Archived News | Return to News Center

February 3, 2009

ULM pilot research projects approved for almost $30,000 in funding

The Louisiana Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) has approved funding of almost $30,000 for several pilot research projects at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, beginning Feb. 1.

To qualify for funding, science and engineering faculty members had to demonstrate an innovative or novel concept in their research that could result in additional federal funding, once the one-year, pilot program ends.

EPSCoR is administered through the Louisiana Board of Regent’s Office of Sponsored Programs, and is funded through the National Science Foundation.

A description of the research projects at ULM, their principal investigators, and the amount funded, is as follows:

• “Intraspecific Habitat variation, Neural Mechanism and the Social Systems of the Taiwan Field Vole,” Assistant Professor Loren Hayes, $9,980. Hayes will join Professor Larry Young of Emory University and Kirk Lin of National Taiwan University to study the social systems of voles in two distinct ecological systems in central Taiwan. The funding will also support a student researcher in Taiwan. Young is well known for his research involving a species of voles that are not monogamous, but which can become monogamous following a dose of a certain hormone.

• “Developing a Reaction Chamber to Measure the Surface Photoactivities of Metal Oxides and Films,” Assistant Professor John Anderson, $10,000. The chemical effect of ultraviolet light on surfaces of photoactive metal oxides is of technological, scientific and commercial interest, according to Anderson, who will develop a vacuum chamber equipped with a residual gas analyzer to investigate the basic physics of photoreactions. The chamber will measure the reaction of light-active surfaces such as titanium dioxide, which is used in photocells, photocatalysis and anti-germicidal surfaces, and is also a primary material in clean technology ultra-low cost solar cells.

• “Plant Responses to Ozone Stress,” Associate Professor Thomas Sasek, $10,000. Sasek is seeking an explanation for the relative resistance of particular plants to ozone pollution and carbon dioxide interactions in physiological studies. Increased CO2 levels can result in a noticeable effect on photosynthesis, pollution uptake, and biomass accumulation, thereby reducing ozone stress, he said.

For more information about the awards, contact Ivona Jukic, pre-award and compliance coordinator, at 318-342-1476.

PLEASE NOTE: Some links and e-mail addresses in these archived news stories may no longer work, and some content may include events which are no longer relevent, or reference individuals and/or organizations no longer associated with ULM.