Save the Date! 21st Annual Student Symposium at Ball State University

Save the Date!
21st Annual Student Symposium at Ball State University

Friday, April 8, 2016
L.A. Pittenger Student Center, 2nd floor

For over twenty years the Student Symposium at Ball State University has provided students with the opportunity to present their creative and scholarly projects while competing for cash prizes and gaining valuable insight from faculty and staff judges from across the University.

The Symposium encourages interdisciplinary discourse, allowing students to learn from each other about engaging topics.

The symposium also provides an opportunity for student participants to discuss their work with a broader audience than what is usually found in the classroom.

The Student Symposium accepts both poster and paper presentation entries and is open to any student from Ball State University (undergraduate and graduate), Burris Laboratory School, and the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities.

Guidelines and registration information available soon!

Ball State Research, Fall 2015

Ball State Research, Fall 2015

You can read Ball State Research on Issuu here and on the Ball State SPA website.

RSVP for Research Week's final workshop: Budget Development -- 9:30-10:30am Friday, Nov. 20, 2015 -- Schwartz Complex, Bracken Library

The Ball State Sponsored Projects Administration wraps up the annual Research Week tomorrow (Friday, November 20, 2015).

Don't miss our workshop on Budget Development hosted by SPA's Associate Director of Pre-award Operations Jacqueline Davis from 9:30 - 10:30am at the Schwartz Complex on the 1st floor of Bracken Library.
You can RSVP for the Budget Development workshop here.

Developing a project budget and appropriate funding request can make or break your proposal. You know what you want to do and how you want to do it. You have measurable goals, a strong evaluation plan and the best collaborators. You have found a sponsor whose funding priorities are in line with your project. What’s left? THE BUDGET. How much do you ask for? What costs can or should you ask for? How much will your project cost? Welcome to Budget Basics! This session will provide an approach to budget development that can be applied to any type of project or proposal. You will also leave with a basic understanding of the terms “Allowable, Allocable, Reasonable, Costshare and the Prudent Person Test.” This session is open to all grantseekers, regardless of grantwriting experience.

Unfortunately, PechaKucha 20X20 Night has been canceled.

Congratulations to the AY 2015/2016 Start-Up Program Awardees!

Tenure-track faculty in their first year of employment with Ball State University who have not received significant research‐related or creative endeavor start-up funds from their department or college are eligible for the Start-Up Program, offered under SPA's Aspire Internal Grants for Faculty.

The aim of this program is to help new faculty members purchase supplies, research-related items, and travel to conferences or workshops with a one-time $3,000 supplies, expenses, equipment, and travel (SEET) grant.

The Ball State University Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) congratulates the

AY 2015 / 2016 Start-Up Program awardees:

James Keretes - CAP - “Deviating from Convention: Finding Opportunities in Errors” 
Caroline Hand - CFA - “Female Composer Performance and Research” Faculty Profile
John West - CAP - “The Rule of Choice: How Economic Theory Became Practical Policy” Faculty Profile
Nathan Bogert - CFA - “Saxophone Student Start-Up (A new Student Guide to Professional Saxophone Equipment)” Faculty Profile
Emily Rutter - CSH - “Invisible Ball of Dreams: Literary Representations of African American Baseball Experiences” Faculty Profile
Simon Balto    - CSH - “Occupied Territory: Policing Black Chicago from Red Summer to Black Power” Faculty Profile
Laura Bassette - TC - “The Use of Technology to Teach Adolescents with Autism Physical Activity  in Community Settings” Faculty Profile
Sean Hildebrand - CSH - “Controlling Disasters: Local Emergency Management Perceptions About Federal Emergency Management and Homeland Security Actions Since September 11, 2001” Faculty Profile
Jerry Woodward - CSH - “The construction of algebraic reasoning in and through multiplicative concepts” Faculty Profile
Deborah Davis - CCIM - “Student Success & Faculty Advising, Innovative Pedagogy & Student Success in Active Learning Environments, Use of Mobile Technology in the Public Relations Sector”
Faculty Profile
Katy Didden - CSH - “The Lava on Iceland” Faculty Profile
Martin Smith-Rodden - CCIM - “Start Up funds for Laboratory for Media Psychology at BSU” Faculty Profile
Jill Bradley-Levine - TC - “Research Study of Teacher Leaders’ Influence on Teachers’ Perceptions of the Teacher Evaluation Process” Faculty Profile
Rachel Fredericks - CSH - “Moral Responsibility” Faculty Profile
Lisa Hawkins - TC - “Novice Teacher Enactment of Classroom Talk During Primary-Grade Writing Instruction: A Case Study” Faculty Profile
Alexandra List - TC - “Parsing Plagiarism: Examining Students' Writing Based on Multiple Texts” Faculty Profile
Leeann Lower - CAST - “Qualitative Investigation of the Collegiate Sport Club Model”
Nicole Martin - TC - “Teaching Informational Reading and Writing in Kindergarten” Faculty Profile
Elizabeth Wanless - CAST - “Step Up for Health: Boys and Girls Club” Faculty Profile

