Office of Research and Creative Activity Internal Funding Newsletter · 2020. 9. 18. · FUSE grants support faculty-mentored undergraduate student research and creative activity

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is committed to fostering the academic and scholarly pursuits of faculty, staff, and students. While the 2019- 2020 Academic Year brought many changes and challenges, UNO has continued to invest in a multitude of funding programs to promote research and creative activity. This year’s programs provided over $530,000 for student and faculty projects that reflect the broad range of scholarly interests of the UNO community: the use of 3D printed models to improve the understanding of complex orthopedic trauma, the role of religion and spirituality in deterring sex offending, the romanticization of the highland warrior in British literature and culture, inducing social grooming to boost marmoset well-being, and pandemic related fake news identification based on unstructured data mining.

In the 2019-2020 Academic Year, the Fund for Undergraduate Scholarly Experiences (FUSE) and Graduate Research and Creative Activity GRACA) programs funded 110 students to complete faculty mentored research and creative activity projects. We look forward to seeing the results of these projects showcased at the 2021 Student Research and Creative Activity Fair on March 26, 2021.

Faculty internal funding opportunities through our office provide support to develop new contacts and cooperate with academic peers locally, nationally, and internally. The products of faculty research and creative activity are used to address real-world issues and are presented in peer-reviewed literature and around the world at meetings, conferences, and performances.

Finally we would like to congratulate the doctoral students and faculty awarded funding through our new Research Development Program. This program is a collaboration with Graduate Studies, departments across UNO, and the Nebraska Research Initiative.

We look forward to working with you over the next year as you explore your interests and contribute your talents to UNO.

Best regards,

Dr. Kenneth Bayles Dr. Sara Myers

Associate Vice Chancellor Assistant Vice Chancellor

Office of Research and Creative Activity Internal Funding Newsletter

Academic Year 2019-2020

2

Student Essay

Averie Linnell 2018/2019 FUSE Awardee

When asked what my most meaningful experience at

UNO has been, I will always answer with my FUSE

project. This opportunity to get a taste of what real

research is, is invaluable. Comple ng my undergraduate

research allowed me to put into prac ce the knowledge

and skills my major courses had taught me. I learned that

real research is messy. It is tedious, imperfect,

and ambiguous. It is a difficult concept to learn that

things do not always work out as planned. I cannot even

count on one hand the number of dra s I wrote of my

research proposal before ge ng it approved by my

mentor, Dr. Reiter‐Palmon. I learned that it is okay to

ques on things, explore and make mistakes. But most

importantly, I learned that research is sa sfying and

rewarding. Conduc ng research for the first me is a way

to break free from rehearsing and reci ng informa on

and become a true scien st, exploring and ques oning.

When I first began, empirical research of crea vity was such a slippery concept to grasp. I was proud to take

on something that seemed so complicated and extensive. But by the end, my work seemed like something I

could have done in a few weeks. I learned so much through the process that by the me I had finished, I

almost looked down upon how undeveloped it seemed. I then realized this was the goal all along. My

research did not change the world, but it changed me. I am proud that my FUSE does not impress me

anymore, it shows that I have grown and learned. It has mo vated me more to push forward in inves ‐

ga ng, ask more ques ons, and pursue greater problems.

Before this endeavor, imagining graduate school was almost fantasy. Picturing myself as a graduate student

was so difficult because all I knew was the structure and consistency of undergraduate life. Fully experiencing

research from just an inkling of a research ques on, to the finishing touches of my poster board, was like a

free trial of graduate school. I can picture myself achieving my dreams because I was lucky to have an

opportunity to make mistakes in a safe learning environment. Working alongside talented individuals and

looking up to a researcher as renowned as Dr. Reiter‐Palmon is a priceless experience I would not trade for

anything. I am applying to PhD programs this fall, and I hope to someday look back at my thesis and

disserta on and laugh at how li le I knew. FUSE has sparked the beginnings of a life me of ques oning for

me, and for that I will be forever grateful.

3

UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY (UCRCA)

Faculty Awards

The purpose of UCRCA is to expand the capacity for research and crea ve ac vity at UNO. The UCRCA supports all areas, types, and

disciplines of research and crea ve ac vity by pre‐ and post‐tenured faculty at UNO. The commi ee places special emphasis on seed

grant funding for projects poten ally leading to external funding and on grants to new faculty to help them establish programs of

research/crea ve ac vity.

Last First College Dept. Project Title Award

Bapat Ganesh CEHHS BMCH Inves ga on of roll‐over shape in healthy older individuals

$5,000

Delkamiller Julie CEHHS SPED The Impact of Sign Language Interpreter Skill on Student Learning Outcomes

$5,000

DeVeney Shari CEHHS SPED Motor skill learning across toddlers with differing language skills

$5,000

Friend Michelle CEHHS TED Words: Understanding the stereotype of computer scien st

$5,000

Guerra Ramon AS ENGL Voices of Nebraska La nos, Oral History Project $1,000

Heesch Ma hew CEHHS HK Comparison and Stability of Circula ng and Salivary microRNA as Biomarkers of Autologous Blood Transfusion in Doping Control

$5,000

Kupzyk Sara AS PSYCH Home‐school Collabora on to Address Learning Goals‐Revision

$5,000

Marmelat/Beadle

Vivien/Janelle

CEHHS BMCH Interpersonal synchroniza on, empathy and hormones in people with Parkinsons disease and caregivers

