The Fulbright Experience

SPA’s Director, Justin Miller, led the first April colloquium on Friday, April 6, 2018 in Bracken Library.

This colloquium was Miller's annual informational lecture about the Fulbright Scholar Program, as Miller is an ambassador for the Fulbright program.

There are three types of Fulbright U.S. Scholar Programs: the Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, International Education Administrator Seminars, and Collaborative Research. But, here at Ball State we focus on the Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, as 90 percent of U.S. Scholars are within this program.

The Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Fast Facts

Stan Geidel introduces Miller.

• Supports teaching and/or research for three to 12 months
• Programs active in +125 countries 
• For faculty, administrators and professionals
• Open to all disciplines
• Apply to specific award with proposed project
• Application  deadline: August 1
• Variety of host institutions

Eligibility for U.S. Scholar Programs:

• U.S. citizenship
• Degree as required by award
• Ph.D. or other terminal degree may be required
• Many awards are open to applicants with a Masters and professional or academic experience
• Open to professionals and artists outside academia with recognized standing and substantial accomplishments
• Teaching experience as required by award
• New policies on previous Fulbright Scholar grants and waiting periods between grants

Selecting the Right Award:

Justin Miller presents.

• Match your expertise, experience and proposal to the award description
• Regional experience and language ability
• Discipline preferences listed in the award
• Relevance of the project to the country; why will host country benefit from your project?
• Career level -early career, postdoctoral, mid-level, Distinguished Chair

Application Components:

• Application Form
• Project Statement
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume
• Letters of ReferenceAdditional components, depending on award
• Course Outlines or Syllabi (for teaching awards)
• Select Bibliography (for research awards)
• Language Proficiency Report
• Letter of Invitation
• Supplemental materials for applicants in the Arts, Architecture, Writing and Journalism

We encourage those who are interested in applying to take advantage of the entire Fulbright program guide, which is located on our website and offers more details on the Fulbright program. 


If you have any further questions feel free to reach out to Justin Miller at jmmiller5@bsu.edu.

NIH AREA Grants and More!

SPA’s Jackie Davis and Maria Bumbalough led the last March colloquium on Friday, March 30, 2018 in Bracken Library.

This colloquium focused on teaching the audience all about the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What's the NIH?

Stan Geidel introduces the speakers.

The NIH is one of the units under the US Department of Health & Human Services. There overall mission “is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.”

The NIH's 2016 annual budget was $32.31 billion, which means they have a lot of funding opportunities.

The NIH is comprised of 27 different Institutes & Centers (IC), all reporting to the Office of the Director (OD). Of the 27 ICs, three do not have funding authority, but the other 24 ICs each have their own:

• Mission
• Priorities
• Budget
• Funding Strategy
• Pay-lines

Just like all sponsors and funding programs, you must find a good match for your project and research agenda, and it must fit into THEIR mission, priorities, program, and budget. 

Submitting to the NIH

Every proposal submitted to NIH must include a project summary/abstract, which is a statement of how the specific aims and objectives of the proposal are relevant to the mission of the agency. This statement should be a succinct and accurate description of the proposed project that is understandable to the scientifically literate reader, and consist of about 30 lines of text.

The general application can be found here.

The NIH Standard Due Dates can be found here. 

The NIH offers the following funding mechanisms:

• Research Grants (R series)
• Career Development Awards (K series)
• Research Training & Fellowships (T & F series)
• Program Project/Center Grants (P series)
• Resource Grants (various series)
• Trans-NIH Programs
• Common Fund Programs

Tips to Consider

Davis and Bumbalough.

• Pay close attention to the Application Review Information in the FOA, which describes both scored and additional review criteria including:
• Rigor & Reproducibility
• Significance, Investigator(s), and Environment
• Protections for Human Subjects, Inclusion of Women Minorities, & Children, Etc.
• Talk to the Program Officer - they can help identify the right type of grant program or funding opportunity for your research.
• Biosketch Personal Statement - Tell your story not the project’s story – why are you particularly suited to conduct the research.

