Research Enhancement Grant Program Report

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Research Enhancement Grants (REG) support faculty who had previously secured external funding awards and to facilitate the obtainment of additional awards.

The REG program was created to support activities in three tracks: (1) Research Project, (2) Publication Development, and (3) Grant Proposal Development.

FY 2020 COMPETITION

For the competition, starting in Fall 2019, eight (8) applications were received requesting $100,184 in funding. Following the competitive review process by the University Research Committee, a total of $75,000 was awarded for six funded applications. All six (6) awards were funded for research activities. One award was funded for both research activities and publication development, and one award was funded for research activities, publication development, and grant proposal development.

AWARDS

Bradley Kraemer (Biological Sciences). Evaluating the Contributions of the p75 Neurotrophin Receptor to Neurodegeneration Associated with Parkinson’s Disease. $14,998.

Jason Marion (Environmental Health Science). Assessment of ColiGlow for Enumerating E. coli in Western Kenya. $9,917. Jennifer Koslow (Biological Sciences). A Half-Century of Change in an Old-Growth Forest: Lilley Cornett Woods, Letcher County, Kentucky. $15,000.

Cy Mott (Biological Sciences). Phenotypic plasticity as a response to climate change in peripheral amphibian populations. $14,938.

James Maples (Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work). Reassessing the Economic Impact of Rock Climbing in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. $9,090.

Judy Jenkins (Chemistry). Enabling StructureFunction Characterization of Polymers for Clean Energy Conversion and Energy Storage. $11,057.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

All funded projects provided direct research experience for EKU students. A total of 12 EKU students benefitted from participation in the funded projects.

Three recent EKU graduates had the opportunity to work with an EKU faculty member in preparing manuscripts for publication. Five additional EKU graduates will have the opportunity to continue collaborating with an EKU faculty member in preparing manuscripts for publication this fall.