$10,000

Rahman Haifzur CEHHS BMCH Op mizing the Assistance Level of an Exoskeleton Device by Computa onal Musculoskeletal Modeling

$5,000

Robbins Travis AS BIOL Finding Evolu onary Boundaries across La tudinal Gradients

$5,000

Schuetzler Ryan IST ISQA The role of expecta ons in shaping impressions of ar ficial intelligence

$5,000

Torres Vitor Fabio AS MATH The Dual Double Pivot Simplex Method: A Dual Two‐Dimensional Search Pivo ng Algorithm to Solve Op miza on Models

$5,000

Wiggins/Hale Andrea/Ma hew

IST ISQA Phish Finders: Exploring Trust Behaviors with the Crowd

$10,000

Total Faculty UCRCA Awards: $71,000

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Faculty Award Winner

Dr. Christine Beard School of Music

2019 Award for Distinguished Research or Creative Activity Whether inside the classroom or out of

it, faculty have the opportunity to not

only educate the next genera on of

leaders, but provide their own exper se

towards expanding knowledge and

understanding of important issues and

experiences.

As professor of music and coordinator

of woodwind studies, flute and piccolo

at UNO, Chris ne Beard has had the

opportunity to see genera ons of

students graduate and become

professional musicians all while

performing around the world herself.

“As a performing musician, if I quit learning and growing as an ar st, not only will I stop being current and

effec ve, but I will no longer have anything to say in my music,” Beard says. “As a champion of new music, it

is important for me to work with living composers to bring about new music for my instrument and help to

define the next genera on's standard repertoire and performance prac ce.”

Over her 17 years as a UNO faculty member, Beard has had guest teaching residencies at the Conservatorio

Giraldo Gerald and the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (both in Argen na), the Universidad Federal do Rio

Grande do Sul (Brazil), and the Leuven Academy of Music LUCA (Belgium).

To be honored with the Dis nguished Research or Crea ve Ac vity Award, Beard says it reflects not only her

own experiences and hard work, but the hard work and talent of her students and colleagues.

“I am honored to receive this award and to represent all of the musicians and crea ve ar sts on our campus.

UNO is a special place to not only acknowledge but also reward the crea ve ac vity of their faculty on equal

standing alongside tradi onal academic research, and I am proud to be part of a campus that values the arts

in so many ways.”

Ar cle by Charley Steed, University Communica ons

Dr. Beard and pianist Stacie Haneline perform for the

inves ture of Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. in

September 2019

5

Student Essay

Sarah Alsuleiman 2019/2020 FUSE Awardee

My faculty mentored FUSE experience is a valuable one to say

the least. When I first heard of FUSE, I was instantly interested

because I was not aware my university would fund

undergraduate students to pursue their own original research. I

was ecsta c and could not contain my excitement when I found

out I was approved for a FUSE grant. It was an opportunity to ask

a ques on and receive the tools to answer it with my own will

and determina on. Thus, as a young, hopeful scholar studying

parasi c infec ous diseases, I set out on my journey of not only

answering my proposed ques on, but also exploring what it

meant to be a researcher. The following summarizes some of the

lessons I’ve learned along the way.

It takes persistence and perseverance to do research. Like many

other things in life, it is not a straight line from the first step of

making a hypothesis to the finish line of reaching a conclusion. It

is as jagged and zigzagged as can be, with many bumps and me‐

outs along the way. Just to give an example ‐I did not realize I

would have to troubleshoot my troubleshoo ng! However, I

found myself coming up with many crea ve solu ons along the

way and not giving up when I was tempted to.

I learned stamina in my efforts to explore my proposed aims as I tested my limits and pushed myself to

become a be er thinker, which reflected in my classes as well. I began absorbing class material differently,

cri cally examining every new piece of informa on I learned and asking how it came to be.

Being involved in research funded by FUSE was an educa onal reset that developed my skills as a student and

watered personal growth as an individual. Prior to truly experiencing research, I underes mated the hard

work and grit required to answer ques ons one may ask, but I also underes mated just how rewarding it can

be to collect the fruits of advancing our knowledge. A er all, pursuing our curiosity is mankind’s greatest

accomplishment.

The FUSE experience is ul mately a privilege that I am incredibly grateful for having as it allowed me to

actually do research and not just dream about it in the classroom.

6

2019-2020 Internal Funding Awardees

Student Awards

FUND FOR UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARLY EXPERIENCES (FUSE)

FUSE grants support faculty-mentored undergraduate student research and creative activity. Grants of up to $2,500 per student were available to UNO undergraduate students.

Last First Faculty Mentor

College Dept. Project Title Award

Alsuleiman Sarah Davis AS BIOL EXPLORING ANTI‐SCHISTOSOMA ANALOG AR91 $2,500

Anderson Cody Myers CEHHS BMCH Determining the op mal level of assistance for an unpowered ankle‐foot device

$2,500

Andreasen Sydney Knarr CEHHS BMCH

PRISM ADAPTATION SIMULATED WITH VIRTUAL REALITY GAME TO TREAT SPATIAL NEGLECT; A VALIDATION STUDY WITH A HEALTHY POPULATION

$2,500

Anguiano‐Hernandez

Jose Takahashi CEHHS BMCH Effect of Blood Flow Occlusion on Foot Temperature Change During and A er Walking

$2,375

Bracken Noriko Chase AS BIOL The Effect of Dance on Cogni on in Healthy Aging and Individuals with Neurodegenera ve Disease