Peer Review

• NIH’s two-tiered Peer Review process is intended to promote evaluation that strives to be fair, equitable, timely, and free of bias.
• First level - Scientific Review Group (SRG) - primarily non-federal scientists who have expertise in relevant scientific disciplines and current research areas.
• Second level - IC National Advisory Councils - both scientific and public representatives chosen for their expertise, interest, or activity in matters related to health and disease.
• NIH Center for Scientific Review has a variety of Peer Review Resources for Applicants including the video NIH Peer Review Revealed.

Working with SPA

• Inform your Proposal Manager - EARLY
• Spend time on the NIH Website
• Inform your Department Chair & Dean’s Office
• Attend NIH Webinars, Seminars
• Develop a timeline and a plan
• It takes MONTHS, not WEEKS to develop an NIH proposal

SPA Can Help You

• Talk through your proposal ideas, significance & impact
• Contact your Program Officer 
• Solidify collaborations
• Have colleagues review your narrative 

For any questions about the NIH feel free to reach out to Jackie Davis at jsdavis@bsu.edu or Maria Bumbalough at mbumbalough@bsu.edu.  

2018 Student Symposium Winners

The 2018 Student Symposium

On Tuesday, April 17, 2018 Sponsored Projects Administration hosted the 2018 Student Symposium
at Ball State University.

The event was held on the second floor of the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.

A poster session took place in the ballroom, while paper presentations took place in the Pineshelf Room, Music Lounge, and Cardinal Hall C.

At the end of the afternoon everyone adjourned to Cardinal Hall B for the Keynote Address by Jessi Ghezzi, Assistant Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, and the presentation of awards.

Congratulations to our 2018 Student Symposium Winners!

Kerstyn Hall – Kinesiology
A Novel Approach of Performing Gait Analysis Using Radar Technology
Mentor: Henry Wang – College of Health

Malachi Henry – Speech Pathology and Audiology
Sequential Production Abilities with Multiple-Symbol Utterances: Implications for Redesigning Speech Generated Devices (SGDs) for Children
Mentor: Barry Wagner – College of Health

Marcy Simpson – Nutrition and Health Sciences
The Effect of Medical Mistrust on the Efficacy of Prostate exams among Black American Men
Mentor: Jean Marie Place – College of Health

Betsy Kemp – Biology
Assessing the role of trophic interactions on peatland biofilm development under varied nutrient availability
Mentor: Kevin Wyatt – College of Sciences and Humanities

Deborah Mattson – Landscape Architecture
A Piece of the Limberlost
Mentor: Susan Tomizawa – College of Architecture and Planning

Jason Avedesian – Kinesiology
Biomechanical Analysis of Unilateral Landings in Female Volleyball Players after a Dynamic and Combined Dynamic-Static Warm-Up
Mentor: Clark Dickin – College of Health

Avery Kirschbaum – Biology
A Potentially General Role for a Conserved Protease in Translocon-Associated Quality Control
Mentor: Eric VJ Rubenstein – College of Sciences and Humanities

Anamarie Booher – Nutrition and Health Sciences
The Impact of Perceived Barriers to Accessing Prescription Birth Control Among Female College Students: A Qualitative Study
Mentor: Jean Marie Place – College of Health

See you next year! 

Be sure to follow our Facebook page, and watch for registration materials in February 2019. 

Ball State Professor's Parental Leave Study is a Success!

Richard Petts

The Sponsored Projects Administration would like to extend our congratulations to Ball State's sociology professor, Dr. Richard Petts, for getting his research covered by Bloomberg News!

Petts' research looked at parental leave for fathers. His study yielded that many dads say they support paid leave for fathers to care for newborn children, but it seems the vast majority of men don’t take more than a week off.

Check out the Bloomberg article to learn more about the study.

Petts was also featured in SPA's Research Magazine this past fall, the full issue can be found here.

Congratulations once again to Dr. Petts!

Student Symposium Schedule

Student Symposium

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

L.A. Pittenger Student Center, 2nd Floor

1:00 — 4:30 p.m.

Full Schedule

1:00 – 3:30  Student Poster Displays 

             Ballroom, 2nd Floor 

1:00 – 3:40  Moderated Paper Presentations   

             See next page for locations an d times. 

3:45 – 4:30  Welcome Remarks  

             Justin Miller, Director Sponsored Projects Administration    

             Keynote Address               

             Jessi Ghezzi, Assistant Professor of Natural Resources 

             and Environmental Management        

             Presentation of Student Awards   

             Sue McDowell, Associate Vice President for Research 

             and Professor of Biology

 4:30—5:30  Clean-up of Projects 

             *Award winners: keep posters up for photos with them. 

