners for the three-year grant are Church Health Center and UT Health Science Center for Addiction.

IES Grant: Phil Pavlik (PI) and Andrew Olney (Co-PI) have been awarded a $1.24 million grant from the National Center for Education Research, a center at the Institute for Education Sciences. Their project will further develop and refine Phil's online system, Mobile Fact and Concept Training System (MoFaCTS), to help students at Southwest Tennessee Community College in introductory anatomy and physiology courses better understand and remember course content. (Stevens Amendment Notice: This project will be 100% financed with Federal funds at a dollar amount of $1,240,151. No non-governmental funds will be used to finance this project.)