$2,500

Brown Sarah Riskowski AS PHYS Remotely Controlled Enzyme Behavior Using Localized Thermal Gradients

$2,500

Chapman Ryan Davis AS BIOL Single‐Cell RNA‐Seq Analysis of Granulocyte Targe ng Drugs Against Schistosomiasis

$2,500

Currie Aus n Chase AS BIOL Modeling Environmental Exposure Risk of T. gondii By Spa al Analysis of Host Home Range

$2,500

Donaldson Alyson Reiter‐Palmon

AS PSYCH Problem Solving and Personality $2,240

Ehrhorn Evie Davis AS BIOL Marinopyrroles to Combat Toxoplasma Gondii Acute Infec on

$2,500

Farley Kayla Chase AS BIOL Evalua on of Toxoplasma gondii Oocyst Re‐shedding in Domes c Cats

$2,500

File Shelby Gi AS CHEM 3D Printed Spectrometer with Interchangeable Parts

$2,500

Franzen Josh Wilson AS BIOL

Comparison of gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) in order to explore genes that confer a fitness advantage

$2,400

7

Student Essay

Evie Ehrhorn 2019/2020 FUSE Awardee

As a FUSE grant recipient, I have found

this program to be very rewarding in

mul ple ways. First and foremost, I

have the ability to be on the cu ng

edge side of research. Which, in itself,

has benefi ed me by challenging me

and building my morale to recognize

that I can accomplish things that are

difficult, and things that will make a

difference to others. I am more

confident in my skills than ever, as do I

believe this program will help me hone

in my skills even further in the future as

a seek to become a scien st.

Secondly, I am able to work with a

variety of individuals at different levels of training and experience who con nue to inspire and mo vate me

every day to do my best in research.

The most challenging part of this experience was, unfortunately, Coronavirus. This disease has impacted my

work in many ways both posi ve and nega ve. Nega vely, I work with a parasite and the pandemic has

slowed some of the experiments we have proposed. However, this is the por on that challenged me to think

outside of the box and create valuable experiments even though I had missed that op mal me point. It

posi vely affected me to exercise the right side of brain for crea vity rather than the le side that I typically

use to create and follow protocols.

Dr. Paul Davis with

students in his Biology lab

8




Frazier Benjamin Knarr CEHHS BMCH Determina on of Prosthesis Usage through Instrumenta on of 3D Printed Prosthe c Hand

$2,500

Garcia Paul Chase AS BIOL Assessing Stress in the Domes c Cat Using Infrared Thermal Imagery of Core Eye Temperature

$2,500

Glasshoff Jessica DeVeney CEHHS SPED Rela onships between expressive and recep ve language ability and play ini a on in 2‐year‐olds

$2,015

Guhl Kaitlyn Knarr CEHHS BMCH Risk factor assessment for ACL injuries in D1 Soccer, Basketball, and Volleyball Athletes

$2,500

Hahn Adam Khazanchi IST DEAN 100 People' Community Art Augmented Reality Project

$2,400

Hallstrom Dylan Sollars AS PSYCH Impact of Chorda Tympani Nerve Cuts on Foliate Taste Bud Volume in Rats

$2,500

Hussain Ibrahim Wilson AS BIOL Melanism in Fox Squirrel $2,500

Johnson Maggie Friend CEHHS TED Tes ng Students Ability: An Analysis of a Spa al Abili es Assessment

$2,114

Johnson Sarah Sollars AS PSYCH The Immune Response to Gustatory Injury Across Development

$2,500

Lui LeeAnna Davis AS BIOL Func on of gene knockout AP2III‐3 from Toxoplasma gondii through in vitro studies

$2,500

Mavrov Kalina Curtze CEHHS BMCH The effects of dual‐tasking on postural sway and pupil dilata on

$2,300

McGuire McGuire Gabriel AS PHIL/REL

Examining Child Trauma in the Jewish Community

$2,500

McQuade Emily Scherer AS PSYCH The Effect of Total Role Demands on Emo onal Ea ng and Sleep Health

$2,000

Miller Alissa Yentes CEHHS BMCH Effect of Vitamin D Supplementa on on Muscle Strength in Pa ents with Chronic Kidney Disease

$2,000

Murray Jennifer Clayton AS BIOL Get Your Groom On: Inducing Social Grooming to Boost Marmoset Well‐Being

$2,500

Nguyen Uy Song IST CS Tool Support for Finding So ware Defects by Sta s cal Topic Modeling

$2,000

O'Donnell Kimberley Gabriel AS PHIL/REL

Aren't I a Jew? $2,000

9

Student Essay

LeeAnna Lui 2019/2020 FUSE Awardee

As a current senior, I have been working in a molecular

parasitology lab for about two and a half years, with two of those

years under the FUSE experience. I work under the direc on of Dr.

Paul Davis in the Department of Biology at UNO, and I have s ll

been profoundly impacted by my FUSE experience. As a

researcher, I have grown both as a scien st and a student, while

being supported by the FUSE program.

In my lab, I study Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular parasite

responsible for toxoplasmosis. This infec on is the second leading

cause of food‐borne illness in the United States, and the number

one cause of birth defects worldwide (which occurs when a mother

becomes infected during pregnancy). As a scien st in training, the

FUSE experience has given me invaluable experience. This

experience models academic research, in the sense that you write

a proposal, obtain funding, and complete that project. In addi on,

you are able to share your work, whether through a poster or

presenta on. These skills are cri cal and o en hard to learn and

obtain‐and something which the FUSE provides.

