Research Prizes and Honors
[Have you or a colleague won a research-related prize or honor? Let the Research Alert know.]
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AWARD RENAMED FOR TEXAS PROFESSOR;
COCKRELL SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING PROFESSOR IS FIRST RECIPIENT
The Special Achievement Award for Young Investigators in Applied Mechanics, an award given annually by the Applied Mechanics Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), has been renamed the Thomas J.R. Hughes Young Investigator Award.
Hughes, professor of aerospace engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, is considered an international pioneer in computational mechanics. He is ranked as one of the most highly cited researchers in the world on the subject publishing more than 300 scientific works on computational mechanics, and authoring or editing 18 related books.
His work at the University is supported by the privately endowed Computational and Applied Mathematics Chair III.
Dr. Chad Landis, aerospace engineering assistant professor at The University of Texas at Austin, has been selected to receive the first Thomas J.R. Hughes Young Investigator Award for his outstanding contributions to the mechanics of active materials. The award recognizes special achievements in applied mechanics for researchers under the age of 40.
Landis’ research focuses on continuum modeling and numerical simulation of the mechanical, electrical, magnetic and thermal behavior of materials.
News and Information
EARLY-CAREER GRANT DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT OFFERED
The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) and the Division of Statistics and Scientific Computation (SSC) will offer free federal grant development assistance next semester to eight early-career tenure-track faculty at The University of Texas at Austin who have not received federal funding to date.
The program is designed to maximize a grant’s funding possibility through technical writing guidance provided in monthly meetings with a nationally recognized grant-writing consultant, Elizabeth Tornquist. Each participant will also be assigned an on-campus statistical or mathematical consultant from SSC to collaborate on the creation of a high-quality analysis section.
The program is intensive, requiring two to three meetings (individually and in small groups) per month across the spring semester, with the aim of creating a strong draft of a federal proposal by June 2009.
Applications are due by December 12, 2008, for federal grant proposals to be submitted no earlier than June 2009.
Eligible applicants are early-career tenure-track faculty who are within three years of joining The University of Texas at Austin and have not received federal funding.
To request an application or more information, contact Maria Winchell in OSP, 512-232-4319.
UNIVERSITY CO-OP SUBVENTION GRANT PROGRAM
FUNDING FOR FY 2008-2009 EXPENDED
The Office of the Vice President for Research has allocated all of the funding for Subvention Grants for Fiscal Year 2008-2009.
QuotedUT Researchers in the News
[A sampling of recent quotes by university faculty members and researchers. To be included in this section, let the Research Alert know when you or a colleague have been quoted.]
USA TODAY
Nov. 7, 2008
HEADLINE: New solicitor general on Obama to-do list;
Post is administration’s face at Supreme Court
University of Texas law professor Sanford Levinson says SGs traditionally have enjoyed high regard in the legal establishment and with career Department of Justice lawyers.
Four solicitors general have gone on to become justices. The most recent was Thurgood Marshall, who became the nation’s first African-American justice when he was appointed in 1967.
Levinson says the new administration might see the SG post as a stepping-stone to the high court. Obama has suggested he would seek a justice with broad experience and not necessarily pick a lower-court judge.
“You get this instant immersion in the most important cases being brought by or against the federal government,” Levinson says of the SG job. He adds that a president might watch to see how effective the SG is in crafting arguments that win a majority for a liberal — rather than conservative — ruling.
Says Levinson: “It could be an audition.”
Research Opportunities
Important university research deadlines:
Awards and Grants
Limited Submissions
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Grants for Research in Basic Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, Advanced Scientific Computing, Fusion Energy Sciences, Biological and Environmental Research, and Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists
Deadline: Dec. 31, 2008
DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
U.S. Geological Survey and National Institutes for Water Resources
Water Resources Research National Competitive Grants Program
Deadlines: Feb. 20, 2009 for investigators and March 6, 2009 for institutes
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Engineering Excellence Through Hybrid Technology
Deadline: Dec. 15, 2008
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Biobehavioral Research Awards for Innovative New Scientists
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, Jan. 5, 2009; Application, Feb. 3, 2009
Brain Imaging Studies of Negative Reinforcement in Humans
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, Jan. 19, 2009; Application, Feb. 19, 2009
Instrument Development for Biomedical Applications
Deadline: Jan. 27, 2009
Preliminary Investigations Leading To Optimal Trials In Neurology
Deadline: Feb. 5, 2009
Contextual Approaches to Prevention of Unintended Pregnancy
Deadline: Feb. 5, 2009
Intestinal Stem Cell Consortium
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, Feb. 18, 2009; Application, March 18, 2009
Microbiome of the Lung and Respiratory Tract in HIV-Infected Individuals and HIV-Uninfected Controls
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, Feb. 25, 2009; Application, March 25, 2009
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Research Initiation Grants to Broaden Participation in Biology
Deadline: Jan. 12, 2009
OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Kaiser Family Foundation
Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program
Deadline: Dec. 12, 2008
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
Harry E. and Bernice M. Moore Fellowship
Deadline: Jan. 12, 2009
University of Michigan ADVANCE Program
Science and Technology Excellence Program Call for Participation
Deadline: Feb. 2, 2009
Research Project
[Let the Research Alert know about your research projects.]
SCANNING PROBE STUDIES OF COMPLEX OXIDES
FACULTY: Alex de Lozanne
AGENCY: National Science Foundation
AMOUNT: $115,000
Nanotechnology is well known as an important part of the economy, both present and future, but most people do not realize that for ages mankind has made materials with certain desirable properties by controlling the nanostructure of the material. In this sense nanotechnology has been around for a few millennia.
What has changed dramatically in the last few decades is our ability to characterize what we make, which has greatly improved our synthesis techniques. Microscopy has been an important component of this recent revolution in nanocharacterization. This project is based on the simple idea of rastering a nano-sized sensor over the sample to measure different properties, such as magnetism and superconductivity. The research team working on this involves young men and women, many of Hispanic background, from the High School to the Ph.D. level.
