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LSUS No. 4 in BORSF grants; three proposals rank No. 1

GREGG TRUSTY
Of the seven competitive categories for Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund Enhancement Grants, proposals submitted for the 2005-06 cycle by LSUS faculty in three of them were ranked No. 1 in the state.
The 17 LSUS Enhancement Grant awards are valued at a total of $552,208, which ranks fourth in the state among the 33 public and private institutions of higher education competing for the grant funding. LSU A&M and UL-Lafayette ranked first and second, followed by Louisiana Tech and LSUS.

Dr. Stuart Mills, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said LSUS retained its overall long-range dominance among North Louisiana institutions in Board of Regents funding for Enhancement Grants.

“ Since 1997,” Mills said, “LSUS has received more than $6.3 million in Enhancement Grant funding from the Board of Regents. That leads the eight ‘four-year-plus’ institutions in North Louisiana by nearly $1.4 million.”

Mills credits the hard work and dedication of the two employees in the LSUS Office of Sponsored Research for the consistent level of success in grant awards. “Virginia Simons, associate vice chancellor for sponsored research, and her assistant, Jolene Long, always go the extra mile to help faculty prepare the grant proposals,” Mills said. “It’s that kind of dedication that keeps LSUS at the top of the list for these grants, even though we’re among the smallest institutions of higher education in the state. Moreover, only 75 percent of Jolene’s time is spent working with Virginia in Sponsored Research.”

In addition to the 17 Enhancement grants awarded exclusively to LSUS, LSUS was a partner – through Dr. Laura McLemore, assistant librarian and archivist – in a $400,000 joint grant awarded to LSUS, LSU A&M and McNeese State University. Most of the funding for the grant, titled “Louisiana’s Historical Newspapers: Preservation and Access,” is earmarked for LSU A&M, but LSUS will receive $5,768 for a microform reader/ scanner in the Archives and Special Collections section of Noel Memorial Library.

(NOTE: Paragraphs beginning with a double asterisk - ** - contain the comments of the respective review committees.)

** This is an important project that, in effect, puts the survival of an essential and legislatively mandated newspaper preservation project on the Board of Regents Support Fund. Ideally, funding for a project such as this would come as a line item directly from the legislature, as a way of preserving the legal, historical and cultural records of the State. The proposal makes a strong case for the scholarly, educational, and public value of newspaper preservation, and for the importance of linking microfilm and digital technologies. Given the competition from other worthy proposals and the size of the request, the panel recommends the budget be reduced to $400,000, with cuts to be made at the discretion of the PI. Institutional matching funds are minimal and should be maintained in full.

The 17 LSUS grant awards were split evenly between Traditional (eight) and Undergraduate (nine) categories. Traditional grant proposals are reviewed and rated separately in five disciplines (Biological Sciences, Computer/Information Systems, Engineering B, Humanities, Social Sciences), as well as Multidisciplinary. Undergraduate proposals are reviewed as a single category. All Enhancement grant proposals are rated on a 100-point scale.

A Multidisciplinary proposal, “Enhancing Louisiana Agrarian Heritage and Culture Through Visual History,” ranked No. 1 in the state in that category and received the highest rating (96) of all proposals submitted in all categories. Michael Graham, an instructor of fine arts, is the primary investigator (PI) for the grant. Co-PIs on the $36,555 grant are Dr. David Anderson, professor of geography; M. LaMoyne Batten, professor of fine arts; Dr. Gary Joiner, assistant professor of history; Dr. Laura McLemore; Dr. Helen Taylor, professor or English, and Dr. John S. Vassar, assistant professor of humanities and chair of the Department of Fine Arts, Foreign Languages and Humanities.

** This excellent proposal is strongly recommended for full funding because it will significantly enhance the reputation of LSUS and contribute to the cultural development of Northwest Louisiana. The fit between LSUS’ mission and the objectives of this proposal is outstanding. The focus on agrarian life is appropriate for Northwest Louisiana and will enhance the usefulness of the visual materials. The collection, preservation and digitization of the visual history of Northwest Louisiana would be an important contribution to the Red River region in terms of pedagogy, cultural development and, quite possibly, heritage tourism. The digital revolution has boosted the use of visual history in the classroom, in research and in public history. Photos, maps and illustrations have always been useful for the Social Sciences and the Humanities, but they were always difficult to access and costly to reproduce. Digital technology can now provide remarkable access at relatively low costs. This proposal, therefore, is in line with current pedagogical and scholarly trends.

Dr. Gary Boucher, associate professor of physics, is the PI on the top-rated Engineering B proposal, “Enhancement of Undergraduate Learning at LSUS.” Dr. Jerome Hatcher, associate professor of management, is co-PI on the $37,659 grant.

** This is a well-structured proposal with clearly attainable goals, a very strong institutional match, and extensive student involvement. The project should have a positive effect on all aspects of the program. The panel recommends full funding of this modest request.