For questions regarding the Aspire Program, please contact the Aspire Program Manager, or email aspire@bsu.edu

Research Week 2015 Schedule

Research Week 2015

The Sponsored Projects Administration is proud to present Research Week 2015. Research Week is a series of professional development opportunities, information sessions and special presentations designed especially for the Ball State research community. RSVPs are welcome for all events (links in the descriptions), but not required.


LIKE us on Facebook for updates and check back often.


Print/Share/Post the Research Week Poster!

Research Week 2015 Schedule:

RSVPs closed.  

Research Week 2015 Session Presentations (.pptx) available.

National Science Foundation Grants Conference Availible Online

The National Science Foundation has announced that the November 2-3 NSF Grants Conference will be live-cast over the web for interested members of the research community. After the conference concludes all plenary sessions will also be available for viewing at a later date. This conference is intended for researchers and administrators who wish to to gain insight into current issues at the NSF including the state of current funding; new and current policies and procedures; and pertinent administrative issues

The webcast is offered free of charge, but does require prior registration.

All of the presentations will be available on the conference website under the Conference Documents tab. Presentation files will be added to the website as they become available, so please check back frequently.



Webcast Schedule:
Monday, November 2, 2015
8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. EST – Welcoming Remarks
8:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. EST – Introduction & NSF Overview
9:35 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. EST – Proposal Preparation
1:00 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. EST – Merit Review Process
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST – Post Award Monitoring & Compliance
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST – Award Management
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. EST – NSF Policy Update
11:10 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. EST – Office of the Inspector General
11:40 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. EST – Funding Mechanism Overview
1:20 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. EST – Emerging Research Institution (ERI) Roundtable
2:40 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST – Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program

Foundation Grant Writing Workshop

CAST, in partnership with the Sponsored Projects Administration, will be presenting a Foundation Grant Writing Workshop on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 1-5 pm in the Alumni Center. Faculty from all disciplines are invited to attend. Participants will hear from the Ball Brothers Foundation, the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, SPA, and faculty who have been successful in securing foundation funding. The event will conclude with time for networking, complete with wine and cheese.


Please RSVP here. Contact CAST Associate Dean Tony Mahon or SPA Director Justin Miller for additional information.

ASPiRE Student Program Deadlines

ARE YOU… 

Working on a thesis or major project? Planning to present at a conference or exhibition?

Then look to the ASPiRE Internal Grants Program as a funding resource!

The University Research and Creative Arts Committees would like to encourage students to consider applying for an ASPiRE Graduate or Undergraduate student grant. Funds can be utilized to assist in project costs such as travel or supplies. Please note: All student projects require the support of a faculty mentor or advisor.

Graduate Student Competition:
Research: October 20 (Winter and Spring projects); January 20 (Summer and Fall projects) Supports the discovery of new insights, theories, or application of research to solve problems within the discipline or in society.

Creative Arts: October 20 (Winter and Spring projects); January 20 (Summer and Fall projects) Supports the creation of original works of creative arts.

Hollis Fund:
The Joseph W. and Marcella S. Hollis Fund supports research in psychology. Proposals from any department are eligible, as long as the project is psychology based. (Graduate Students only)
Award Amount: $400
Deadlines: Fall: October 1 Spring: April 1 

Undergraduate Student Competition:
Research: November 10 (Winter and Spring projects); February 10 (Summer and Fall projects) Supports the discovery of new insights, theories, or application of research to solve problems within the discipline or in society.

