2015 2015: UMass Dartmouth supports multidisciplinary research through seed funding program

$127,936 in funding awarded to seven projects involving 19 faculty members

UMass Dartmouth’s Office of the Provost announced this week the winners of the University’s Multidisciplinary Seed Funding (MSF) Program. There were a total of twelve teams involving 32 faculty members who submitted their proposals this year. The seven winning projects involving nineteen faculty members received $127,936 in funding through the MSF Program.

“Congratulations to every one of the winning faculty researchers,” UMass Dartmouth Provost Mohammad Karim said. “The near-term goal of this MSF program is to allow faculty teams to develop strength and synergy at the intersection of their disciplines which in turn can help the winning teams to attract significant external funding.”

The winning projects include:

In vivo degradation polyhydroxyalkanoate biodegradable plastic fibers in a mouse model system  

Co-investigators: Bioengineering Assistant Professor Christopher Brigham (PI), Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Vijaya Chalivendra (Co-PI), and Bioengineering Associate Professor Tracie Ferreira (Co-PI)         

Award: $13,600

Leveraging evolution to develop therapeutics against enteropathogenic E.coli     

Co-investigators: Biology Assistant Professor Vanni Bucci (PI), Biology Assistant Professor Mark Silby (Co-PI), and Computer and Information Science Assistant Professor Firas Khatib (Co-PI)              

Award: $28,909

Investigating social emotional competence among educators in self-contained special education classes                

Co-investigators: Psychology Professor Christina Crowe (PI), STEM Education Department Faculty Member Christine Panarese (Co-PI)           

Award: $29,802

The effect of resilience and social support of self-care behaviors in patients with diabetes    

Co-investigators: Psychology Associate Professor Mahzad Hojjat (PI), Adult & Child Nursing Professor Kristen Sethares (Co-PI)                 

Award: $12,080

Exploring design innovation in freshman Mechanical Engineering students in the freshly retooled Freshman Engineering Curriculum          

Co-investigators: Psychology Professor Trina Kershaw (PI), Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Sankha Bhowmick (Co-PI)              

Award: $2,030

A Computational and Experimental Study of Self-Assembled Peptide Nanotubes for Energy Applications                

Co-investigators: Chemistry & Biochemistry Assistant Professor Maricris Mayes (PI), Bioengineering Assistant Professor Milana Vasudev (Co-PI), Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Vijay Chalivendra (Co-PI)        

Award: $13,000

Discovery of novel compounds which reduce bacterial virulence        

Co-investigators: Biology Assistant Professor Mark Silby (PI), Biology Assistant Professor Vanni Bucci (Co-PI), Bioengineering Assistant Professor Christopher Brigham (Co-PI), Chemistry & Biochemistry Professor Catherine Neto  (Co-PI), Chemistry & Biochemistry Associate Professor Sivappa Rasapalli (Co-PI)

Award: $28,515

UMass Dartmouth distinguishes itself as a vibrant public university actively engaged in personalized teaching and innovative research, and acting as an intellectual catalyst for regional economic, social, and cultural development. UMass Dartmouth's mandate to serve its community is realized through countless partnerships, programs, and other outreach efforts to engage the community, and apply its knowledge to help address local issues and empower others to facilitate change for all.

The near-term goal of this MSF program is to allow faculty teams to develop strength and synergy at the intersection of their disciplines which in turn can help the winning teams to attract significant external funding.