Dr. Stephanie Aamodt, professor of biological sciences, is the PI on the state’s No. 1-rated Undergraduate grant proposal, “Curriculum Development in Functional Genomics and Proteomics at LSUS.” Co-PIs on the $28,462 grant are Dr. Cran Lucas, professor of biological sciences, and Dr. Tara Williams-Hart, assistant professor of biological sciences.

** A new course in genomic and proteomic biology will be developed by LSUS faculty, together with the specific laboratory exercises. Because of limited funds available, partial funding of $28,462 is recommended for purchase of the equipment requested and about $20,000 for supplies. For the DNA chips experiments, the committee recommends that the PIs explore Malcolm Campbell’s (Davidson College) Slide Exchange Program. Funds for faculty release time are not recommended; however, the University should maintain matching funds for faculty release time and supplies.

The other 14 LSUS proposals receiving awards are:

• “Enhancing Physiology Instruction through Computer Interfaced Equipment at LSUS,” $22,097 – Dr. Stephen Banks (PI), professor of biological sciences; Dr. Dalton Gossett, professor of biology, and Dr. Nathan Hutchings, associate professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.

** This proposal requests funding for computer interfaced equipment to be used in plant and animal physiology labs. The requested equipment expands the set that was funded by an earlier BORSF grant. The use of the equipment and the general involvement of the Biology faculty in the development of this proposal persuaded the panel of both the need and the appropriateness of this request. The panel recommends full funding provided that the institutional match is maintained.

• “Upgrade and Enhancement of GIS Lab,” $31,418 – Dr. David Anderson (PI) and Dr. Gary Joiner.

** This straightforward proposal requests funds to update existing GIS laboratory resources, primarily by replacing outdated equipment. The applicants have a long history of successful grants and are well supported by their institutional match that should be maintained to fully support a project such as this. The committee recommends partial funding at $31,418 to be expended at the PI’s discretion, except that we recommend reducing computer costs by about 15 percent.

• “Enhancement of the Applied Biotechnology Course at LSUS,” $33,000 – Dr. Tara Williams-Hart (PI), Dr. Stephanie Aamodt, Banks, Hutchings and Dr. Cran Lucas.

** This proposal from the Department of Biological Sciences at LSUS is for enhancing the Applied Biotechnology Course. The dedicated group of faculty who submitted this proposal recognizes the needs of the students for a more current laboratory in biotechnology. Starting from their current situation, they have identified much of the essential equipment that would make that possible. This equipment would be used in several other teaching labs in the department and for faculty and student research. The lab will be designed to teach basic techniques including DNA extractions, dialysis, UV spectroscopy, bacterial transformation of cells, restriction enzyme digestion, SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, PCR and others. These techniques will be learned in the context of a specific reach project to test if the introduction and over express of a yeast casein kinase 1 gene into cotton will result in salt tolerant cotton. Nearly $7,200 of the request is for consumable supplies to begin the lab. Tuition funds or lab fees should be used for these supplies. The panel recommends partial funding of $33,000, excluding supplies. The institutional match should be maintained in full.

• “Exercise Physiology Science Lab,” $51,185 – Dr. Tim Winter (PI), professor and chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science; Dr. Ron Byrd, professor of kinesiology and health science; and Dr. Jesse DeMello and Dr. Kyle Pierce, associate professors of kinesiology and health science.

** This request is for funding of state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment for the exercise physiology laboratory. The department continues to build on the equipment acquired through a previous BORSF grant. Because of limited available funds, the committee recommends partial funding of $51,185 for two Dartfish Video Analysis Systems, a Sports Cycle Ergometer and accessories, a metabolic measurement system, two kinematic measurement systems, and an electronic digital scale. Despite this recommended reduction, matching funds should be fully maintained.

• “Enhancement of Computational Analysis in Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratories,” $10,000 - Lucas (PI), Banks and Williams-Hart.

** This is a straightforward proposal from LSUS that expresses a clearly identified need to update and improve the computer equipment in their Biological Sciences Department primarily, but not limited to, the teaching of Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratories. The investigators supply background information on the current state of the equipment in these laboratories used to teach students, many of whom aspire to go on to medical school or other health-related professional schools. The current computer equipment does not enable the students to connect to the campus network and the Internet. In addition to correcting this situation, equipment is requested to link each of the six computers to one of the newly acquired UV-visible spectrophotometers and to run computational and bioinformatics software. The faculty appear devoted to teaching, introducing new interdisciplinary concepts and technologies and introducing students to independent research. The PIs have demonstrated the ability to maintain productive research programs while maintaining heavy teaching loads. This project would greatly benefit teaching and learning in the department. The university has made a contribution to the project. The panel believes that the goals of the proposal can be met by using laptop rather than desktop computers, and also recommends that the faculty purchase one printer that can be networked to all the computers rather than six individual printers. Funding is recommended at $10,000, provided that the institutional match is maintained.

