Office of Research

Ohio State/Brazil Call for Proposals 2013 now open

haas.23@osu.edu — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:16:40 +0000

Researchers from any department and discipline affiliated with The Ohio State University and the Higher Education Research Institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, are invited to submit proposals for the support of research projects involving the exchange of researchers between the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and Ohio State University.

A new $1.4 million Scientific Cooperation Agreement signed on March 22, 2013 will build on existing collaborations and support future research and innovation. During the first year of this five-year program, $20,000 awards will be made to encourage the formation of research collaborations. Larger awards are planned for the program’s second year. These awards represent seed funding, with a goal of securing additional support from funding agencies in the United States and Brazil.

The deadline for submission of proposals is May 20, 2013.

OSU FAPESP Call for Proposals

OSU Proposal Form

Read the press release about the Ohio State/FAPESP partnership

Sequester update: Limiting the impact on your research

haas.23@osu.edu — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:10:47 +0000

Below is a summary of information currently available regarding the impact of sequester on Ohio State research.

The sequester amount will be about 5.1% of the current fiscal year budget for non-defense agencies and 7.3% for defense agencies. Agencies will have flexibility in how they manage their cuts. NSF just announced that it plans to maintain existing awards at their current funding level and manage its budget cut by making fewer new awards (about 1,000 fewer in FY 13). NIH, on the other hand, is funding non-competing continuation awards at 90% of the committed level with the intent of providing some additional funding (though probably not the entire 10%) when they finally have a budget in place. NIH’s plan will also necessitate fewer new awards, but we have no estimate of the number. Other agencies have not yet provided any information on their plans.

This variability and lack of detail makes planning for the future challenging. Provided below are some steps that you can take to limit potential impacts on your research program:

Spend mindfully and monitor expenditures carefully. Plan for how you would manage a 5% cut. While this isn’t a large change, over the course of a multi-year award it could have a noticeable impact.
On the other hand, do not hoard funds. A couple of requests to carry forward unencumbered balances on NIH U awards have already been denied.
Encourage subawardees to submit timely invoices. This will help you manage your award budget more effectively.
If you are a subawardee, maintain close contact with the PI at the prime institution. Make sure that you submit reports and other deliverables on time so that we receive timely payment.
New awards are most susceptible to large cuts. If you receive a new award that is cut significantly, think carefully about the impact on the scope of work. It may be necessary to submit a revised scope to the sponsor.
Do not incur costs on an award that is “coming.” Wait until we have an award document in hand.
If you receive communications directly from your sponsor, please forward a copy to Anne Moffat, executive director of sponsored programs, at moffat.1@osu.edu.

As additional information becomes available we will post it on the Office of Research and Office of Sponsored Programs web sites. Please contact Anne Moffat (292-3732 or moffat.1@osu.edu) or your Sponsored Program Officer if you have questions or need help with planning.

Additional Sequester Updates

Winter receives 2012 TechColumbus Inventor of the Year award

haas.23@osu.edu — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:05:25 +0000

Jessica Winter, associate professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering and biomedical engineering, was named 2012 Inventor of the Year at the TechColumbus Innovation Awards on February 7, 2013. Winter is a founder and interim CEO of Core Quantum Technologies (CQT), an Ohio State technology commercialization company. Her research focuses on the applications of nanotechnology in medicine.

The TechColumbus Innovation Awards recognize forward-thinking individuals, companies, and technology teams in the 15-country region of Central Ohio for their achievements and contributions in technology leadership innovation.

Heremans elected to National Academy of Engineering

haas.23@osu.edu — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:42:44 +0000

Joseph Heremans, Ohio Eminent Scholar in Nanotechnology, has been named to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for his discoveries in thermal energy transfer and conversion to electricity and for the commercial devices employed in automobiles. Heremans, who is also a professor of mechanical engineering and professor of physics, studies the quantum-mechanical properties of materials in order to understand the link between heat, magnetism, and electric currents at the atomic level.

Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions that may be accorded to an individual engineer during their lifetime.