More than that, though, the FUSE experience allows me to be a be er scien st. In lab, I learn scien fic skills

that make me more compe ve in the future, as I gain skills and knowledge. Because I am doing my own

research, I learn how to successfully search through literature, complete different procedures, and design

experiments. This experience allows me to gain skills and explore a different career I might not have

considered previously. From my me in lab, I have gained mentors. Both Dr. Davis and older peers in the lab

help me explore careers that align my interest and offer advice and guidance.

The FUSE experience has benefi ed me as a student as well. This experience has pushed my curiosity and

given me opportuni es to learn techniques and informa on outside of the classroom. As a student, I am

more independent and driven because of the FUSE experience, as I am called to do my own work and create

my own progress. In addi on, this experience has made me more confident as a student, as I have prac ced

cri cal thinking as a scien st and how to go about troubleshoo ng. I believe that this combina on of

research skills and synergy with my coursework allowed me to receive the Goldwater Scholarship, given

na onally to recognize high‐achieving students in the sciences.

Ul mately, the FUSE experience has created a wonderful opportunity for me to grow as a student and

scien st. I am able to further my curiosity and pushed to succeed. In lab, I have become more driven and

independent. I have gained research skills that prepare me for whatever the future holds. My FUSE

experience has taught me invaluable skills that allow me to succeed as a scien st.

10




Perry Heather Kellar AS BIOL

Taxonomic determina on of eastern Nebraska's Cypripedium orchid popula on through molecular and morphological characteris c comparison

$2,500

Quinata Dus n Derrick IST SI2 Sympathe c Nervous System Responses to Automated Leadership

$2,000

Roberts Drew Riskowski AS PHYS Synthesis and Measurement of Nanomaterials for Remote Control of Enzymes

$2,500

Sandall Caleb Davis AS BIOL Drug Efficacy Study of Ro 13‐3978 Against Schistosoma

$2,500

Seamann Aus n Ghersi IST SI2 Why does age ma er? A structural analysis of T‐cell receptors in young and elderly individuals

$2,000

Shockley Lexi Sample CPACS CJUS Praying sexual perversions away: The role of religion and spirituality in deterring sex offending

$2,500

Snell Ma Germonprez IST ISQA Diversity & Inclusion Open Source Badging System

$2,000

Stone Andrew White CFAM SA Frame by Frame: An Explora on of the Anima on Process

$2,300

Welling Josh Riskowski AS PHYS Modifying T1 and T2 Relaxa on Rates for MRI Nanosensors

$2,500

Vorthmann Allison Pawaskar IST ISQA U lizing Scalable Vector Graphics in Odontology to Iden fy Missing Servicemen

$2,500

Thompson Michael Zuniga CEHHS BMCH Development and Tes ng of An microbial 3D Printed Medical Devices for Astronauts

$2,500

Wi e Spencer Miller AS CHEM Determina on of Atrazine in Glacier Creek Preserve by Gas‐Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

$2,500

Wibel Eli Alexander AS PHIL/REL

U.S. Immigra on Policy and America as Na on: Analyzing Historical and Contempo‐rary Ideologies of Na onhood and Rights.

$2,000

Total FUSE Awards: $101,644

Total FUSE Mentor Awards: $18,000

11

Student Essay

Ryan Chapman 2019/2020 FUSE Awardee

Undergraduate research funded by the FUSE grant has

provided me with the opportunity to broaden my skillset in

areas outside of what is taught in the classroom. For

undergraduate students studying in STEM fields, the courses

taken are meant to teach them background and prerequisite

informa on rather than teach them the applica ons of this

informa on. Most o en, the only exposure that students

have to applica ons of this informa on is through outside

work. Much will not be taught to them un l they a end

graduate school. For a bioinforma cs major, this is especially

challenging because bioinforma cs is, essen ally, an

applica on of computer science within biological research.

Undergraduate research has given me a pla orm to explore

bioinforma cs outside of a classroom se ng. Rather than

simply learning which analysis techniques are current in

bioinforma cs, I get to experiment with and use bioinfor‐

ma cs tools in a way that directly contributes to the scien fic

community.

My research within the Molecular Parasitology lab of Dr. Paul

Davis focuses on analyzing single‐cell RNA‐seq data to

determine the molecular target of a novel an parasi c drug.

The biggest challenge has been adap ng to the independence and caliber of specificity required for this

project. What is thrilling is that this is the type of work most undergraduates never get to experience. In

addi on to learning basic bioinforma cs techniques, this project has required an understanding of the

underlying manipula on performed. Despite the challenge, working on and reading about single‐cell RNA‐seq

analysis has provided me with a familiarity with skills that are applicable in both my schoolwork and in

subsequent research. Examples of these skills include R, bash scrip ng, and general RNA‐seq workflows. This

project has also required me to become familiar with both gene cs and immunology. Addi onal projects that

I have worked on in Dr. Davis’ lab include crea ng a bulk RNA‐seq pipeline and metagenomics.

In addi on to improving my skills as a bioinforma cian, undergraduate research also helps to improve my

ability to conduct research for other courses. My research is se ng me up to have both knowledge of current

bioinforma cs applica ons as well as experience implemen ng these solu ons within scien fic research.

12

GRADUATE RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY (GRACA)

GRACA grants support faculty-mentored graduate student research and creative activity. Grants of up to $5,000 per student were available to UNO graduate students.