  

Student Symposium Paper Schedule

1:00 – 2:15  Diversity                       

         Music Lounge

 History and Language

 Cardinal Hall C

Education, Memory and Practice

                     Pineshelf Room

2:25 – 3:40  Biology and Chemistry

                     Music Lounge

                     Matters of the Mind

                     Cardinal Hall C

                     Storytelling, Competition and Creation

Pineshelf Room

Paper Presenters by Category

Diversity | Moderator: Tya Arthur
1:00 – 2:15 Music Lounge

Bin Zhang

Educational Studies

Living in the Shadows—Gaysian and Lesian with Triple Exclusions

Faculty Mentor: Gilbert Park

Teachers College

Rachel Harvey

Computer Science

An Exploration in Computer Science Diversity

Faculty Mentor: David Largent

College of Sciences and Humanities

History and Language | Moderator: Sarah Lee

1:00 – 2:15 Cardinal Hall C

Alexandra Billhartz

Music

Adapting Historical Operas for Greater Audience Appeal: Guidelines from a Broad-Ranging Review of Literature

Faculty Mentor: Jon Truitt

College of Fine Arts

Raphael Kodjoe

English

Feminism and the Obsolescence of Genedered Items in Englisg – A Corpus and Cross-Generational Study of Words Usage and Frequency

Faculty Mentor: Mary Lou Vercellotti

College of Sciences and Humanities

Education, Memory and Practice | MODERATORS: KWANG-HO LEE AND STANLEY GEIDEL
1:00 – 2:15 Pineshelf Room

Anna Allen & Shelby Smith

Psychology

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Working Memory, and Theta Synchronization

Faculty Mentor: Stephanie Simon-Dack

College of Sciences and Humanities

Rosalinda Ortiz

Educational Studies

The Reality of Dual Credit: Student Perspectives on College Readiness

Faculty Mentor: Amanda Latz

Teachers College

Gilmar Cavalcante da Silva

Music

Self-Regulation: Efficient Practice and Results Among College Students

Faculty Mentor: Stephen Campbell

College of Fine Arts 

Biology and Chemistry | Moderators: Antonio Cancio and Maria Bumbalough

2:25 – 3:30 Music Lounge

Bryce Buchanan

Biology

Effects of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Kar2 Overexpression on Hrd1-Mediated Protein Quality Control

Faculty Mentor: Eric VJ Rubenstein

College of Sciences and Humanities

Ethan Pickerill

Biology

Investigation of Pseudouridine Synthase 7 Function in Pathogenic Yeast Candida Albicans

Faculty Mentor: Douglas Bernstein

College of Sciences and Humanities

Kirsten Vacura

Biology

Exercising the Nuclear Option: Biological Assessment of Invasive Lionfish Control via Gene Drive Technology

Faculty Mentor: Paul Venturelli

College of Sciences and Humanities

Brandon Watson & Olivia Grounds

Chemistry

Halogen to Hydrogen Bonding Switch in Complexes of Iodo-, Bromo-, and Chloroform with Anionic And Neutral Nucleophiles

Faculty Mentor: Sergiy Rosokha

College of Sciences and Humanities

Matters of the Mind | Moderator: Augusta Isley

2:25 – 3:30 Cardinal Hall C

Kierstin Riels

Psychology

Stress Responses to Visual Threat

Faculty Mentor: Stephanie Simon-Dack

College of Sciences and Humanities

Jessica Gundlach, Adrianna Caballero, Megan Slagel & Korey Smith

Psychology

A Reliability and Validity Analysis of the Shortened Ruminative Response Scale (RRS)

Faculty Mentor: Stephanie Simon-Dack

College of Sciences and Humanities

Samantha Bowser

Psychology
Predictors of Anxiety: Perfectionism, Enjoyment of Exercise, and Fitness Level
Faculty Mentor: Thomas Holtgraves
College of Sciences and Humanities

Storytelling, Competition and Creation | Moderator: Brenda Yates-Habich

2:25 – 3:30 Pineshelf Room

Rebecca Kurtz

Mathematical Sciences

Reality Competition Shows: Are You In or Are You Out?