Changes to NSF’s Grants Policy Guide go into effect January 14, 2013

haas.23@osu.edu — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:12:48 +0000

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced changes to its Grants Policy Guide (GPG) that go into effect Monday, January 14, 2013. As these changes may impact the preparation of your biographical sketch, budget and indirect costs, project description and summary, facilities and equipment description, references cited, etc., it is highly recommend that you review NSF’s GPG Summary of Changes and the January 2013 Grant Proposal Guide before preparing a proposal to NSF. Contact your sponsored program officer with questions.

Eighteen Ohio State faculty named AAAS Fellows

haas.23@osu.edu — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 19:50:03 +0000

Eighteen Ohio State University faculty have been elected among the newest class of Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Ohio State ranks second this year in the number of scholars chosen for the award, which is based on evaluations by peer scientists. The university has ranked first or second among new Fellows each year for more than a decade.

Read the release

New simulation lab will study driver distraction

haas.23@osu.edu — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:40:28 +0000

The new $1.3 million Ohio Sate University Driving Simulation Laboratory will be the most technologically sophisticated such lab in Ohio and will help researchers learn more about driver distraction and how to prevent it. The state-of-the-art 5,800 square-foot facility – a partnership between Ohio State, Honda R&D Americas, Inc., and the Ohio Supercomputer Center, opened its doors on October 18, 2012.

Additional Links:

The Public Research University: Forces of Change

mkubacki — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:51:43 +0000

Caroline Whitacre, vice president for research, delivered the annual State of Research address on Thursday, October 11, 2012, at the Wexner Center Film/Video Theater.

In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Morrill Act, this year’s address, titled “The Public Research University: Forces of Change,” reviewed the influences that created today’s public research university and explored the forces that will shape its future. Along the way, Ohio State research that exemplified how the university is meeting these future challenges were highlighted.

Watch the presentation

View The Public Research University: Forces of Change

View/Download the presentation slides

Download a PDF version of The Public Research University

Liang-Shih Fan, Jessica Winter, and Qussai Marashdeh named 2012 Innovators of the Year

haas.23@osu.edu — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:39:20 +0000

Dr. Caroline Whitacre and Brian Cummings congratulate the 2012 Innovators of the Year – Qussai Marashdeh, Jessica Winter, and Lian-Shih (L.S.) Fan. Photo courtesy of Kevin Fitzsimons

As Ohio State continues to expand its role in the commercialization of research, it is important that we create an environment that facilitates and rewards research creativity and entrepreneurship. To support and stimulate entrepreneurial activity among our researchers, three university-wide awards were presented on October 11, 2012, to our most successful faculty, staff, and student entrepreneurs.

Innovator of the Year: Liang-Shih (L.S.) Fan

Dr. Liang-Shih (L.S.) Fan

The 2012 Innovator of the Year is Dr. Liang-Shih (L.S.) Fan, Distinguished University Professor and C. John Easton Professor of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Dr. Fan’s creativity, inventiveness, and original contributions to energy conversion, environmental engineering, and particle technology have made and will continue to make significant impacts on energy utilization and global climate change within the U.S. and throughout the world. He is a leading international authority in particle technology and its application for fossil energy conversion.

Fan holds 34 patents, has significant IP licensing activity, and has received nearly $20 million in funding from governmental agencies and the private sector to demonstrate and commercialize his technologies. He has developed alternative energy conversion technologies from the concept stage to successful demonstration in pilot scale units and commercialization.

A panel of experts assembled by the U.S. Department of Energy considers his technologies to be “transformational.” His chemical looping process is the only one being developed that is able to directly perform both combustion and gasification. Shell, Air Products and Chemicals, Babcock and Wilcox, and CONSOL Energy have teamed up with his research group to commercialize his chemical looping technologies for synthetic liquid fuels, H2, and electricity production.

L.S. Fan (left) aims to achieve clean energy production by converting coal and/or biomass into electricity and/or hydrogen while efficiently capturing the CO2.

His Electric Capacitance Volume-Technology (ECVT) launched Tech4Imaging LLC in 2010, a start-up company whose sales have already surpassed $1 million. ECVT, which is is being used by DOE, NASA, and universities and industries throughout the world, allows researchers to record three-dimensional scans of the gases and solids that mix inside boilers and other industrial processing reactors.

