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.]
THREE FACULTY MEMBERS ELECTED FELLOWS OF SOCIAL WORK ACADEMY
Three School of Social Work faculty members have been elected fellows of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare for their accomplishments as scholars and practitioners dedicated to advancing social welfare.
Drs. Allen Rubin, King Davis and Ruth McRoy were inducted into the academy at a recent ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Dean Barbara White, who was one of six inaugural board members and fellows of the organization, also was honored.
Rubin specializes in chronic mental illness and substance abuse, and Davis’ field of expertise is mental health policy and services. McRoy is professor emeritus and an expert in the field of adoption.
News and Information
AGENCIES TEAM UP TO BRING INNOVATIVE IDEAS TO MARKET
The i6 Challenge is a new $12 million innovation competition administered by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. The EDA will award up to $1 million to each of six winning teams with the most innovative ideas to drive technology commercialization and entrepreneurship in their regions.
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
April 30, 2010
HEADLINE: Solution to Capping Well Stays Elusive
There have been conflicting reports as to whether the blowout preventer worked partially – perhaps crimping one of the pipes rather than shearing it. This might occur, said Greg McCormack, director of the Petroleum Extension Service at The University of Texas, if the ram encountered a joint between two lengths of drill pipe. At these threaded joints the steel is thicker and harder than elsewhere along the pipe.
But blowout preventers are usually designed for such contingencies, Mr. McCormack said. “They put enough different rams on there,” he said.
Mr. McCormack also raised the possibility that the leak was coming from outside the well casing, the larger pipe that is permanently installed in the well. The drilling crews were putting cement between the casing and the well hole when the accident occurred. Perhaps, Mr. McCormack said, the cement had not cured sufficiently when there was a burst of pressure.
More from Greg McCormack:
- Q. and A.: The Dome and the Well
- After Gulf Coast oil spill, scientists envision devastation for region
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.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIESDEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Development of Quantum Computing Technology
Deadlines: White paper (strongly encouraged), May 24, 2010; Proposal, July 12, 2010
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Cooperative Research Projects
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, Aug. 14, 2010; Application, Sept. 14, 2010
Assay Development for High Throughput Molecular Screening
Deadline: June 29, 2010
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Earth Sciences: Instrumentation and Facilities
Deadline: July 19, 2010
Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program
Deadlines: July 20, 2010 for BIO, CISE, EHR, OCI; July 21, 2010 for ENG; and July 22, 2010 for GEO, MPS, SBE, OPP
OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Energy Efficiency Standards Group
Max Tech and Beyond: Ultra-Efficient Appliance Design Competition
Competition and Funding for Senior Engineering Design Teams at US Universities (AY 10/11)
Deadlines: Interested faculty should email a Statement of Interest by May 31, 2010 to ldesroches@lbl.gov; Mini-proposals, July 30, 2010
Dana Foundation
Clinical Neuroscience Research
Deadline: none, reviews requests and will invite proposals
Dreyfus Foundation
Dreyfus Senior Scientist Mentor Initiative (for emeritus faculty to mentor undergraduates)
Deadline: Nov. 11, 2010
Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences
Deadlines: Initial Inquiry: June 3, 2010; Proposal: Nov. 11, 2010
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Pfizer Centennial Travel Award in Basic Science Tropical Disease Research (Opens pdf)
Deadline: June 16, 2010
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Doris Duke Fellowships for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (Doctoral students who are interested in a career in the field of child abuse and neglect prevention)
Deadline: Dec. 15, 2010
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Sponsorships (for postdocs and professors)
http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/sponsorship.html
Deadlines: various, search for program eligibility
International Rett Syndrome Foundation
Translational Research and the Drug Discovery Process (Opens pdf)
Deadlines for Cycle II: Letter of Intent, Aug. 16, 2010; Application, Sept. 30, 2010
Research Project
[Let the Research Alert know about your research projects.]
Translational Regulation of Cellular Morphogenesis in Early Drosophila Embryos
RESEARCHER: Paul Macdonald, professor, Section of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, principal investigator
AGENCY: National Institutes of Health
AMOUNT: $289,522
Low Fragile X mental retardation protein activity causes Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common form of heritable mental retardation and autism in humans. We have found that the Drosophila (fruit fly) counterpart of this protein is required for an early stage of embryonic development that is evolutionarily conserved in all animals. Our experimental plan to elucidate the mechanism of Drosophila FMR protein function should provide meaningful insights into the causes of FXS that could lead to new treatments for FXS in children, and advance our basic understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control early animal development.
