Calendar Email eLearning MyUNIverse A-Z Index Directory Rod Library Jobs@UNI
Researcher Profiles
Prior Profiles: Dawn Del Carlo, William Downs, Susan Dobie, Greg Stefanich
Research Q&A |
|
|
Roy R. Behrens
Dept. of Art
|
|
|---|---|
What are you currently researching?
I have been researching art and camouflage for 35 years and have published three books and about a dozen articles on the subject. I became interested in camouflage while teaching students to design. Recently, I have been working on animal camouflage with a group of European biologists, the results of which will soon come out from Cambridge University Press. I also developed an exhibition on historic ship camouflage that opened here, at UNI, in the fall of 2009, and was later also exhibited at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.
My students and I often take on design projects that combine research with teaching. In one class, for example, we put together a booklet of fictional postage stamps designed by UNI students to commemorate the handwork of Iowa potters Dean and Gunnar Schwarz. There are other aspects of my work that have to do with disciplines outside of art, such as psychology, stage design, and literature, so I often end up working with a variety of people.
Highlight one project in your past that greatly interested you.
When I was 17 years old, I went to California and studied with a Bauhaus master potter named Marguerite Wildenhain. After emigrating to the U.S. in the 1940s, she joined an artist cooperative known as Pond Farm, about 70 miles north of San Francisco, and opened a summer school that continued until 1980. She taught about 25 students every summer, and I was fortunate to be one of them. Recently, I designed a 750-page book about her life, titled Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus: An Eyewitness Anthology (edited by UNI alumnae Dean and Geraldine Schwarz), in which many of her students wrote essay-length memoirs about their experiences with her.
“The most important advice I can offer to grant-seekers is to be very clear in your own mind about what it is you plan to do—and why it is important to do—and to communicate that clearly and succinctly.”
What collaborative efforts have you done and why?
Most of my collaborative work consists of designing book covers and illustrating short stories. Over the years, I have illustrated the book covers or short stories of about a hundred writers, among them Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates and Jerzy Kosinski. I have always been a writer as well as an artist, and I became an illustrator because I was in contact with writers or editors who were often in need of an artist to illustrate various publications. It was always a challenge to do this, and I still do it now and then. Collaborating with others is always an interesting way to learn more than I might otherwise learn by working alone.
What are your top three tips for grant-seekers?
The most important advice I can offer to grant-seekers is to be very clear in your own mind about what it is you plan to do—and why it is important to do—and to communicate that clearly and succinctly. I think I have also succeeded because nearly all my research is innovative and cross-disciplinary.
Back to top
Prior Profile:
Research Q&A |
|
|
Dawn Del Carlo
Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry
|
|
|---|---|
|
|
|
What are you currently researching?
I am currently working with IMSEP (Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership) in targeting chemistry teachers in Iowa. We offer three day program development workshops that are topical. Each one demonstrates different approaches to teaching a variety of chemistry concepts to a class. Many schools and teachers are not equipped with the equipment needed to use in their classrooms. We provide the teachers with money to supply equipment for their students to also perform these experiments. We received a grant from 2008-2011 for $477,448 to use towards our goal.
Highlight one project specifically and how it was funded.
Right now I am currently wrapping up RAISE (Research Avenues for Iowa Science Educators) where we bring high school science teachers to campus and pair them with a professor for six weeks in the summer. We have found that high school teachers are very excited to have the opportunity to get to “do” science. When you are in a classroom and are limited on equipment it is easy to lose sight of the things about science that you once loved. They are given the chance to see science as fun and interesting and not just their job. We also research what the faculty mentors get out of the experience. RAISE is funded through the Board of Regents’ Title II-No Child Left Behind Act.
Highlight a grant-seeking project that took place.
I applied for a National Science Foundation grant with two other universities, Grand Valley State University (GVSU) and Sweet Briar College (SBC). The grant will include some of the same things I did with RAISE, but will expand the program by providing support for graduate level course work and training teachers in curriculum development. The most fun part was the collaboration and interaction with the other PIs. We were able to form a true team effort.
"The most fun part was the collaboration and interaction with other PIs. We were able to form a true team effort."
What type of grants do you prefer to pursue?
I try to apply for grants that are mid-size or larger. There is usually the same amount of work no matter the size of grant so I feel that my time is better invested in pursuing larger grants. The most successful strategy I have found is having a good team.
How have you shown perseverance in getting a grant?
When you are denied a grant it is very helpful to read the reviews and see what they say. They are enlightening and can help you for future grant seeking. I have learned from my mistakes and I just get back up and keep on going. You can’t take this process personally.
What collaborative efforts have you participated in?
Besides teaming up with GVSU and SBC, most of my collaboration has been done on campus. I have worked with others who are all working on issues in science education. I began this collaborative work when senior faculty helped me along with other junior faculty. I found this help and guidance to be extremely beneficial. Collaborates always have a few problems. I’ve encountered some communication barriers but I overcame them by taking control of the project, learning quickly, and adapting to the environment. The Office of Sponsored Programs also helped me out during this time.