Fan is currently researching the chemical looping process for natural gas conversion to syngas or liquid fuels with Bio2Electric and the potential of solar chemical looping – a renewable process – with DOE’s National Renewable Laboratory and the University of Colorado. His ultimate goal is to license and develop American-born technologies to spur economic growth, energy independence, and clean energy.

Early Career Innovator of the Year: Jessica Winter

Dr. Jessica Winter

The 2012 Early Career Innovator of the Year is Dr. Jessica Winter, associate professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Her research focuses on the applications of nanotechnology in medicine, an area of research that has led to substantial innovations with potential for commercialization. She is working to develop and commercialize next generation illumination and detection nanoparticles to supplant inferior products currently on the market.

Since joining Ohio State in 2006, Winter has authored seven invention disclosures, three provisional patents, one full U.S. patent, and over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, proceedings, and book chapters.

She is the founder of Core Quantum Technologies (CQT). Under her leadership, the company has amassed over $320,000 in external funding since January 2012. CQT won first place in the 2012 Ohio State University Business Plan Competition in the Fisher College of Business.

REU intern guided by Professor Jessica Winter.

Jessica participated in the National Science Foundation’s highly competitive Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program to translate CQT technology from the bench to commercialization. The I-Corps program broadens the impact of NSF-funded basic research projects and provides classroom instruction on the formation of start-up companies and guidance from established entrepreneurs. She also received funding from the Ohio Third Frontier’s Technology Innovation Start-up Program.

The technology upon which CQT is based groups nanoparticles together in self-assembled structures known as micelles. The initial focus of her research was applied to semiconductor nanoparticle quantum dots to yield a platform technology known as the MultiDot. MultiDot provides increased brightness and stability compared to the quantum dots currently available. The technology could enable multiple breakthrough technologies in personal health test kits, solar cells, LED bulbs, and medical diagnostics. The technology is in production at the lab scale. Many companies have already expressed interest in licensing the technology, and early adopters are in line to make first purchases.

Student Innovator of the Year: Qussai Marashdeh

Qussai Marashdeh

The 2012 Student Innovator of the Year is Qussai Marashdeh, a senior research associate in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Qussai received an MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Ohio State. In 2012, he received his Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Qussai has revolutionized the field of capacitance tomography – an innovative imaging technique that has the potential to revolutionize the energy, aerospace, chemical, and healthcare industries. He was involved in every stage of the development and commercialization of Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography (ECVT). Applications for ECVT include power-plant operations, combustion imaging, and multi-phase flow systems.

He is co-founder, president, and CEO of Tech4Imaging LLC, an Ohio State spin-off company. He holds two patents, both of which have been licensed to Tech4Imaging. With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, Tech4Imaging developed and installed an ECVT system at the National Energy Technology Laboratory. The company’s first sale was to an Australian university.

Dr. Qussai Marashdeh (left ) and Dr. L.S. Fan (right) explain the ECVT model to DOE’s Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy Chuck McConnell (center) at Ohio State’s Clean Coal Research Facility.

The Innovator of the Year and Early Career Innovator of the Year awards recognize Ohio State researchers who are working actively to promote commercialization of university intellectual property, through invention disclosures filed, patents applied for and/or received, technologies licensed, or spin-off companies formed. These activities support economic development in the Central Ohio region, and serve to attract companies that create a base of operations within the state. The creation of separate categories for more established researchers and for early career researchers allows cultivation of an entrepreneurial spirit among all of our investigators.

The Student Innovator of the Year award recognizes innovation and entrepreneurship among our students that has contributed to the development or commercialization of a new technology.

Juhas named associate vice president for gender initiatives in STEMM

haas.23@osu.edu — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:48:30 +0000

Dr. Mary C. Juhas, currently associate dean for diversity and outreach in the College of Engineering and associate professor of practice of materials science engineering, has been named associate vice president for gender initiatives in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine), effective October 1, 2012. This new role reflects the university’s strategic vision through 2020 and its commitment to diversity in the growth of its faculty. Mary will report directly to Caroline Whitacre, vice president for research.