An Bit Maher CPACS PA

An Exploratory Case Study of the Process of PILOTs Adop on and the Impact of the Interdependent Rela onship among Govern‐ment, Community, and Nonprofits on PILOTs: The Case of Boston

$5,000

Antonellis Prokopios Malcolm CEHHS BMCH Op mal force profiles at the center of mass to reduce the energy cost of walking with unilaterally reduced push‐off

$5,000

Bashir Ayisha Myers CEHHS BMCH Improving mobility in peripheral artery disease using an ankle foot orthosis: Implementa on considera ons

$5,000

Blanco Felipe Benenson CPACS PA RACIAL EQUALITY AND SOCIAL EQUITY IN INTERNATIONAL SETTINGS: THE ANTI‐DISCRIMINATORY PERSPECTIVE IN MEXICO

$5,000

Buer Melanie Buchelt AS ENGL From Savage Beast to Exalted Warrior: the Roman ciza on of the Highland Warrior in Bri sh Literature and Culture

$5,000

Cheng Kwok Song IST CS Tool Support for Topic Modeling and Interac ve Visualiza on for Large Document Corpus

$5,000

Choe SeokJae Burcal CEHHS H&K Effects of Strobe Glasses on Jump‐Landing Tasks in Pa ents with Chronic Ankle Instability

$5,000

Ciagala Kelsey Ryan AS PSYCH Percep ons of Religious Accommoda ons in the Workplace

$5,000

Cortes Reyes

Claudia Zuniga CEHHS BMCH Anatomical differences of brain gray and white ma er resul ng from unilateral congenital upper limb loss

$5,000

Dailey Jennifer Manning AS BIOL Responses of aqua c macroinvertebrate structure and func on to recrea on in the Niobrara Na onal Scenic River

$5,000

Damadzic Adam Medeiros CBA BA Oops I Did It Again: Leader Error Differences $4,940

Derner Vanessa Burcal CEHHS H&K

Quadriceps rate of torque development and bilateral squat asymmetries a er passing return‐to‐sport tes ng following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruc on

$5,000

Ding Minshuai Blair CPACS PA Does Ins tu on Ma er? An Analysis of Two Types of Public Transit Agencies in Midwest

$5,000

13




Dzewaltowski Alex Malcolm CEHHS BMCH So ware development for modeling of biomechanics

$5,000

Epinger Ebonie Wright CPACS CJUS Risk and Need Assessment Tool for Jail Popula on

$5,000

Fraser Kaitlin Zuniga CEHHS BMCH 3D Printed Prostheses for Children: A Tool to Monitor Upper Limb Movement

$5,000

Gates Lindy Wilson AS BIOL Assessing stress and coping mechanisms in cap ve African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

$5,000

Gopaluni Vijaya Hall IST SI2 Technology Adop on in Vulnerable Communi es

$5,000

Gus n Kennady Kelly CPACS GERO Examina on of Job Sa sfac on of Aged Care Employees Rela ng to Resident/Staff Rela onships

$5,000

Hamer Tyler Knarr CEHHS BMCH Implementa on and Evalua on of a Baseball Pitching Program and Its Impact on Injury Preven on and Performance

$5,000

Hayworth Amanda Christensen AS ENGL Studying Pedagogy of Transfer in UNOs First‐year Wri ng Program

$5,000

Hedrick Erica Knarr CEHHS BMCH Using Biofeedback To Increase Trailing Limb Angle In Individuals A er Stroke

$5,000

Hubner Sarah Boron CPACS GERO Assis ve and Interac ve Technology Use, Comfort, and Interest in Caregiver and Older Adult Popula ons

$5,000

Idachaba Joshua Fruhling IST SI2

Assis ve and Interac ve Technology Needs Assessment for Older Adults and Caregivers to Enhance Quality of Life and Independence

$5,000

Janicek Cheyenne Burcal CEHHS H&K Sensory Reweigh ng in People with a History of Sports‐Related Concussion

$5,000

Jie Liao Wei Ebdon CPACS PA Assessing the Adop on and Implementa on of Budget Simula ons at the Municipal Level

$5,000

Kim Judith Blaskewicz CPACS GERO Cogni ve, Psychological, and Physical Resilience in Adulthood

$5,000

Kim Namwoong Knarr CEHHS BMCH

The effect of three different types of visual biofeedback on movement asymmetry in individuals with ACL reconstruc on during bilateral squat

$5,000

Kirchebner Tobias Bass CBA BA AI and Decision Making – Examining Trust in Expert Systems for Business Ethics Audits

$5,000

14




Liu Fangyao Shi IST ISQA Pandemic related fake news iden fica on based on unstructured data mining

$4,999

Mace Stephanie Mukherjee COE BMCH Differences in perceiving visual ver cality and point of emergence of op c flow during walking tasks

$5,000

Madahai Lale Najjar IST ISQA Applica on of the Benfords law to Social bots and Informa on Opera ons ac vi es

$5,000

Maliakkal Nadine Reiter‐Palmon

AS PSYCH Emo ons and Leadership $5,000

Meidinger Ryan Marmelat CEHHS BMCH

Listening of Finger Tapping to Auditory Rhythms prior to Walking: immediate Effects on Gait and Brain Ac vity in Parkinson's Disease

$5,000

Miller Sarah Rosen CEHHS H&K Lower Limb Asymmetry among Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructed Individuals