What are your top three tips for grant seekers?
My first tip is to never quit, keep trying. My second tip is to be active when communicating with collaborators, and my third tip is to always plan ahead, don’t put things off.
Identify one thing that UNI could do to support research?
I feel that UNI could obtain better support and cooperation across the entire university.
Back to top
Prior Profile:
Research Q&A |
|
|
Dr. William Downs
Dept. of Social Work
|
|
|---|---|
|
What is your most recent grant? My most recent grant was an Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) (January 2005-August 2007). It was an R15 grant administered by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. We interviewed 70 clients and 54 staff from three different victim services agencies and three different substance abuse treatment agencies. The purpose of this project was to find out the extent to which the agencies had integrated the new services that were requested and the kind of changes within the agencies, as well as to ask the clients and staff what they would like to add on top of all the previous alterations.
How did this grant idea get started? The research and grant branched from a previous National Institute of Justice grant (January 1997-February 2002). In this project we interviewed 220 women in victim services. We found that 67% of the women had physical abuse, 95% had psychological abuse, and 26% had alcohol abuse. From this initial research, I applied for an AREA grant. What have been some of your grant-seeking experiences? Grant-seeking is not a simple process: grants are very competitive, they take time, and the paperwork needs to be near perfection. Also, if working collaboratively with agencies, the agencies must be on board. Normally, I do grants over winter break, which does not leave much of a holiday. Nonetheless, although grant-seeking requires a lot of work, there is a big reward. I especially enjoy researching and grant-seeking in a coalition with other agencies and staff. For example, I have had great experiences with Barb Rindels of Seeds of Hope, the Integrative Services Project team, Phyllis Baker, and Adam Butler among many others. |
|||||||||||||||||
Research Q&A |
|
|
Dr. Susan Dobie
Dept. of Health,Physical Education &Leisure Services
|
|
|---|---|
|
What are you currently working on? The project I am working on is called the Speak Up! Salon Project, which is part of a larger project called the Iowa Initiative to Reduce Unintended Pregnancies. It is funded by a private foundation. The project trains stylists in hair salons to talk to women about contraception and talking with their partners, friends, and family about the use of birth control. We are using the stylists as a bridge to communicate with women who are hard to reach. We train the stylists to deliver the heath education messages we want them to hear and the stylists deliver them. About half the pregnancies in Iowa are unintended. Unintended pregnancies have an impact on the ability to continue education, the health of the baby, the health of the mother, and a women's financial future. When we postpone a pregnancy until a women is planning on a pregnancy, it really changes a women's life. The private foundation has funded $11 million for the Iowa Initiative and my particular project receives about $600,000. How did you discover this project? The foundation came to a researcher who put together a research team and then people on the team were invited to submit research proposals, so people all across the country applied and then the foundation chose the projects that they were interested in funding and the Speak Up! Project was one of those selected. Was this a competitive process? The funding was not like National Institutes of Health (NIH) money. The foundation approached Dr. Mary Losch and asked her to put together a team, so within the team the projects were competitive but we knew some money would come to Iowa. |
|||||||||
Research Q&A |
|
|
Dr. Greg StefanichDept. of Curriculum & Instruction |
|
|---|---|
"Always accomplish more than you say you will. Once you establish a consistency within that framework, you can establish a reputation of exceeding expectations."
What are you currently researching and how is it funded? I am involved with three grants, each grant addresses an aspect of accessibility for students with disabilities who have interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Grant #1: My primary activity is with a project called Midwest, an alliance that includes the University of Wisconsin Madison, the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and UNI. It is in its fourth year of a five-year initial award period. This project received a $3 million award from the National Science Foundation. Midwest is one of six regional alliances receiving National Science Foundation Funding, who collaborate to advance opportunities for individuals with disabilities and interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The purpose of the Midwest Alliance is to increase the number of students with a wide range of disabilities completing postsecondary studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and transitioning to employment. Grant #2: The second project I am involved with is funded by the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust. It is a materials assistance project, which serves 16 secondary school students (8 blind and 8 low vision) in Iowa who have a physical and/or sensory impairment with a primary focus on visual impairments. The primary thrust of the grant is to provide materials support to 32 high school teachers who have one of the students noted above enrolled in a science or mathematics course. Grant #3: The third project received funding from the Iowa Mathematic and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP), a Board of Regents funded initiative to improve opportunities for individuals with interests in science and mathematics in Iowa. This is an effort to bring together constituents to better serve students with disabilities who have STEM interests in four areas: to strengthen the high school experience in science and math; to facilitate the transition from high school to community college; to facilitate the transition from a community college to a four year degree program in STEM; and to facilitate the transition from STEM graduation into employment.
|
|