Faculty Mentor: Rebecca Pierce

College of Sciences and Humanities

Zachary Kizer

Communication Studies

Two Plus Two Equals Fish: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of Creation Science

Faculty Mentor: Kristin McCauliff

College of Communication, Information, and Media

Jules Patalita

Telecommunications

Auteur Theory in Video Games

Faculty Mentor: Ashley Donnelly

College of Communication, Information, and Media

Thomas Pensinger

English

Melville, Bartleby, and Depression

Faculty Mentor: Ben Bascom

College of Sciences and Humanities

SPA is searching for a new Publications Graduate Assistant!

Need a graduate assistantship? Join our team!

Publications Graduate Assistant Duties and Responsibilities:

•  Assist Proposal Manager / Research Editor (PM) in the development of the Ball StateResearch publication. This includes the following: 
• Interviewing for, writing, and editing articles
• Designing the Ball State Research publication
• Coordinating with various University entities, such as the Division of Strategic Communications, Photo Services, University Teleplex, and University Printing Services
• Assist Outreach & Education Coordinator in the development of the SPA NewsletterBlog; includes interviewing for and writing faculty vignette articles as needed.
• Attend University-related events and symposia associated with the above publications.May include evenings and weekends as needed.
• Other duties as assigned 

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

This assistantship is available to start in the Summer Semester (2018), and is also available for Fall of 2018 and Spring of 2019 with the potential of continuation.   

For more information and the application process please download the full PDF. 

Contact Mark Combs at mecombs2@bsu.edu with any questions or concerns.

Voyage into the Real World: Working with Community Partners and Local Funders

Ball State’s Donna Browne led SPA’s colloquium on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 in the Arts and Journalism Building.

Browne's lecture focused on how to work with community partners and local funders.

Reasons to look for a community partner or local funder

What's in it for you?

• Builds a useful, long-term relationship

  

  Browne begins her lecture.

• Advances research/P&T
• Enhances BSU community engagement goals
• Student opportunities
• Good publicity 
• Personal Satisfaction

What's in it for them?

• Advances mission
• Benefits clients 
• Benefits operations 
• Saves money 
• Saves time
• Good publicity 

Finding the Best Community Partner for You

The first step is to identify several organizations doing similar work or with a similar mission and clients to your project.

Tips for identifying organizations:

• Talk to BSU colleagues
• Talk to BSU's Office of Community Engagement and Office of Entrepreneurial Learning 
• Talk to Community colleagues 
• Talk to the Community Foundation 
• Talk to local champions

Warning signs you may need to find a new partner:

• Partner delays or lacks commitment 
• Partner wants too many changes 
• Detrimental potential for BSU
• Little relevance to students' needs/desires

Now, you can't expect a possible partner to agree immediately. It is important to allow plenty of time for discussion, as they will need to consider any staff demands, contact potential donors, or get their board to approve.

Partnership Concerns

It is important to make sure your project does not fail to establish meaningful relationships with partners and clients or fail to create mutually beneficial projects, activities and deliverables with your partner. In order to ensure success it is important to consider the following:

The audience engages with Brown

• Muncie has it's own identities and internal divisions, and the community sometimes sees researchers as outsiders. You may not fit in due to your:
• Origin 
• Demographic profile 
• Life experience 
• Community knowledge 
• Community partners do not always see your "problem" as their problem and resent being "rescued."
• Local funders are not interested in academic research 
• Academic research must be a by-product of a partnership beneficial to the community 

Next Steps

1. Contact the Program Officer to review your idea and its community impact. Include your community partner in the meeting and be receptive to ongoing discussion, revision, and feedback.
2. Develop a concept paper focusing on community impact, awareness, or participation.
3. Work with SPA to confirm your project aligns with the funder's goals/programs, and be receptive to the feedback from your proposal manager.
4. Read the guidelines, review the funder's mission, and do what they say! 

For more questions reach out to us or Donna Browne! 

Browne is a grant writer for Ball State University. She works specifically with the Center for Energy Research Education and Service, but is more than willing to help those from other departments. Brown can be contacted at dbrowne@bsu.edu.

SPA can be reached at spadmin@bsu.edu or 765-285-1600.