$5,000

Mishra Anoop Khazanchi IST IST An Exploratory Study of Using IoNT with Advanced Metering Infrastructure in the U lity Industry

$5,000

Ney Laura Rauter AS BIOL Compe on between Carrion Beetles and Microbes over Carrion: Influence of Hot Temperatures

$5,000

Nwadiugwu Mar n Bastola IST SI2 Iden fying glycemic variability in diabe c pa ent cohort and evalua ng responses to interven ons

$5,000

Omojola Temi Chase AS BIOL Func onal gene cs of mind‐meld using CRISPR mediated techniques

$5,000

O'Reilly Nathanael Slivka CEHHS H&K

Human Skeletal Muscle Responses to Temperature, Implica ons in Health and Disease: Effect of Local Heat Applica on During Exercise on Mitochondrial Gene Expression

$5,000

Parker Bri nee Ligon CBA MKTG/MGMT

A Comparison of State‐ and Federal‐Level Terrorism Statutes

$5,000

Pekas Liz Park CEHHS H&K Effects of an oral an oxidant cocktail on cardiovascular func on and oxida ve stress in cardiovascular disease pa ents

$5,000

Pentzien Trevor Matache AS MATH Correla ons between centrality measures and the determina ve power of nodes in Boolean network models of biological processes

$3,300

15




Phillips Lydia Tapprich AS BIOL Compara ve Structural Analysis of the Genomic RNA from Virulent and Avirulent Coxsackievirus B3

$5,000

Raj Rahul Zuniga CEHHS BMCH

Developing and tes ng of low‐cost 3D printed prostheses to restore and improve func on of children with congenital or trauma c below elbow amputa ons for children and adults

$5,000

Rasmus‐sen

Corbin Hunt CEHHS BMCH Inves ga ng Dynamic Stability Control during Recovery from Slips on Curvilinear Turns

$5,000

Remski Lindsey Knarr CEHHS BMCH Force Produc on Variability during Leg Press Exercise in ACL Reconstruc on Pa ents

$5,000

Reyes Nunez

Reyna Eikenberry CPACS PA THE PROCESS OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AMONG LATINX IMMIGRANTS OF RECENT ARRIVAL IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA

$5,000

Rizzo Gabriella Bass CBA BA Mapping Pressure Points in the U.S. Healthcare System: A Stakeholder Analysis of Healthcares Major Industries

$4,950

Rosser Holly Wiggins IST ISQA Online Ci zen Science: Inves ga ng Skills Training and Volunteer Engagement in Tutorial Content

$5,000

Sado Takashi Mukherjee CEHHS BMCH Home‐based Sensory Organiza on Test (HSOT) $5,000

Salazar David Zuniga CEHHS BMCH The use of 3D printed models to improve the understanding of complex orthopedic trauma

$5,000

Shapouri Fatemeh Najjar IST IST The Role of Business Intelligence in Improving Or‐ganiza onal Performance

$5,000

Smith Jasmine Pawaskar IST ISQA Cabanatuan POW Camp: A Case Study for Using Data Visualiza on to Improve the Iden fica on Process of Commingled Remains

$5,000

Smith Talia Scheller CPACS PA Mobiliza on in Place‐Based Social Movements: Iden fying Par cipa on Trajectories in Urban Housing Rights Organiza ons

$5,000

Srinivasan Sriram Cooper IST SI2 Algorithm for Upda ng Page Rank in Dynamic Networks

$5,000

Steele Sarah Sample CPACS CJUS Priests Beliefs, Experiences, and Feeling about Sexual Ac vity over the Life‐Course, From Adolescence through Adulthood

$5,000

Stricker Alli Wilson AS BIOL Rela onship between expression of combat behavior and circula ng cor sol levels in western diamondback ra lesnake (Crotalus atrox)

$3,800

16




Sun Rob Rosen CEHHS H&K Can neurocogni ve hop tes ng differen ate between those with and without a history of concussion?

$5,000

Thelagatho Rama Krishna

Mastorakis IST CS Real‐Time 360 Video Streaming: Benchmarking Bandwidth and Latency Constraints

$5,000

Tursi Frank Grispos IST SI2 Unified Methodology for Forensic Analysis of IoT Devices (UM‐FAID)

$5,000

Vogel Morgan Marshall CPACS PA The Voca on of Public Service: A Norma ve Conceptualiza on of Work in Public Service

$5,000

Wooden TeSean Park CEHHS H&K Group III mechanoreceptor s mula on ameliorates the nega ve effects of prolonged si ng

$5,000

Work Emily Heesch CEHHS H&K Impact of acute exercise on microRNAs related to concussion symptoms

$5,000

Zimmerman Lauren Ligon CBA MKTG/MGMT

Figh ng Abroad, A acking at Home: The case of veterans and ac ve military personnel that radicalize and support Salafi‐Jihadist organiza ons

$5,000

Zhang Minmin Oh IST CS Compute Cost‐aware Geo‐distributed Data $5,000

Total GRACA Awards: $331,989

“GRACA is a great opportunity for students to

learn wri ng grants. It makes us familiar with

wri ng proposals and, more importantly, it is a

great source of summer funding. Many

students might not have another source of

summer funding from internships, or other

posi ons with faculty to earn a salary.

Presen ng our research also is a good prac ce

and prepares us for presen ng in

conferences.”

