Faculty and Staff Grants from August 2018

Charmaine Brittain, director of organizational development at the Butler Institute for Families at the Graduate School of Social Work

• Grant from the University of Alabama for "AL Coaching for IV-E Stipend Students"
• Project abstract: Facilitate the implementation of coaching for Title IV-E stipend students. Primary goals are to enhance and increase the confidence and competence of child welfare scholars entering the child welfare workforce so they are better prepared to manage the stress and trauma associated with the work.

Michael Campbell, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

• Grant from the National Science Foundation for "The Changing Tides of Mass Incarceration State Variation in Decarceration Reforms"
• Project abstract: Over the next two years [the research] will begin analyzing the broader questions about differences within and between states, examining how region, state political cultures and substantive differences across reform initiatives and other state-level factors shape the trajectory of penal change.

Douglas Clements, professor at the Morgridge College of Education, Kennedy Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning, director of the Kennedy Institute and executive director of the Marsico Institute for Early Learning and Literacy

• Grant from Stanford University — Heising-Simons Foundation for "Development & Research in Early Childhood Mathematics (DREAM) PHASE III"
• Project abstract: DU will contribute to two subprojects as part of the continuation of the DREME project: Math Plus Executive Function (Math +) and Preschool-Elementary Coherence (COHERE). The main goal of Math + is to increase the quantity and quality of math experiences for children ages 3-5 in preschool settings. The main goals of COHERE are to document efforts to create policy alignment and continuity and [determine] how these efforts influence math proficiency from pre-K to grade 2.

Elysia Clemens, deputy director of the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the Barton Institute for Philanthropy and Social Enterprise

• Grant from the Colorado Department of Education for "Student Re-Engagement Grant Program Evaluation"
• Project abstract: Perform a retrospective analysis for the Student Re-Engagement Grant Program of the relationship between implementation of the Colorado Dropout Prevention Framework (CDPF) and student outcomes will be conducted using program and student-level data from the Colorado Graduation Pathways program

Sandra Eaton, professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the Division of Natural Sciences & Mathematics

• Grant from the Colorado State University, subaward from the National Science Foundation for "QLC: EAGER: Toward Magnetic Selectivity with Molecular Clock Qubits"
• This subcontract supports the synthetic work at Colorado State University to prepare novel materials that have long electron spin correlation times that are suitable for use in quantum computing as Qubits. DU will perform experiments to determine the electron paramagnetic resonance spectra and electron spin relation times for CSU.

Abigail Eustace, a graduate student in the mechanical engineering at the Ritchie School for Engineering & Computer Science

• Grant from the National Science Foundation for the 2018 Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Oliver Kaplan, associate professor in International Relations and Human Rights at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies

• Grant from the Centers for Civilians in Conflict for "Assessment, Research & Writing Consultant"
• Project abstract: The project seeks to improve the Center for Civilians in Conflict's (CIVIC) quality of research and assessment outputs across the organization. The team will provide CIVIC with advice and best practices from across the social sciences as they [relate to] CIVIC's core thematic areas of interest.

Pilyoung Kim, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

• Grant from the University of Colorado-Denver, subaward from the National Institutes of Health for "The Influence of in Utero Cannabis Exposure on Offspring Brain Morphology, Micro-macrostructural and Network Connectivity in the Prefrontal Regions during Infancy
• Project abstract: The specific aim for this project is to study the role of poverty and chronic stress in neural regulation of parenting among new mothers. This is significant because it will provide practical clinical implications.

Michelle Knowles, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Division of Natural Sciences & Mathematics

• Grant from the National Science Foundation for "Temporal Mapping of Phospholipase D Activity in Exocytosis"
• Project abstract: The project will identify the lipids and lipid modifying enzymes involved with membrane fusion. A combination of cellular and in vitro biochemical work will elucidate how the shape of the membrane affects the lipid modifying enzymes. In particular, diacylglycerol formation by phospholipase C will be the focus of the work.

Martin Margittai, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Division of Natural Sciences & Mathematics

• Grant from the National Institutes of Health for "Elucidating an Inhibitory Role on MAP2 in Tau Fibrilization
• Project abstract: The deposition of Tau fibrils throughout the brain is a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The objective of this work is to determine how MAP2 protein modulates Tau fibril formation. The central hypothesis is that MAP2 camps Tau fibrils in a conformation-dependent manner and thereby inhibits fibril growth.

Jonathan Moyer, assistant professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures

• Grant for "Data Metrics and Forecasting Effort"
• Grant from the New Partnership for Africa's Development for "Mapping of Transformations Underway in Africa's Socio-Economic Growth"
• Project abstract: Consulting services for mapping of transformations underway in Africa's socio-economic growth

Shannon Murphy, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Division of Natural Sciences & Mathematics and a Public Impact Fellow

• Grant from the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium for "Impacts of Thin Layer Sediment Deposition on Salt Marsh Ecosystems"
• Project abstract: The project will study how artificial thin layer deposition affects the Spartina salt marsh community, including both the plants and the associated arthropod foodwed. 

Govind Persad, assistant professor at the Sturm College of Law

• Grant from The Greenwall Foundation for the Faculty Scholars Program

Galena Rhoades, a research associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences and a Public Impact Fellow

• Grant from the Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation for "A Randomized-controlled Trial of a Prenatal Healthy Relationship Education"
• Project abstract: Funding for GRA time associated with medical chart reviews on the effectiveness of the MotherWise program.

Kristi Roybal, a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Social Work

• Grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the Health Policy Research Scholars Program, a four-year national leadership development program for doctoral students entering their second year of study. Program scholars are trained to translate their research findings to inform and influence health policy.

Gary Sanford, deputy director and senior research associate at the Burnes Center on Poverty and Homelessness at the Graduate School of Social Work

• Grant from The Buck Foundation for "Policy Summit on Homelessness"
• Project abstract: The Burnes Center will organize and host a Policy Summit on Homelessness. This summit brings together experts in the field to showcase best practices and focus toward interventions which provide successful outcomes.

Nathan Sturtevant, associate professor in the Computer Science Department at the Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering & Computer Science 

• Grant from the National Science Foundation for "NSF:-BSR:RI:Small: Collaborative Research: Next-Generation Multi-Agent Path Finding Algorithms"
• Project abstract: The Multi-Agent Path Finding (MAPF) problem is the problem of finding collision-free paths for several robots that achieve a given optimization objective. This project will study a number of extensions to increase the realism of MAPF algorithms for applications and experimentally evaluate the resulting MAPR algorithms them in a variety of MAPF domains.

Phillip Strain, James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Urban Education in the Teaching and Learning Sciences (TLS) Department at the Morgridge College of Education

• Grant from Heartland Area Education Agency 11 for "LEAP Consultation & Training"
• Project abstract: The team will provide consultation and training to implement the Learning Experiences: An Alternative Program for Preschoolers and Parents (LEAP) Preschool Model.

Ann Vessels, professor of practice at the Sturm College of Law and director of the Veterans Advocacy Project

• Grant from the National Association for Public Interest Law, subaward from the Corporation for National and Community Service for "Equal Justice Works Veterans Legal Corps"
• Project abstract: Serve as a host organization for the 2018-2019 Veterans Legal Corps (VLC) program.