Creative Arts: November 10 (Winter and Spring projects); February 10 (Summer and Fall projects) Supports the creation of original works of creative arts.

Student Travel Grants:
15th of the month prior to travel date
For professional presentations of papers and/or posters, performances, etc., at meetings, conference or competitions.

See our website for detailed guidelines and application forms. For questions regarding the Aspire Internal Grant Program, please contact the Aspire Program Manager at: aspire@bsu.edu.

Discovery Award Grant Application Now Available - Due 11/15

APPLICATIONS DUE NOVEMBER 15, 2015! 

Discovery is a women's collaborative philanthropic group established to support projects and programs at Ball State University.

Discovery members are volunteers who pool annual contributions and work with university administrators to select the projects they support.

Discovery members encourage projects that significantly impact Ball State students, offer immersive learning opportunities, and have potential for other external funding in the future. The maximum grant request amount is $25,000.00.

Discovery will consider funding for: specialized equipment, student assistant wages, graduate assistantships, program administrative costs, and summer stipend (salary is capped at $2,500; plus additional fringe benefits).

Discovery will not consider funding for: faculty release time, computer equipment, general office equipment, or indirect costs.

For application please visit the Discovery Award webpage.

Indiana Academy of Science Semi-Annual Deadline Approaching

The semi-annual deadline for the Indiana Academy of Science Senior Research Grants program is coming up on September 15, 2015. Ball State has had a great deal of success with these grant and we highly encourage faculty to apply. The next cycle deadline is March 1, 2016.

From the Indiana Academy of Science website, "The Indiana Academy of Science Senior Research Grants Program makes awards of up to $3000 to Academy members or students they sponsor to purchase supplies, support travel and field expenses, pay research assistants, and provide other items required to conduct novel scientific research." Also, see the IAS website for program background, eligibility guidelines and other information about this grant program. 

If you have any questions, or are interested in applying for this opportunity, contact SPA or your Proposal Manager.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Stipends

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Stipends

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Research typically results in articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources. Summer Stipends support continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two months.

An outright award of $6,000 is provided for two consecutive months of full-time research and writing. In accordance with NEH guidelines, Ball State may nominate two faculty proposals.

Ball State internal application deadline is September 3, 2015. 
Deadline for final submission to the NEH is October 1 for projects beginning May 2016.

Click here for full guidelines. 

Materials to submit for the September 3 internal review: 
 1. The Ball State NEH Summer Stipend Internal Application Coversheet **This form is in lieu of ATTACHMENT 1: Supplemental Information for Individuals Form

2. A single copy of the application, including:

• a. 3-page (single-spaced) narrative 
• b. 2-page (single-spaced) resumé 
• c. 1-page (single-spaced) bibliography 
• d. 1-page appendix (graphical materials or edition/translation sample, if applicable) 

You do not need to include reference letters at this time.
You do not need to have processed a Ball State clearance sheet.

Selected proposals will be submitted electronically through grants.gov by the October 1 deadline. Please submit your completed internal application to Augusta Wray by September 3.

“Huddle Up!”

Last month the Sponsored Projects Administration, along with Dr. Robert Morris, Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, hosted three open forums for faculty members to ask questions regarding President Ferguson’s Academic Excellence Grants Program. There was a lot of useful information relayed at these meetings and they allowed faculty members, as well as SPA staff, to clear up some ambiguities regarding the program (Related: Check out the Q&A document on the Academic Excellence Grant Program webpage). During the course of these forums several faculty members asked, “What happens if my SPA Proposal Manager isn’t available when I need them?” That is a great question!

SPA Staff Review Nascent

Throughout the year there will be times when Proposal Managers, for one reason or another, are unavailable. To keep things running smoothly in the event of absences (planned or unplanned) the Proposal Managers and SPA administrative staff have a weekly meeting called “the Huddle.”

In the Huddle, the staff spends time walking through an office document called “Nascent.” Nascent is a spreadsheet listing of all the known proposals coming through the pipeline at the University. This is a great opportunity for Proposal Managers to discuss where each proposal is in the development process, bring up any issues they have run into while working on specific proposals, and draw on the collective knowledge and experience of the pre-award team.