‐2018/2019 GRACA Awardee Lale Madahali

18

UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY (UCRCA)

Student Awards

The purpose of the UCRCA is to expand the capacity for research and creative activity at UNO. UCRCA supports all areas, types, and

disciplines of research and creative activity by pre- and post- tenured faculty and graduate and undergraduate students.



Al Hasan Mohammed Zhong AS CHEM Selec vity study of Phospha dylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) proteins by docking and free‐energy calcula on methods

$500

Case Kyle Perkinson CFAM MUS The Inclusive Classroom: A Look at Adap ons for Students with Orthopedic Impairments

$500

Cunningham Kristen Strasser AS PSYCH A Comparison of A achment and the Effects of Oxytocin on Therapy and Pet Dogs

$500

Degener Tyler Kreiling AS CHEM American Chemical Society Midwest Regional Mee ng

$470

Fisher Hannah Taylor CFAM MUS LGBTWho?: Affirming LGBTQ Students in the Music Classroom

$500

Gates Lindy Wilson AS BIOL Assessing stress and coping mechanisms in cap ve African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

$500

Harp Elizabeth Harrison AS PSYCH Making Decisions in Groups $500

Hetrick Laura Lyon AS PSYCH Cogni ve Demands and Opinions of Cogni ve Offloading

$500

Hoffer Bailey Lyon AS PSYCH Cogni ve Demands and Opinions of Cogni ve Offloading

$500

Hoffmann Alan Chase AS BIOL Toxoplasma gondii induced behavioral altera ons in the domes c cat (Felis catus)

$500

Meier Sydney Falconer Al‐Hindi

AS WGS Travel Support for Future of Women Conference in India

$500

Monaghan Shae Perkinson CFAM MUS The Inclusive Classroom: A Look at Adapta ons for Students with Orthopedic Impairments

$500

Ney Laura Rauter AS BIOL Influence of Hot Temperatures on Social Immunity in Sub‐social Burying Beetles

$500

Nwadiugwu Mar n Morrison IST CS Applica on for the 17th Interna onal Conference on Web Based Communi es and Social Media Presenta on Funding

$400

Nzoughe Grace Evah Chase AS BIOL The effects of latent infec on of toxoplasma gondii on the domes c cat

$500

Total UCRCA Student Awards: $7,370

19

2019-2020 FACULTY MENTORS

FUSE grants support faculty-mentored undergraduate student research and creative activity.

GRACA grants support faculty-mentored graduate student research and creative activity.

The purpose of the UCRCA is to expand the capacity for research and creative activity at UNO. UCRCA supports all areas, types,

and disciplines of research and creative activity by pre- and post- tenured faculty and graduate and undergraduate students.

A special thank you to the following faculty mentors.

Laura Alexander

Erin Bass

Dhundy Bastola

Jodi Benenson

Robert Blair

Julie Boron

Lisabeth Buchelt

Christopher Burcal

Bruce Chase

Margarette Christensen

Jonathan Clayton

Kathryn Cooper

Carolin Curtze

Paul Davis

Douglas Derrick

Shari DeVeney

Carol Ebdon

Angela Eikenberry

Karen Falconer Al-Hindi

Michelle Friend

Ann Fruhling

Jeanette Gabriel

Matt Germonprez

Dario Ghersi

Alan Gift

Margeret Hall

George Grispos

Wayne Harrison

Matthew Heesch

Nathaniel Hunt

P. Roxanne Kellar

Brian Knarr

Jodi Kreiling

Ginamarie Ligon

Beth Lyon

Craig Maher

Philippe Malcolm

David Manning

Vivien Marmelat

Gary Marshall

Spyridon Mastorakis

Dora Matache

Kelsey Medeiros

Andy Miller

Briana Morrison

Mukul Mukherjee

Sara Myers

Lotfollah Najjar

Kwangsung Oh

Song-Young Park

Sachin Pawaskar

Mary Perkinson

Claudia Rauter

Jeanne Reames

Roni Reiter-Palmon

Ryan Riskowski

Adam Rosen

Carey Ryan

Lisa Sample

Daniel Scheller

Lisa Scherer

Yong Shi

Dustin Slivka

Suzanne Sollars

Myoungkyu Song

Rosemary Strasser

Kota Takahashi

William Tapprich

Kristin Taylor

Kenneth White

Andrea Wiggins

James Wilson

Emily Wright

Jenna Yentes

Andy Zhong

Jorge Zuniga

20

Student Essay

Payge Ehrp 2018/2019 FUSE Awardee

Throughout my undergraduate career at UNO, I was honored to be a

recipient of the Fund for Undergraduate Scholarly Experience (FUSE)

grant. As my FUSE‐funded research assisted me in developing academic

depth in my chosen discipline of Industrial Organiza onal Psychology

(I/O), this grant also enabled me to gain a skill‐set that will be transferable

to my upcoming graduate school career. In addi on to developing a basis

of project management, problem‐solving, and communica on skills from

this grant, another great benefit of this grant is the opportunity to

connect with your mentor.

The FUSE grant allowed me to complete my own independent research

project in Dr. Roni Reiter‐Palmon’s Crea vity and Innova on research lab.

During my project, I was able to inves gate a possible gender bias in

crea ve evalua ons. As I worked alongside my mentor, I was exposed to

the research process in its en rety. As challenges inevitably arose, due to

this being my first ever independent project, the opportunity to learn

from my mentor was impac ul in making me a be er researcher. In

addi on to this, I have specifically been taught the importance of tenacity.

