The university will work with Brevard
County high school science teachers
to develop new learning modules under
a grant of almost $1.7 million over
three years. The National Science Foundation
award will fund graduate students in
biology, chemistry, physics and marine
and environmental systems to partner
with teachers in grades 9-11 to design
and pilot a series of learning modules.
The modules will link the core integrated
science content areas of earth science,
biology, chemistry and physics. Dr.
Richard Tankersley, associate professor
of biological sciences, applied for
the grant.
When a new road goes in, the old
road comes out in pieces that sometimes
become recycled asphalt pavement
(RAP). Much of the material, however,
is stockpiled. To understand the
statewide variability of RAP and
to evaluate and develop specifications
on the long-term behavior of RAP
and RAP-soil mixtures, Dr. Paul Cosentino
and Dr. Edward Kalajian, civil engineering
professors, won a $261,000 contract
from the Florida Department of Transportation.
What they learn can lead to effective
re-use of RAP, which will provide
environmental and economic benefits.
The worldwide phenomenon of coral bleaching,
increasing in frequency and severity,
is extremely detrimental to the health
of coral reefs. Dr. Richard van Woesik,
one of 11 international scientist members
of the Bleaching Working Group, founded
by the UNESCO/Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission, received $260,000 in Global
Environmental
Fund/World Bank funds to focus on the
issue. His group is addressing the
specific physiological mechanisms for
coral bleaching as well as the local
and regional ecological factors that
cause bleaching and its after-effects.
Beach erosion is a critical issue
on the Atlantic coast of Florida,
including ecologically diverse Sebastian
Inlet. To continue operating a wave
and weather data collection system
at the inlet, Dr. Lee Harris, associate
professor of ocean engineering, received
an
$88,000 grant from the Sebastian
Inlet Tax District. Harris and his
graduate students have collected
wave and weather data at the inlet
since 1996. They have been responsible
for the design, installation, operation,
maintenance, data processing and
reporting there.
West Coast Florida’s Crystal
River at Kings Bay has 30 existing
springs and, as an officially designated
critical habitat, serves one of the
largest subpopulations of manatees
known anywhere. Studying the area’s
sediment by mapping its chemical characteristics
and assessing the sources of organic
matter will provide a database for
use in making future management decisions
to protect this important body of water.
To continue this work, which he began
in 1993, Dr. Thomas Belanger, professor
of environmental science, received
a $50,500 grant from the Southwest
Florida Water Management District.
Dr. Eric Thosteson, assistant professor
of ocean engineering, received a
$50,000 grant from the Harbor Branch
Oceanographic Institution to analyze
the light, or bioluminescence exhibited
by organisms in the ocean. Many of
the organisms are microscopic and,
so, may be more quickly identified
by their light. “Imagine identifying
each of the ingredients in soup by
tasting the soup. We’ll try
to identify the bioluminescent constituents
based on movies of ‘light soup,’” he
said. This knowledge can help to
develop monitoring systems to warn
of high concentrations of the phytoplankton
responsible for red tides, for example.
To learn more about the problems of
infertility and contraception in humans
is the ultimate goal of Dr. David Carroll,
assistant professor of biological sciences.
He earned a National Institutes of
Health (NIH) grant of $187,000 to help
reach his goal by researching fertilization
and early development of starfish.
The NIH Academic Research Enhancement
Award will fund studies on the molecules
that direct activation of the egg during
fertilization.
Of all the perils of space exploration, dust probably doesn’t first pop
to mind. Yet, dust deposits have been known to damage mission support equipment,
such as solar cells, spacecraft components and lenses. Dr. James Mantovani, assistant
professor of physics and space sciences, received a $75,000 NASA grant to do
his part in dust particle mitigation. The grant funds his work on an electrodynamic
system for self-cleaning solar panels and other surfaces that could be part of
future space exploration missions to Mars and our moon.
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