The Huddle also helps keeps the entire pre-award staff in the loop regarding each individual’s current work load and allows arrangements to be made for another Proposal Manager to take over should there be a planned absence (vacation, conference, etc.) in the near future.

In the case of unplanned absences, Nascent helps the rest of the team quickly assess what proposals need to be covered. Since all upcoming proposals are listed on one document, and have been previously discussed in the Huddle, it is a relatively easy process for one Proposal Manager to hand off proposals to others for assistance.

Of course the preference is to work with one Proposal Manager from start to submission, but that isn’t always possible. The SPA staff is well prepared to keep operations running smoothly and provide faculty with uninterrupted assistance in the case of an absence. If you still have concerns regarding this issue feel free to contact the Sponsored Projects Administration (Email or 285-1600).

From GRC Grantweek: Government-Wide Science and Technology FY 17 Priorities Announced

by Graeff, Frank J. 

In preparation for the FY 17 Federal Budget, the Obama Administration has released a memorandum to guide the requests of the nation's research and development agencies. The new document, Multi-Agency Science and Technology Priorities for the FY 2017 Budget, states the need for agencies to design budgets that focus on publishing federally funded scientific results, commercializing new technology, and address nine agency-wide research priorities, in addition to agency specific tasks. Although the memorandum does not list specific funding levels, it does give an insight into the top priorities of future federal research.

While recognizing that every agency has specific research areas relevant to their mission, the memorandum asks all agencies to balance those goals with "multi-agency research activities that cannot be addressed effectively by a single agency". The multi-agency priorities include 1) Global climate change; 2) Clean energy; 3) Earth observations; 4) Advanced manufacturing and industries of the future; 5) Innovation in life sciences, biology and neuroscience; 6) National and homeland security; 7) Information technology and high-performance computing; 8) Ocean and Arctic issues; and 9) R&D for informed policy-making and management. Agencies are asked to craft budgets that give proper consideration to these goals, including ensuring that Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer awards and programs contribute to the above multi-agency priorities.

This memo comes at the beginning of the budget process. Federal agency managers will spend the next few months developing their FY 17 budget requests for submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. Budget managers have been previously warned that submissions should reflect a 5 percent reduction from the planning figure contained in the FY 16 request. OMB will comment on the FY 17 requests by late November, with the budget going to Congress in early February 2016.

http://www.aascu.org/grc/grantweekweb.aspx?id=11775&pubdate=2015-07-20#40

Education Studies Faculty Member Awarded NEA "Big Read" Grant

Dr. Bo Chang from Educational Studies has been awarded a $15,000 Big Read grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. This article from the Ball State News Center gives more information on Dr. Chang and her Big Read project.

Graduate Assistantship Available

The Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) announces a full-time (20 hrs/week) graduate assistantship available for the 2015-16 Academic Year, with potential for continuing into Summer Semester 2016.

Position Title: School Grantwriting Assistant

Position Reportage: The graduate assistant reports to the Associate Director of Pre-Award Operations, Sponsored Projects Administration.

Position Duties and Responsibilities: As School Grantwriting Assistant, primary responsibilities include working specifically with Burris Laboratory School and Indiana Academy Administration, Faculty and PTO to identify and disseminate funding opportunities; consult with teacher/project director on proposal vision, educational standards addressed and classroom impact; be the primary author of classroom grant proposals for smaller Teacher/ classroom grants. Working under SPA supervision, the GA, will have a presence in the schools, and is expected to attend teacher and PTO meetings; time commitment may include evenings and weekends; other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 
A competitive applicant will have:

• Bachelor’s degree in education or related field 
• Must be available to work 20 flexible hours per week, which may include evenings 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills 
• Strong technical writing skills 
• Extensive working knowledge of Microsoft Office, and technical troubleshooting capabilities 
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and in a highly organized, detailed manner 
• Demonstrated time management and problem solving skills 
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines 
• Willingness to complete training for policy regarding working with minors and grant permission for limited criminal history check. 

