07/06/2023
By Anne Maglia
The Office of Research and Innovation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 UMass Lowell internal seed awards below. This year, we have doubled our internal funding by awarding a record amount of more than $304,000 for 21 projects led by faculty from all five colleges.
The goal of this program is to support faculty:
- in developing multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborative efforts leading to sustainable research and scholarship;
- in generating preliminary results and supporting innovative ideas leading to external funding and long term success; and
- in generating high quality scholarship and creative work leading to external recognition and long term success.
If you have any questions about specific projects or ideas for collaboration, please contact the PI directly or email VCRI@uml.edu.
Congratulations to all the grant recipients:
PI: Tibor Beke, Mathematical Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: Tzuyang Yu, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Francis College of Engineering
Project Title: Modeling and Simulation of Concrete Cracks for Structural Health Monitoring
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Jasmina Burek, Mechanical Engineering, Francis College of Engineering
Co-PI: David Claudio, Mechanical Engineering, Francis College of Engineering
Co-PI: Cordula Schmid, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Francis College of Engineering
Co-PI: Aaron Smith-Walter, Political Science, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Project Title: The Coolest Schools Have Solar Photovoltaics
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Maru Cabrera, Miner School of Computer & Information Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: Maggie O'Neil, Physical Therapy and Kinesiology, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Project Title: Exploring efficacy of Haptic Games and Virtual Reality Games to promote activity, functional mobility, and participation in ambulatory youth with cerebral palsy.
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Kwok Fan Chow, Chemistry, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: Weile Yan, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Francis College of Engineering
Project Title: Low-Temperature Electrolytic Decomposition of PFAS in Treatment Waste
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Sarah Gignoux-Wolfsohn, Biological Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: Teresa Lee, Biological Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Project Title: Developing oysters as a model for understanding the epigenetic effects of early-life stress
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Elissa Johnson-Green, Music, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Co-PI: Jiabin Shen, Psychology, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Co-PI: Yan Wang, Psychology, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Co-PI: Adam Norton, NERVE Center, Miner School of Computer & Information Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: David Schwebel, Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
CO-PI: Mo Modarres, Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School
Project Title: The Music of Safety: Integrating Music-Based Learning for Childhood Unintentional Injury Prevention
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Yuho Kim, Physical Therapy & Kinesiology, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Co-PI: Jonghan Kim, Biomedical & Nutritional Sciences, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Project Title: Novel approach to correct mitochondrial disorders in cardiomyopathy
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Ainat Koren, Solomont School of Nursing, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Co-PI: Mohammad Arif Ul Alam, Miner School of Computer & Information Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: Denise Dunlap, Global Strategy, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Manning School of Business
Co-PI: Lisa Marchand, Department: Solomont School of Nursing, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Co-PI: Maggie O’Neil, Physical Therapy & Kinesiology, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Project Title: The “Smart Infant Activity Shirt” (SIAS): Combatting Childhood Overweight and Obesity from Infancy
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Yun-Ju Lai, Solomont School of Nursing, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Co-PI: Jiabin Shen, Psychology, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Co-PI: Yuan Zhang, Solomont School of Nursing, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Co-PI: Yan Wang, Psychology, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Project Title: Improving optimism, sleep quality, stress, and mental health using a virtual reality-based intervention among undergraduate students: a pilot study
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Claire Lee, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Co-PI: April Pattavina, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Co-PI: Sashank Narain, Miner School of Computer & Information Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Project Title: Designing a Simulation and a Clinic for Addressing Technology Facilitated Abuse (CATA)
Award Amount: $14,891
PI: Christopher Linebarger, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Co-PI: Angelica Duran-Martinez, Political Science, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Project Title: A Case Study of Citizen Experiences of State Violence in a Post Colonial Society
Award Amount: $13,550
PI: Ruizhe Ma, Miner School of Computer & Information Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: Joseph Gonzales, Psychology, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Co-PI: Patricia Fontaine, School of Education, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Co-PI: Fred Martin, Miner School of Computer & Information Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Project Title: Collaborative K-12 Curriculum Development for Data-Driven Learning
Award Amount: $12,500
PI: Arie Perliger, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Co-PI: Juliette Rooney-Varga, Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: Mathew Barlow, Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Project Title: Understanding how Extreme Weather Events Impact and Communities’ Social Resiliency and Human Security
Award Amount: $14,160
PI: Michael Ross, Chemistry, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: Matthew Gage, Chemistry, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: Guinevere Strack, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Francis College of Engineering
Project Title: Stimuli-Responsive Textiles Using Nanoparticle-Protein Conjugates for Sweat Sensing
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Ryan Shields, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Co-PI: Robin Toof, Center for Community Research & Engagement (CCRE), College of Fine Arts Humanities, and Social Sciences
Project Title: Engaging Young People Where They Are: A Conceptual Dive into Help-Seeking Among Young Survivors of Intimate Partner Sexual Violence
Award Amount: $12,641
PI: Angela Walter, Public Health, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Co-PI: Ayorkor Gaba, Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School
Project Title: Adapting a co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder multicomponent intervention for women
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Ellen Wetmore, Art & Design, College of Fine Arts Humanities, and Social Sciences
Co-PI: G. Nelson Eby, Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Project Title: Thermal characterization of the Lowell Cambodian wood fired kiln
Award Amount: $11,580
PI: Joy Winbourne, Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Co-PI: Jasmina Burek, Mechanical Engineering, Francis College of Engineering
Project Title: Developing a framework for assessing the net benefits and costs of urban food forests on environmental systems
Award Amount: $15,000
PI: Mark Yi-Cheon Yim, Marketing Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Manning School of Business
Co-PI: Yuhosua Ryoo, Communication and Media Programs, Southern Illinois University
Co-PI: Byung Guk Kim, Miner School of Computer & Information Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences
Project Title: Can artificial intelligence-powered robots entice us to purchase something? The role of embodied rapport as a persuasion mechanism
Award Amount: $14,700
PI: Maryum Zaidi, Solomont School of Nursing, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Co-PI: Serena Rajabiun, Public Health, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Project Title: Formative evaluation for the building community health workers’ capacity to support the implementation of evidence-based programs in African immigrant community setting
Award Amount: $15,350
PI: Chi Zhang, Finance, Manning School of Business
Co-PI: Huimin Chen, Accounting, Manning School of Business
Project Title: Interpreter or Discoverer? Evidence from Analysts’ Initial Coverage on Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)
Award Amount: $15,000