• “Experience and Experiments with a Full Collaboration Classroom,” $40,000 – Dr. John Sigle (PI), professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science; Krisha Agarwal, professor of computer science; Dr. Beverly Burden, associate professor of biology; Dr. Adrienne Critcher, professor of computer science, and Jeff Key, instructor of computer science.

** This proposal indicates that the applicants have thought a great deal about the problem at hand and avoids the standard “technology for technology’s sake” argument. The writing is consistently good. However, the committee believes that the applicants have consistently overstated prices and equipment capabilities. Funding of $40,000 is recommended, which should support the core hardware and software for the project. Matching funds may be reduced proportionally with the reduced funding recommendation.

• “Computer Interfaced Equipment and its Role in Freshman Biology Laboratory Instruction at LSUS,” $29,745 – Banks (PI), Burden and Hutchings.

** This proposal for purchase of computer equipment to use in freshman biology laboratory instruction is worthy of full funding, but budgetary constraints this funding cycle force the committee to recommend funding at the level of $29,745. Reducing the number of units requested from eight to six should permit purchase of all of the hardware and interface equipment requested. The pledged match may be reduced proportionally with the reduced funding recommendation.

• “Computer Numeric Control Enhancement for Undergraduate Education,” $14,289 – Dr. Gary Boucher (PI).

** This is a timely and well-conceived proposal. The requested CNC equipment is a much-needed enhancement to the LSUS undergraduate program. The budget is reasonable; however, the committee recommends that the $6,000 allocated for student stipends be eliminated. The matching funds pledged should be maintained in full.

• “Enhancement of Experiential Learning in Biology at LSUS,” $28,000 – Gossett (PI) and Banks.

** The proposed stipends for undergraduate research students should increase hands-on research experiences for biology majors and, at the same time, facilitate ongoing faculty research. In addition to student stipends, available monies should fund supplies, student travel line items, and some personnel costs. Partial funding of $28,000 is recommended. Matching funds pledged should be maintained in full.

• “Foreign Language Laboratory Enhancement,” $48,041 – Dr. Lynn Walford (PI), associate professor of foreign languages; Dr. Megan Conway, professor of French; and Lillian Moskeland and Cecilia Smith, instructors of Spanish and French.

** The case for an overdue upgrade of teaching technology for foreign languages and associated programs at LSUS is strongly made and written with very helpful and specific detail. Nevertheless, the instructional and curricular implications go well beyond the general outlines articulated in this proposal and could have been presented more forcefully. The proposed budget is modest, and funding at the requested level of $48,041 is recommended. The institutional match is excellent and should be maintained.

• “Workplace Technology in the Learning Environment,” $33,375 – Dr. Merrell Knighten (PI), professor of English, and Cleatta Morris, instructor of English.

** This proposal is correct in asserting that developing functional writing skills, especially among college graduates, should be among the highest priorities for higher education institutions. In light of the well-documented presence of a large population of adult students at LSUS, this proposal carries additional urgency. The panel believes, however, that the request for computers from the Support Fund is high; therefore, the panel recommends funding for twenty-five Dell PCs rather than the thirty requested. The institutional match is excellent and should be maintained in full.

• “Service-Learning Enhancement Project,” $38,398 – Dr. Norman Dolch (PI), professor of sociology; Laura Meiki, instructor of American Humanics, and Dr. Helen Powell, assistant professor of sociology.

** This interesting proposal offers significant potential to increase LSUS’ student retention, academic comprehension, and civic responsibility by integrating active service and learning experiences into the existing curriculum. Although well supported by the institution, requests for release time are excessive. Nevertheless, release time for four faculty members and all other non-release requests are recommended. The committee recommends partial funding of $38,398 that otherwise may be expended at the PI’s discretion. Matching funds should be maintained in full.

• “Psychology Multimedia Classroom Technology,” $19,984 – Dr. Rebecca Nolan (PI) and Dr. Yong Dai, professors of psychology.

** Seeking to build upon an earlier BORSF award, the applicant proposes an upgrade to multimedia classroom presentation technology. Most of this request legitimately involves undergraduate enhancements, but several of the computers appear geared more toward graduate education. The committee nevertheless recommends a partial award of $19,984. We believe the projector prices quoted are much too high. Matching funds should be maintained in full.

• “Collaboratorium: Interactive Collaborative Environment for Teaching and Research,” $50,000 – Dr. Marjan Trutschl (PI) and Dr. Urska Cvek, assistant professors of computer science.

** The proposal requests funds to create a collaboratorium infrastructure environment. The collaboratorium has numerous potentials. The course on bioinformatics is a good choice of subject-area to address. The proposal should have referred to ongoing work on collaboratories (such as at the University of Michigan). The proposed equipment will be used with core Computer Science courses as well as newer undergraduate- and graduate-level courses. The overall enhancement plan is good and is well thought out. ABET accreditation is an important achievement and is evidence of meeting quality program standards. Strong matching funds are provided. The Panel recommends partial funding of $50,000, with reductions to be made at the PI’s discretion, and expects the institutional and private matches to be maintained in full..