Preferred: 

• K-12 teaching/classroom experience 
• Pursuing a degree related to K-12 education or administration. 
• Successful completion of the course EDST 697 “The Grant Process and Research” 

Schedule: Time requirement is 20 hours per week. May be required to work evenings and weekends as needed.

Application: To apply, please submit, via email, to Ms. Jackie Davis in Sponsored Projects Administration (jsdavis@bsu.edu) the following materials in PDF or Word format:

• Letter of interest, including a description of skills, experience, aspirations 
• Résumé, including contact information (email address & telephone number) 
• A writing sample of approximately 1,000 words 
• Three references, including names, titles, and telephone/email addresses 

Submission Date: No later than July 22, 2015

Interviews will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Ball State University operates on an equal opportunity basis in hiring practices.

National Institutes of Health Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration

Last month the National Institutes of Health Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration was held in Baltimore, Maryland. Here is a link to the webpage with presentation materials from the conference. There are dozens of presentations covering policy, proposal development, award management, and many other topics. If you are interested in pursuing NIH funding you might find some of this information useful. Contact SPA or your proposal manager if you have any questions.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Stipends

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Research typically results in articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources. Summer Stipends support continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two months.

An outright award of $6,000 is provided for two consecutive months of full-time research and writing. In accordance with NEH guidelines, Ball State may nominate two faculty proposals.

Ball State internal application deadline is September 3, 2015. 
Deadline for final submission to the NEH is October 1 for projects beginning May 2016.

Click here for full guidelines. 

Materials to submit for the September 3 internal review: 
 1. The Ball State NEH Summer Stipend Internal Application Coversheet **This form is in lieu of ATTACHMENT 1: Supplemental Information for Individuals Form

2. A single copy of the application, including:

• a. 3-page (single-spaced) narrative 
• b. 2-page (single-spaced) resumé 
• c. 1-page (single-spaced) bibliography 
• d. 1-page appendix (graphical materials or edition/translation sample, if applicable) 

You do not need to include reference letters at this time.
You do not need to have processed a Ball State clearance sheet.

Selected proposals will be submitted electronically through grants.gov by the October 1 deadline. Please submit your completed internal application to Augusta Wray by September 3.

BSU Finalist in US-Russia Partnership Program Competition

Ball State University is a finalist in the US-Russia University Partnership Program’s (UPP) Contact Project Funding Competition.

The Contact Project Funding is the first of two stages in the UPP’s partnership funding process. In this stage, three pairs of institutions will be chosen to receive up to $2,500 to facilitate the development of their proposals for the second stage. Ball State’s pair institution is Novgorod State University in Russia.

“Contact project funding covers expenses for the establishment of communication channels, conduct of preliminary research or other information-gathering, and organization of meeting(s) between partner institutions.”

The second stage is the Linkage Project Funding competition. In this stage, the “UPP invites pairs of Russian and US higher education institutions to submit jointly-developed proposals for mutually-beneficial projects that build partnerships between institutions in both countries.”

“The US-Russia University Partnership Program (UPP) is an initiative for mutual cultural and academic collaboration that connects higher education institutions in Russia and [the] US with one another and supports the launch of new bilateral partnerships,” according to the UPP website. “It provides professors, researchers, administrators and other higher education professionals in Russia and [the] US an opportunity to broaden the scope of their activities and learn from the vast wealth of knowledge and experience the counterpart institution brings to the partnership.”

First Annual Keys to L.E.A.D. Award Presented to Professor Olon F. Dotson

By Holly Rittenhouse

“We have come a great distance, but we have a distance to go.” – Dr. Linda D. Keys

Olon Dotson

On behalf of members of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS), College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) Professor Olon F. Dotson received the first annual Keys to L.E.A.D. Award for his leadership in the areas of social change, environmental awareness, and design.

The Keys to L.E.A.D. award is named after the late Dr. Linda D. Keys who served as an advocate for social and environmental awareness. Keys’ legacy extends throughout the College of Architecture and Planning, Ball State University, Muncie, and beyond. On Thursday, April 9th, friends, family, colleagues, and students of Keys spoke about her lasting impact.

John Bailey

John Bailey, Dr. Keys’ brother, spoke during the presentation. He said, “She considered Muncie to be a treasure. I could live one hundred years, and I never could have done as much for Muncie as she did.”