While the results of my research were insignificant, I learned that research

is con nuously evolving. With research resul ng in both successes and

failures, remaining tenacious is a skill that benefits not only myself, but

the research community as a whole. With the plas city and uncertainty that comes with many research projects, the

importance of determina on remains required to overcome possible barriers.

Possibly one of greatest benefits to the FUSE program is the opportunity it provides students to contribute knowledge

to the University and other surrounding peers. Due to being a recipient of the FUSE grant, I was able to present at the

Research and Crea ve Ac vity Fair (RCAF). During my presenta on, I was able to see the various other projects that my

peers had been dedica ng their me to. As this was one of my favorite parts of the process, I enjoyed seeing that the

conference was full of students who had created their own projects, each sharing a common passion of research.

As my FUSE project has allowed me the opportunity to conduct my own independent research project, this project has

also allowed me the confidence and skills to apply and present to various research conferences, such as the Posters on

the Hill conference and the RCAF. In addi on to this, the skillset I built during the me that I spent working on this

project has enabled me to accept a posi on as a graduate student in Dr. Reiter‐Palmon’s Industrial Organiza onal

Research lab in the fall.

Lastly, students and faculty members on campus should know that the FUSE grant represents an experience of growth.

TheFUSE program allows students to dive into unfamiliar subjects and gives them the opportunity to learn from their

successes and failures. This program cul vates professional, responsible, and competent students and I am grateful for

the opportunity I received as a recipient.

21

RESEARCH DEVLOPMENT PROGRAM

Awards

The Research Development Program provides support for a 12‐month, doctoral level GRA. This funding is provided by the University of Nebraska Central Administra on, the Office of Research and Crea ve Ac vity, and Graduate Studies.


College Dept. Project Title

Adjei Naomi Beadle CPACS GERO Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease and Caregiver Stress

Caldwell Dakota Jamieson CPACS PA Human Mobility and Emergency Management in La n America and Nebraska

Chaudhary Priyanka Dinkel COE H&K Assessments of Infant Strength and Physical Ac vity

Corcoran Jamie Wong AS BIOL Impact of stress coping style on cogni ve processes and the underlying neuromolecular mechanisms

Gilbert Sheena Richards CPACS CJUS Graduate Research Fellowship on Gender‐Based Violence in Na ve American Communi es

Hubner Sarah Boron CPACS GERO Assis ve and Interac ve Technology to Enhance Quality of Life and Independence for Persons with Demen a and Their Caregivers

Papachatzis Nikolaos Takahashi COE BMCH Non‐linear prosthe c ankle s ffness to improve locomo on in physically demanding tasks

n/a n/a Zhong IST CS Interpretable Deep Learning: Achieving Object Detec on by Explaining an Image Classifica on Model

Students present at the 2020

Research and Crea ve Ac vity Fair

22

PROGRAM TOTAL Number of Awards

UCRCA Faculty $71,000 13

UCRCA Student $7,370 15

FUSE Faculty Mentor $18,000 29

GRACA Student $331,989 67

Grand Total $530,003 167

FUSE Student $101,644 43

University Committee on Research and Creative Activity (UCRCA) Deadlines for full faculty proposals

are 11/1/20 and 2/1/21. Faculty and student mini grant deadline is the first working day of each month October 2020-

March 2021 The purpose of the UCRCA is to expand the capacity for research and creative activity at UNO. UCRCA supports all areas, types and

disciplines of research and creative activity by pre- and post- tenured faculty and graduate and undergraduate students.

The award strives to recognize and honor preeminent achievement in research or creative activity by faculty members of UNO.

Additional information and guidelines at unomaha.edu/ORCA Fund for Undergraduate Scholarly Experiences (FUSE) FUSE grants support faculty-mentored, undergraduate student research and creative activity. Grants of up to $2,500 per student are

available to currently enrolled UNO undergraduate students. Additional information and guidelines at unomaha.edu/ORCA

Graduate Research and Creative Activity (GRACA) GRACA grants support faculty-mentored, graduate student research and creative activity. Grants of up to $5,000 per student are

available to currently enrolled UNO graduate students. Additional information and guidelines at unomaha.edu/ORCA

Research Development Program The Research Development Program provides support for a 12-month, doctoral level GRA, including 75% of the stipend, fringe bene-

fits, health insurance, and tuition for two years to successful applicants. This funding is provided by the University of Nebraska Central

Administration, the Office of Research and Creative Activity, and Graduate Studies. The remaining 25% must be provided by the Col-

lege and/or Department as a cost-share. Any student who will be accepted and enrolled in a UNO doctoral program is eligible to be

supported by the program, including international students. If students do not receive a fellowship to replace this GRA within the two

years of support, the faculty can reapply for two more years, the department can fund the student, or the student can fill a teaching as-

sistantship. Assistantships may begin as early July 1, 2021.

OFFICE OF RESEARCH & CREATIVE ACTIVITY

Contact Us: Phone: 402.554.2286 Email: [email protected]

INTERNAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND SUMMARY

2019- 2020 Internal Funding Program Totals

The University of Nebraska at Omaha shall not discriminate based upon age, race, ethnicity, color, na onal

origin, gender‐iden ty, sex, pregnancy, disability, sexual orienta on, gene c informa on, veteran’s status,

Documents

Office of Research and Creative Activity Internal Funding Newsletter · 2020. 9. 18. · FUSE grants support faculty-mentored undergraduate student research and creative activity