Read the research blog Further Findings.
Research Prizes and Honors
[Have you or a colleague won a research-related prize or honor? Let the Research Alert know.]
ROSSKY RECEIVES AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
PHYSICAL DIVISION AWARD IN THEORETICAL CHEMISTRY
Dr. Peter Rossky, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is the first recipient of the American Chemical Society Physical Division Award in Theoretical Chemistry for his outstanding contributions to physical chemistry. Rossky will be invited to present a plenary lecture at the Telluride School on Theoretical Chemistry during the summer, where he will receive the award.
Rossky’s research seeks to discover the fundamental molecular-level origins of chemical behavior in condensed phases, such as water’s influence on biological assembly, the mechanism of energy migration in polymers, and the factors controlling reaction rates in solution.
News and Information
SCIENCE MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHT’S UNIVERSITY’S
RELATIONSHIP WITH PORTUGUESE INSTITUTIONS
The University of Texas at Austin’s collaborative graduate program with several universities in Portugal is one of three such programs featured in the careers section of the journal Science in its Jan. 9, 2009 issue.
The article can be found online.
Learn more about the UT Austin/Portugal program.
OSP SEEKS EARLY SUBMISSIONS FOR WELCH AND NIH AWARDS
The Office of Sponsored Projects expects higher than usual volumes for the Feb. 1, 2009 Welch Foundation deadline and the Feb. 5, 2009 National Institutes of Health deadline.
Please submit a Proposal Review Form as soon as possible via the Research Management System.
UNIVERSITY CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The Office of the Vice President for Research is seeking nominations for the University Co-operative Society’s Research Excellence Awards. Each dean or vice president may submit one nominee for each of the two categories of Research Excellence Awards. They are:
Career Research Excellence Award – For a researcher who has maintained a superior research program across many years. The award will be accompanied by a check in the amount of $10,000.
Best Research Paper Award – For a researcher who was the principal or sole author of a peer-reviewed scholarly paper reporting original research that was published during calendar year 2008 in recognized research outlets in his or her field of study. The award will be accompanied by a check in the amount of $5,000.
More information on both awards is on the Research Web site.
Please contact Liza Scarborough at liza@austin.utexas.edu or 471-2877 with questions. The nominations are due in the Office of the Vice President for Research on Jan. 26, 2009.
HAMILTON BOOK AWARDS DEADLINE IS FEB. 2, 2009
The Office of the Vice President for Research is accepting submissions for The Hamilton Book Author Awards, underwritten by The University Co-operative Society.
Please submit your nominations according to the guidelines stated on the Hamilton Book Awards Web site.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR SPRING 2009
The Office of the Vice President for Research is accepting applications for spring 2009 Undergraduate Research Fellowships (URFs). The deadline is Feb. 9, 2009.
The program provides support for specific scholarly research projects conducted by full-time UT undergraduate students enrolled in any department.
More information is found under Fellowships on the Research Web site.
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.]
The New York Times
Jan. 20, 2009
HEADLINE: On the Subject of Judicial Salaries, a Sharp Difference of Opinion
[From an article on whether the pay of federal judges should be raised.]
Frank B. Cross, a law professor at The University of Texas and a sophisticated empiricist, said the new studies went off the rails. “I love these economic tools,” Professor Cross said. “But we don’t have a good measure of judicial quality.”
“Given the anecdotal evidence, economic logic and the great importance of a quality judiciary,” he wrote in a reply to Professor Baker, “the case for a judicial pay raise is reasonably strong.”
Research Opportunities
Important university research deadlines:
Awards and Grants
Limited Submissions
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Ovarian Cancer Idea Development Award
Deadlines: Pre-Application, March 2, 2009; Invited Application, June 2, 2009
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Idea Development Award
Deadlines: Pre-Application, March 24, 2009; Application, April 14, 2009
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Social Science Research on Wrongful Conviction
Deadline: Registration with Grants.gov required prior to Application deadline, March 16, 2009
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Resources to Assist Investigations in Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, March 13, 2009; Application, April 14, 2009
Transdisciplinary Cancer Genomics Research: Post-Genome Wide Association Initiative
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, April 29, 2009; Application, May 29, 2009
Alcohol Research Education Project Grants
Deadline: May 25, 2009
Collaborative Research on the Biology of Ageing (NIH and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of the United Kingdom)
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, Feb. 10, 2009; Application, March 10, 2009
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
National STEM Education Distributed Learning
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, March 11, 2009; Proposal, April 15, 2009
CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computing Education
Deadline: April 28, 2009
Linguistics-SBE Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants
Deadline: July 15, 2009
OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Procter and Gamble
Research and Product Development Summer Intern Program for Doctoral Candidates
Deadline: March 1, 2009
Stanley Medical Research Institute
Research Grants for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
Deadline: March 1, 2009
Dana Foundation
The Neuroimmunology of Brain Infections and Cancers
Deadline: April 1, 2009
[This is a limited submission. Please contact Courtney Frazier Swaney at limitedsub@austin.utexas.edu or 471-6424.]
Research Project
[Let the Research Alert know about your research projects.]
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL DENDRIMER-ENCAPSULATED NANOPARTICLES
RESEARCHER: Richard Crooks, professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, principal investigator
AGENCY: National Science Foundation
AMOUNT: $185,000 (continuing grant)
Professor Richard M. Crooks is conducting research on the synthesis and characterization of novel dendrimer-encapsulated nanoparticles (DENs) containing fewer than 250 atoms.
More specifically, alloy and core/shell bimetallic DENs consisting of one noble metal and one non-noble metal, and DENs consisting of one metal and one metal oxide will be synthesized and characterized by EXAFS, high-energy XRD/pair distribution function analysis, and near-atom-resolved STEM/X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy methods. The materials are specifically chosen to be model nanoparticle catalysts that are small enough to accommodate discrete Fourier transform (DFT) calculations, allowing comparison of the experimentally determined properties of these structurally-complex nanoparticles with theory.
This establishes a route to the fundamental understanding of catalyst operation through structure-function relationships, which is a central challenge in the field of catalysis. This research will expose students and postdoctoral researchers to high quality research through training on state-of-the-art instruments, workshops and other innovative educational activities.
CLARIFICATION: Last week’s research project was a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation for Adela Ben-Yakar, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. It also is a five-year, $400,000 award.
