Awards by Sponsor:
May 1, 2016, through May 31, 2016

SPONSOR	NO. OF AWARDS	AWARDS AMOUNT
National Institutes of Health	88	$23,820,207
National Science Foundation	28	$2,761,231
Department of Education	2	$70,194
Department of Defense	21	$2,816,722
Department of Energy	13	$1,530,240
Department of Labor	1	$11,000
Department of Agriculture	10	$678,271
National Aeronautics  and Space Administration	6	$1,848,146
Other Federal	8	$2,534,097
Total Federal	177	$36,070,108
Industry	172	$2,192,773
State of Ohio	8	$1,983,840
Private Agencies	42	$1,544,630
Colleges and Universities	2	$3,000
Other Non-Federal	6	$187,804
Total Non-Federal	230	$5,912,047
TOTAL	407	$41,982,155

Ohio State plays central role in Columbus' Smart City Challenge win

Researchers and facilities at Ohio State played a central role in Columbus being named the nation's Smart City by the U.S. Department of Transportation. This unprecedented $140 million program will transform central Ohio into the nation’s premier transportation innovation region. Columbus will be awarded up to $40 million from the federal government to implement bold, data-driven ideas that make transportation safer, easier and more reliable. Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. will award up to $10 million to support electric vehicle deployment and other carbon emission reduction strategies. Collaboration between Columbus and local partners, including Ohio State, was key to the city's successful bid. Central Ohio businesses and public organizations have pledged an additional $90 million to the project, including $15 million from Ohio State. Carla Bailo, assistant vice president for mobility research and business development, and Joanna Pinkerton, co-director of the Honda/OSU Partnership, coordinated involvement among university centers and affiliates. The university’s existing partnerships with mobility companies and vehicle manufacturers, industry groups and government agencies also helped contribute to the city’s winning approach. In addition, the Ohio State Proposal Development Office, led by Ruth Ann Hendrickson, played a key role in the development of the proposal strategy. 

Assisting companies affected by defense cuts with $8M DOD grant

Based on a successful pilot project, the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Economic Adjustment has awarded $8 million to the University of Michigan's Institute for Research on Labor, Employment and the Economy, Ohio State and Purdue University to assist communities and companies in the three state region that have been impacted by the loss of more than 6,800 defense supply-chain positions in recent years. The Defense Manufacturing and Assistance Program (DMAP) will target 72 communities and companies across Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. The new funding, of which Ohio State will receive $2.24 million, will allow DMAP to increase collaborations with regional defense industry research institutions in order to ensure the defense supply chain is ready to handle matters of national security.

Three named Distinguished University Professors

Ohio State University has conferred the title of Distinguished University Professor on John Byrd, Peter Culicover and Tina Henkin for their exceptional track records in teaching, research and service. This is the highest recognition the university bestows on full professors. Byrd, the D. Warren Brown Designated Chair of Leukemia Research and director of the Division of Hematology, is a physician and researcher whose discoveries hold the promise of being effective in some of the most vulnerable groups of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Culicover, Humanities Distinguished Professor of Linguistics, is an internationally recognized authority on linguistic theory. Henkin, the Robert W. and Estelle S. Bingham Professor of Biological Sciences, is credited with discoveries about RNA molecules of such fundamental importance that they led to a new research field.

Buckeyes win second year of EcoCAR 3 competition

Ohio State won year two of EcoCAR 3, an advanced vehicle technology competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors. The four-year engineering competition challenges 16 North American university teams to redesign a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro to further reduce its environmental impact, while maintaining the high performance characteristics of the vehicle. The Ohio State team, which had an impressive eleven first place category finishes and placed in the top five in 30 out of 36 categories, was the first to meet all safety protocols. This marks the third consecutive victory for Ohio State. The Buckeyes placed first in last year's EcoCAR 3 competition and claimed the top prize in the three-year EcoCAR 2 competition to create a more efficient Chevrolet Malibu. The EcoCAR program is considered the ultimate training ground for building future automotive leaders. 