Sarah Mitchell, a 2006 CAP graduate and city planner for Richmond, Indiana was “very grateful and honored” to speak on Dr. Keys’ behalf. She said, “I wasn’t a perfect student, but I did learn so much from her. She showed tough love. She definitely encouraged me.”

Those who spoke about Keys portrayed her as dedicated, passionate, intellectual, and loving. Bailey said, “I want you to remember her for her love.” According to Bailey, Keys held the philosophy that “You can do more for people when you love them.”

“So share the love,” Bailey said, “and when you think of Linda, think of love.”

Sarah Mitchell

Like Dr. Keys, Dotson’s impact expands throughout Muncie and around the world as he pushes for design accountability and social justice. His work lays a firm foundation for generations to follow.

Dotson’s work has inspired countless CAP graduates of all races and ethnicities to initiate change in their own communities. “He opened my eyes to the design inequalities” that exist today, one of Dotson’s students said.

Presenters said that Dotson “has displayed an unwavering commitment” to the students in the College of Architecture and Planning.

Dotson believes in the “pay it forward” philosophy in which the beneficiary of a good deed repays it to other people instead of to the original benefactor. One student felt that speaking on Dotson’s behalf was his “opportunity to pay it forward” after Dotson had done so much for him.

Dotson closed the presentation with a call to do more. He said we should “celebrate” the progress we have made thus far in the areas of social change, environmental awareness, and design, “but not be satisfied.”

Olon Dotson receiving the first annual 

Keys to L.E.A.D. award from 

John Bailey, Dr. Linda D. Keys’ brother.

2015 Junior Faculty Aspire Program Awardees Announced!

The Sponsored Projects Administration is pleased to announce the 2015 Junior Faculty Aspire program awardees. With competitions in research and creative arts the Aspire Junior Faculty Program is available to faculty members in their first five years of a tenure-track appointment. The purpose of this program is to provide seed funding for research and projects that will lead to further support from external sponsors and funding agencies. This year thirteen proposals were funded through the program: two in creative arts and eleven in research.

Aspire Creative Arts Competition Awardees 

Jeanette Castillo
Telecommunications 
"Jennifer" 

Jennifer Halvorson
School of Art 
"Press Glass Integration" 

Aspire Research Competition Awardees 

Robin Blom
Journalism
"Believing factual (mis)information: Cognitive perceptions of news source trust and expectancy" 

Chrysostomos Giannoulakis
School of Physical Educations, Sports and Exercise Science 
"Social impacts of an action sports-for-development project on Native Americans" 

Qiannong Gu
Information Systems and Operations Management 
"A strategic analysis of information sharing in global supply chain management"

Angela Hampton
Elementary Education 
"Accessing Science Through Literacy Instruction: Who has access and to what?" 

Shireen Kanakri
Family and Consumer Science 
"Acoustics and Autism: The Effects of Acoustics Environmental Design on the Behavior of Children with Autism" 

Kristine Kotecki
English 
"From the Ashes of the Archive: Cultural Memory and the Politics of Access in Ex-Yugoslav Collections" 

Youngah Lee
Journalism 
"University Reputation Management Research" 

Tamara Montag-Smit
Management 
"Reducing the gender pay gap: Examining the role of pay secrecy" 

Alexander Montoye
School of Physical Educations, Sports and Exercise Science 
"Prediction of free-living energy expenditure using accelerometers and machine learning" 

Robert Phillips
Anthropology 
"Gay Jews, Social Media, and the Production of Embodied Orthodoxy" 

Ayesha Sadaf
Educational Studies 
"Teachers’ Beliefs, Intentions, and Actual Integration of Digital Literacies into their Classrooms"

April 21--Graduate Community Research Colloquium: Former SPA GA Maggie Cude presents "Welcome to Your Graduate School Experience: Graduate Student Orientation and the Need for Evaluation"

The Department of Journalism Graduate Community will continue the monthly research colloquium series this April with our annual graduate student research colloquium. Three graduate students will speak about their creative projects and theses, and answer questions after their presentations. This is a great opportunity to learn about research, support fellow students and get inspired for your own creative project.

