Faculty Grant Winners Announced
Five faculty have been awarded grants to conduct research and creative activity during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Faculty members awarded Greenberg Junior Faculty Research Grants are:
Andrew Koob (Department of Biology) of the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S),
Brian Swanson (Department of Rehabilitation Sciences) in the College of Education, Nursing, and Health Professions (ENHP),
Rachel Walker (Department of History) in the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S), and
Yang Yang (Department of Architecture, Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering) of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA).
Faculty member awarded a President Walter Harrison Endowed Faculty Development Fund Grant is:
Benjamin Grossberg (Department of English and Modern Languages) in the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S).
Andrew Koob, Assistant Professor of Biology, will study astrocytic autophagy, cell viability and astrogliosis of stem cells related to a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. The grant will provide funding to purchase and maintain mature astrocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from an 87 year old patient homozygous for apoE4 who started presenting signs of dementia at age 70. Students will be participants in Koob’s research. The grant will also allow him to disseminate his research at conferences.
Brian Swanson, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, will investigate the question, are there differences in range of motion, glenohumeral translation, and rotator cuff activity following shoulder mobilization, stretching, or thoracic manipulation? Results will help to inform clinical practice regarding the physiologic and mechanical effects of these three common interventions, assisting in the development of evidence-based treatment protocols for shoulder pain and stiffness. Swanson will use grant funding to purchase a course release, as well as to pay for equipment and hire student assistants.
Rachel Walker, Assistant Professor of History, will complete work on her book manuscript, Beauty and the Brain: The Science of Human Nature in Early America, which analyzes the 18th century belief that external beauty revealed internal merit. Her book focuses on physiognomy and phrenology: disciplines predicated on the notion that people’s heads and faces revealed their intelligence, personality, and character. Walker will use grant funds for release time and travel to research collections.
Yang Yang, Assistant Professor of Engineering, studies bridge design. He will implement three-dimensional finite element models to calculate live load distribution factors for typically horizontally curved concrete bridges, and will then conduct a parametric study by varying span lengths, girder spacings, bridge curvatures, and girder depths to investigate the influence of these factors. Yang will use the grant funding to secure a course release, to hire a student assistant, and to travel to a conference to share his work.
Benjamin Grossberg, Professor of English, will work on a new poetry collection, tentatively titled A PrEP Diary. The collection will explore the technique of text collage in order to tell the story of a generation shaped by AIDS and what it means to have that burden suddenly lifted. Taken daily, the HIV-prevention drug, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is 99% effective in preventing the spread of the virus, presenting gay men who have never known life without AIDS and whose identities were shaped by that plague, with an opportunity to re-examine the roles and realities of that experience. Grossberg will use the grant funds to cover replacement costs for two courses.
The Greenberg Junior Faculty Research Grants are internal grant awards intended to promote high-quality scholarship by faculty members who are just beginning their careers. These grants are made possible by a generous gift from Arnold and Beverly Greenberg. The President Walter Harrison Endowed Faculty Development Fund Grants, given annually, are internal grant awards intended to support the needs of mid- to late-career faculty and the University of Hartford by supporting significant scholarly efforts. These grants are made possible by a generous gift from a group of donors to honor former University of Hartford President Walter Harrison.