Speech and hearing science faculty receive NIH awards

Eric Healy, professor of speech and hearing science, was awarded a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the primary complaint of people with hearing loss – limited speech understanding in background noise. His research will further understanding of how the auditory system extracts speech from noise and how these mechanisms are affected by hearing impairment. Healy and his team will also partner with industry to implement their noise-reduction technology into the leading bionic hearing prosthetic. Rachael Frush Holt, associate professor of speech and hearing science, was awarded a $2.4 million grant from NIH. She will collaborate with Indiana University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital to examine communication development in children fitted with cochlear implants and hearing aids. Her work is among the first to examine the powerful influence that family environment has on the outcomes of these children.

Zhong receives $2.1M pilot program grant

Dongping Zhong, the Robert Smith Professor of Physics, is among a select group of the nation’s top researchers awarded a Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The MIRA, designed to boost the progress of well-established researchers, will test the concept of support for an investigator and his/her laboratory as a whole, rather than on a project-by-project basis. Zhong will receive $2.1 million to further his research that has important implications for drug transport and design, protein folding and unfolding and enzyme catalysis. 

Improving contraception for wild horses and burros

John Lannutti, professor of materials science and engineering, has received an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management to develop a more proficient delivery system for a vaccine to stem the overpopulation of wild horses and burros in the U.S. Currently, the animals are rounded up every three years and administered a contraceptive vaccine that stimulates the creation of antibodies that prevent sperm from attaching to eggs. Benefits of this instant release contraceptive could wear off before re-vaccination. Lannutti and co-investigator Marco Coutinho da Silva, associate professor-clinical of theriogenology and reproductive medicine, are using a novel nanoscale production method to develop a tiny capsule that will allow the contraceptive to be bioavailable for three years or longer, reducing the birth rate and eliminating the need for more frequent round-ups. 

Moran named Postdoc of the Year

Nancy Moran, postdoctoral researcher at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, received the inaugural Postdoc of the Year award for outstanding service, advocacy and support to the postdoctoral community and the university. She has worked under the traineeship of Steven Clinton, professor of medical oncology, for the last five years. Moran, a former chair of Ohio State’s Postdoctoral Association, has campaigned for the creation of an Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Ohio State and for paid parental leave for postdocs. Both proposals are under evaluation by university leadership. Moran has accepted an assistant professor position at Baylor College of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics-Nutrition.

Studying condom use in Vietnam

Maria Gallo, assistant professor of epidemiology, has received a $1.6 million award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study condom use among women in established relationships in Vietnam, an area where married women account for about one-third of HIV patients. While condoms are the only method available for dual protection against both sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy, their effect on sexual pleasure can prevent consistent use. Gallo and her team will study whether a novel condom containing an erectogenic compound to improve sexual pleasure results in less unprotected sex among couples in established relationships in Vietnam. Co-investigators are John Casterline, professor of sociology, and Rebecca Andridge, assistant professor of biostatistics.

Junior faculty receive ORAU enhancement awards

Jinwoo Hwang, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, and Jiankang (J.K.) Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, were selected to receive Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards from Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). ORAU, a consortium of 121 universities, provides seed money to junior faculty at member institutions to enrich their research and professional growth. Applicants are encouraged to develop research collaborations with government, the private-sector and other academic researchers. Hwang will work to establish a direct connection between the structural and compositional fluctuations at the nanoscale that directly relate to important properties of metallic glasses. Wang’s research focuses on developing solutions to improve the efficiency and reliability of power grids. 

Targeting a molecular pathway to improve cancer outcomes

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a disease typified by resistance to therapy and poor outcomes. Thanks to a five-year, $1.97 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, Terence Williams, assistant professor of radiation oncology, is leading a study designed to be the first to refine an existing therapy in pancreatic cancer by targeting a specific molecular pathway. The chemotherapy drug Abraxane®, when paired with the drug gemcitabine, has led to improvement in some PC patients. William’s team has identified a protein that is abundant in pancreatic cancer cells, important for their growth and may be important for entry and response of Abraxane® into tumor cells. This protein can thus serve as a potential biomarker for personalization of therapy and a target for further research.