Date and time: Tuesday, April 21, 2-3 p.m.
Location: Arts and Journalism Building (AJ) 384

Speakers:

Natalie Demarko

Title: Athletes on Social Media: A Social Media Crisis Management Plan for Division I Institutions
Description: This creative project resulted in a student-athlete social media policy and crisis communications plan for Ball State University's Athletics Department. This particular research focused on the crisis management practice developed by W. Timothy Coombs. A content analysis of social media policies from Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Mid-American Conference (MAC) universities was evaluated and combined with a previous qualitative research project that examined BSU Athletics Department's role in monitoring student-athlete social media. These documents are in the works of being analyzed and evaluated by the BSU Athletics Department for possible implementation in the future. 

Tierney Edon

Title: Ball State Child Study Center Media Strategy: Relating to Millennial Parents
Description: This creative project has developed a media strategy for the Ball State Child Study Center based on research that explored the impact of parental involvement in schools as well as millennial parents' needs. Child care center websites are a developing feature of child care facilities to provide digital communication methods for parents. This study is based on Grunig & Hunt's two-way symmetrical model and Epstein's Model for Parental Involvement. A WordPress Blog, Facebook account, and Twitter account were created for the Ball State Child Study Center. Through this media strategy, parents are encouraged to interact rather than observe as well as participate in the way they choose.

Maggie Cude

Title: Welcome to Your Graduate School Experience: Graduate Student Orientation and the Need for Evaluation
Description: Issac, Pruitt-Logan, and Upcraft (1995) called the graduate students' experience "the great unaddressed academic issue in higher education" (p. 13). This study seeks to fill that gap by applying a standard evaluation to three universities from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and assessing the successes or shortcomings of these orientation programs as a means of socialization. This study's overarching question asks to what extent is orientation a successful means of socializing graduate students to their respective universities. Results from qualitative data analysis revealed that post-orientation, on-campus connections contributed more often as a measure of effectiveness at socializing students to graduate school.

Click here to check out the Ball State Department of Journalism Graduate Community's Facebook page.

Join us in Celebrating Professor Olon Dotson and the late Dr. Linda Keys

Greetings CAP Faculty, Friends, and Fellow Alumni,

You are cordially invited to the first annual Keys to L.E.A.D award presentation where we will be recognizing Professor Olon F. Dotson for his leadership in the areas of social change, environmental awareness and design.  We will also be remembering the legacy of the late Dr. Linda D. Keys.  This celebratory event is part of the CAP 50 Year Anniversary Symposium and will take place on Thursday, April 9th from 9am - 10am (College of Architecture and Planning, Rm AB101).  

We hope that you can join us!  Please forward the attached invitation on to anyone else who may be interested in attending.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I can be reached on my cell phone at (317) 410-1087. 

Thank you,

Brittany Rasdall

The 2015 Student Symposium at Ball State University

The 20th Annual Student Symposium at Ball State University took place on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. The event was held on the second floor of the L.A. Pittenger Student Center and included a poster display session, moderated paper presentations and an award ceremony.

Setup for the Student Symposium began on Monday when students participating in the poster session had an opportunity to set up their displays that afternoon. Poster set up continued early Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. As setup came to a close the 15 faculty members who served as this year’s judges gathered in the Pineshelf room. They received binders containing scoring sheets for each project they were responsible for evaluating. Each judge was given approximately 30 projects to score and each project was scored by three individual judges. The judges evaluated each project display based on numerous criteria, including the clarity of the project’s objectives, methodology, conclusions (or, in the case of projects still in process, potential impact), originality, intellectual merit, organization, visual appeal of the display and clarity in writing. The judges’ scores were then tallied by Student Symposium staff. At 1 p.m. the ballroom was opened for public viewing of the posters displays. By the end of the day more than 400 people (including Symposium participants, students, faculty/staff, and members of the public) had visited the ballroom to view the poster displays.

For the second-year, the Student Symposium included moderated paper presentations, which took place in various locations on the second floor. The number of paper presentations rose from nine entries the previous year to 19 paper presentations registered for the 2015 Student Symposium. The six paper sessions were Studies in Speech and Language, Physical and Health Sciences, Spaces and Environment, Issues in Higher Education, Issues in Business, and Peace Ethics and Social Issues. Ball State faculty members and doctoral students moderated the sessions.

