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.]
TWO BIOLOGISTS RECEIVE RESEARCH FUNDING FROM HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE
Dr. Dan Bolnick and Dr. John Wallingford join 50 of the nation’s best early career science faculty to focus on their boldest and potentially transformative research ideas with support from a new initiative from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
As Early Career Scientists, Wallingford, associate professor of molecular cell and developmental biology, and Bolnick, assistant professor of integrative biology, will receive a six-year appointment to HHMI and, along with it, the freedom to explore their best ideas without worrying about where to find the money to fund those experiments.
HHMI will provide Wallingford and Bolnick with a full salary, benefits and a research budget of $1.5 million over their six-year appointment. The institute will also cover other expenses, including research space and the purchase of critical equipment.
The institute established its Early Career Scientist program in 2008 as a way to provide much-needed support to the United States’ best faculty as they pursue innovative ideas in the early stages of their careers.
Read the complete news item about Dr. Dan Bolnick and Dr. John Wallingford.
News and Information
NOTICE TO RESEARCHERS FROM OSP REGARDING GRANTS.GOV SUBMISSIONS
OSP is requiring that proposals in response to opportunities supported by Cayuse be submitted using Cayuse instead of Grants.gov, due to current problems with Grants.gov submissions.
Cayuse supports over 90% of the opportunities posted on Grants.gov, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) opportunities.
For a full list of supported agencies, step-by-step instructions to view and update opportunities on Cayuse, or more information, see the full Cayuse notice.
NSF CHANGES PROCEDURES
On April 6, 2009, the new NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide went into effect. The latest version of the guide can be downloaded online.
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.]
National Public Radio (NPR)
April 2, 2009
All Things Considered
HEADLINE: Judge: Bagram Prisoners May Challenge Detention
[From a report on detainees at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.]
University of Texas law professor Bobby Chesney, who specializes in national security law says today’s ruling is enormously significant.
Professor BOBBY CHESNEY (Professor of Law, University of Texas): It’s terribly important. It will extend some form of federal judicial oversight to a subset of the detainees in Afghanistan, those that are non-Afghans who were captured outside of Afghanistan but who are nonetheless brought by the United States to be held in Afghanistan.
Research Opportunities
Important university research deadlines:
Awards and Grants
Limited Submissions
AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT
The University of Texas at Austin Stimulus Package Web page is online.
—NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
NSF Information Related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
NSF American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) Frequently Asked Questions
—NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH Administrative Supplements Providing Summer Research Experiences for Students and Science Educators
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Broad Agency Announcement for Innovative Small Research Projects to Advance Public Participation Related to Public Transportation Planning
Deadline: May 15, 2009
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Joint U.S. – UK Research Program: Environmental Behavior, Bioavailability and Effects of Manufactured Nanomaterials
Deadline: Aug. 5, 2009
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIDA Research Education Grants in Drug Abuse and Addiction
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, April 25, 2009; Proposal, May 25, 2009
Mitochondria in Cancer Epidemiology, Detection, Diagnosis and Prognosis
Deadline: June 5, 2009
Community-Based Partnerships for Childhood Obesity Prevention and Control: Research to Inform Policy
Deadline: June 16, 2009
Biosocial Approaches to Infertility Research
Deadline: June 16, 2009
Partnerships for Development of Vaccines for Selected Pathogens
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, June 26, 2009; Application, July 27, 2009
Novel statistical methods for human gene expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, Aug. 16, 2009; Application, Sept. 16, 2009
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Improvements to Biological Research Collections
Deadline: July 24, 2009
Energy for Sustainability
Deadline: Sept. 15, 2009
Biomedical Engineering
Deadline: Sept. 15, 2009
OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Public Health Law Research
Deadlines: Brief Proposal, May 19, 2009; Invited Full Proposal, Aug. 11, 2009
American Skin Association
Abby S. and Howard P. Milstein Innovation Awards for Melanoma/Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Research
Deadline: July 1, 2009
Research Project
[Let the Research Alert know about your research projects.]
MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR AND CRUSHING OF CELLULAR MATERIALS
RESEARCHER: Stelios Kyriakides, professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, principal investigator
AGENCY: National Science Foundation
AMOUNT: $99,980
Solid foams have high stiffness- and strength-to-weight ratios, excellent energy absorption characteristics and exceptional insulation and acoustic properties. They are thus ideal materials as cores in sandwich structures, in impact mitigation and energy absorption applications in vehicles of all kinds, as insulation materials for sound and heat, for energy storage, etc.
These characteristics arise from their cellular microstructure. This project uses X-ray tomography to characterize such microstructures. The geometry extracted is introduced into micromechanically accurate analytical and finite element models that are used together with the properties of the base material to calculate the mechanical response to compressive loads.
The uniqueness of the project is that it models the initial elastic properties, the onset of yielding, the level and extent of the stress plateau and ends with densification. The new work will introduce the randomness of the microstructure to the models as well as the behavior under multiaxial and dynamically applied loads. Both polymeric and metallic open- and closed-cell foams will be analyzed.
The project aims to bring science to a hitherto empirical subject. The models and closed-form expressions of properties developed can be used to design foams to fit the application. The project will train researchers to become future leaders in multidisciplinary research in academia and industry. The results are disseminated through journal publications, conferences and university lectures and through contact with international and industrial researchers in the field. The latter serve to disseminate results directly to users and help keep the project pointed towards what is practical.