Studying the role enzymes play in fungal infections

Fungal infections represent a severe health threat, especially to people with weakened immune systems. Despite the availability of anti-fungal drugs, Candida albicans, the most frequent fungal pathogen, results in a mortality rate ranging from 45 to 75 percent. Jian Zhang, associate professor of microbial infection and immunity, has received a $1,8 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study how an enzyme called Cbl-b controls host recognition and defense against Candida albicans infection. His research targets manipulation of the immune system without the use of drugs. He wants to understand host-pathogen interactions and the mechanisms of immune resistance to fungal spread, and to develop alternative immune-based strategies to combat invasive fungal infection.

Two Tillman Military Scholars named

Khalida Hendricks, a PhD student in theoretical particle physics, and Amy Riedel, a law student focusing on space law, have been named 2016 Tillman Military Scholars. The Military Scholars Program, established in 2004 by the Pat Tillman Foundation, invests in military veterans and their spouses through educational scholarships, building a diverse community of leaders committed to service to others. The foundation was created to honor Pat Tillman, who left his NFL playing career to enlist in the U.S. Army after 9/11. Tillman served as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan before being killed in active service in 2004. Hendricks, upon completing her studies in theoretical particle physics, wants to become a university professor and a role model for other female scientists working in areas where women are underrepresented. Riedel, upon earning her JD, wants to develop new space regulations and establish a regulatory body that encourages responsible colonization of space and commercialization through advances in technology. Hendricks and Riedel are two of 60 selected from over 7,500 applicants for this prestigious award.

Academic Enrichment Grants support research, education abroad

The Office of International Affairs awarded more than $150,000 as part of its 2015-2016 Academic Enrichment Grant competition, which supports Ohio State’s Discovery Themes, faculty and student research and the development of new education abroad programs. Two faculty received $20,000 each from the China Gateway to support research in the Greater China region with a focus on the Discovery Themes. Sixteen faculty members received grants totaling $72,700 for research projects. Three undergraduate students received grants totaling $16,500 to fund their research. Five faculty members were awarded a total of $25,000 to develop new education abroad programs. The competition was sponsored by the Office of International Affairs, the Office of Research, the Public Health Preparedness for Infectious Diseases program, the Office of Undergraduate Education and the China Gateway. 

Sign up to be an exhibitor at the annual Research Expo

The Office of Research invites our research partners to register to be an exhibitor at the annual Research Expo, that will be held on Tuesday, September 27th, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. This year's Expo will be held at a new location - the Research Commons (18th Avenue Library, third floor). The Research Expo offers vendors the opportunity to showcase research partnerships, support services and programs available to the entire Ohio State research community. The event is targeted toward new faculty hired within the last five years, but is open to anyone who participates in or is interested in research at Ohio State. Interested vendors may contact Ethan Barnhardt for more information. Space is limited so register today. 

NIH Policy on the use of single IRB for multi-site research released

In order to enhance and streamline the review process and reduce inefficiencies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently issued a policy that requires single Institutional Review Board (sIRB) review of NIH-funded nonexempt human subjects research conducted at more than one site. The policy applies to competing grant applications as well as new contract solicitations received/submitted on or after May 25, 2017. Over the next year, the Office of Responsible Research Practices (ORRP) will be identifying and implementing changes in their local policies and workflow, and will provide guidance and assistance for Ohio State investigators in order to be compliant with this national mandate. Additional information is available on the ORRP website. 

Distinguished Scholar Award nominations due October 17, 2016

Nominations for the 2017 Distinguished Scholar Award (DSA) are due on Monday, October 17th at 5 p.m.  Watch for more information and a link to nomination materials in the July issue of Transcend. The DSA program annually recognizes six faculty members who demonstrate scholarly activity, research or creative works which represent exceptional achievements in their fields and who have brought distinction to themselves and to Ohio State. Award recipients receive a $20,000 research grant and a $3,000 honorarium to pursue their scholarly activity. View the 2016 DSA winners.