At the conclusion of the poster and paper sessions Student Symposium participants and guests made their way to Cardinal Hall for the presentation of the Keys/Litten/Smith awards. Dr. Robert Morris, Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, gave remarks thanking everyone who had participated for making the 2015 Student Symposium at Ball State University a success. Dr. Morris then presented the Keys/Litten/Smith Awards. These awards honor Linda Keys, Jeffrey Litten and Sandra Smith. These three Ball State University staff members served in the Sponsored Projects Administration (formerly the Office of Academic Research and Sponsored Projects) for a combined total of thirty years. They were instrumental in developing the Symposium as the premier event for students to highlight their work and were avid supporters of student research and creative endeavors. The awards recognize students for their outstanding research or creative endeavors presented at the Student Symposium. Listed below are the 2015 award winners.

Display Award Winners: 

Natalie Abell (Biology)
The Influence of Saltwater Intrusion on Georgia Tidal Freshwater Forests 
Faculty Mentor: Melody Bernot (Biology)

Nick Harmes & Joey Klahn (Biology)
RiverPACE: Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in The White River Compared to National Data 
Faculty Mentor: Jesse Becker (Biology)

Jack Omstead, Erin Moreno, Alyssa Reese & Tyreese Love (English)
Representing Religion in Comics 
Faculty Mentor: Jeffrey Brackett (Philosophy and Religious Studies)

Content Award Winners: 

Koby Bluitt (Theatre and Dance)
Peace for the Youth Through the Works of Theater 
Faculty Mentor: Gerald Waite (Center for Peace and Conflict Studies)

Riley Carswell (Biology)
Mating Defense in the Long-Clawed Hermit Crab (Pagurus longicarpus) 
Faculty Mentor: Tim Carter (Biology)

Kimi Dahl (Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science)
Load Distribution and Postural Changes When a Traditional Backpack Versus the BackTpack 
Faculty Mentor: Clark Dickin (Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science)

Jason Doll (Biology)
Estimating Capture Probabilities of Common Stream Fish in the Eastern Corn Belt Plain Faculty Mentor: Thomas Lauer (Biology)

Lilly Gu (Biology)
Light and Temperature Interact to Regulate the Response of Algae and Heterotropic Bacteria to Elevated Nutrient Levels in a Boreal Peatland 
Faculty Mentor: Kevin Wyatt (Biology)

For the official 2015 20th Annual Student Symposium at Ball State University Program (PDF) CLICK HERE.

Photos from the 2015 Student Symposium will be posted shortly to the website, blog, and Facebook.
If you are interested in registering for next year’s Student Symposium, in January 2016 make sure to check out the Student Symposium homepage, the Research Blog, or the Sponsored Projects Administration Facebook page. There you can find out more information about the annual Student Symposium, as well as helpful grant-funding information, research, and educational events.

Upcoming External Grant May 2015 Deadlines:

The following external grants have deadlines in the month of May, 2015:

American Honda Foundation Grants Program
May 1

State Justice Institute Grant Programs:
May 1, 2015
(Multiple Grants Available)

VentureWell (Formerly NCIIA):  Course and Program Grants, Sustainable Vision (SV) Grants
May 8, 2015

Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation Grants Program:

5:00PM CST May 15, 2015

Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Grant Opportunities 2015

(Multiple Deadlines and Grants Available) May 1, 2015

RSVP: Researcher of the Year & Outstanding Creative Endeavor Awardee Lecture - April 9

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the Researcher of the Year and Outstanding Creative Endeavor Lecture on Thursday, April 9 at 12:30 p.m. in the Arts and Journalism Building, AJ 225. A reception follows the lectures.

2014-15 Researcher of the Year
Melody Bernot, Associate Professor of Biology
Department of Biology
Lecture Title: "Understanding human influence on freshwater ecosystems"

2014-15 Outstanding Creative Endeavor
Christie Zimmerman, Associate Professor of Dance
Department of Theatre & Dance
Lecture Title: "Narrative in Motion"

RSVP here: http://goo.gl/xKYqRT