Faculty Grants—2017

Buchholz, R., primary investigator

Mating Strategies of Male Ocellated Turkeys in Disturbed and Undisturbed Forests

Sponsor: National Geographic Society
Award Amount: $19,800.00

This ‘starter grant’ from the National Geographic Society has allowed us to begin to study the social behavior and reproductive success of ocellated turkeys in two protected locations in Belize. There are only two species of turkey in the world: our North American wild turkey, and the ocellated turkey which is endemic to the Yucatan region of Central America. Unfortunately the ocellated turkey is rapidly disappearing from its small geographic range due to habitat destruction and illegal hunting. With additional funding my graduate students and I hope to understand how habitat structure affects social structure in this threatened bird so that we can better manage it for future generations of both bird-lovers and turkey hunters.

Day, E., primary investigator

Cerebellar Specializations for Non-vocal Avian Courtship Displays

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $144,599.00

Male birds perform spectacular songs and dances. Studies of song have revealed how brains adapt for vocal learning and how sex hormones regulate non-sex areas of the brain, like vocal pathways. However, the dance elements have been little studied. We will examine brain complexity and brain hormone sensitivity in species of manakins (Pipridae), birds that have a range of dance complexities. Species with the most complex displays announce the breeding season with firecracker-like snaps of the wings that punctuate flips performed faster than the eye can see whereas the least complex species performs relatively simple flights. Imagine how the brains of the former and latter must differ. This study will reveal capabilities of motor regions of the brain to adapt to demands for motor complexity and to be responsive to sex hormones in a way not thought possible for motor areas.

Hoeksema, J., primary investigator

Collaborative Research: Price Determination in Ectomycorrhizal Symbioses

Sponsor: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Award Amount: $30,000.00

Trees have essential fungal partners living on their roots, acting as extended root systems into the soil. However, there are hundreds of species of these fungi, and we suspect that they help trees in a variety of ways. We are studying nutrient trading between pine trees and different species of these symbiotic root fungi, to better understand how they affect tree growth and nutrient cycling in forests.

Collaborative Research: Price determination in ectomycorrhizal symbioses (REU Supplement)

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $6,250.00

Identification of Climate Effects on Microbial Symbionts of Longleaf Pine

Sponsor: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Engineer Research and Development Center
Award Amount: $43,050.00

Trees have essential fungal partners living on their roots, acting as extended root systems into the soil, but trees can also be attached by pathogenic fungi in the soil. There are hundreds of species of both beneficial and pathogenic fungi around the roots of trees, but we still understand very little about how they interact with each other, and how they affect trees. We are identifying the beneficial and pathogenic fungi associated with the roots of longleaf pine trees on two different army bases in the south, to better understand the factors that control them, and how they affect tree growth and survival.

Kiss, J., primary investigator

Novel explorations into the interactions between light and gravity sensing in plants

Sponsor: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Award Amount: $325,001.00

This grant is for a project to study plant development in a series of spaceflight experiments on the International Space Station. The main goal is to understand basic mechanisms of how plants sense light and gravity. In the long-term, information from this project will provide insight into how to grow plants in the microgravity environment of spaceflight as well as on the Moon and Mars.

McCook, L., primary investigator

Collaborative Research: CSBR: Natural history Collections: Magnolia grandiFLORA, Digitally Linking Herbaria to Support Botanical Research and Education in Mississippi.

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $103,731.00

The National Science Foundation awarded five years of funding to our collaborative project to gather all the plant data from herbaria in the state and to display it in one on-line portal in a format that can be used by many different kinds of scientists, educators and interested citizens. The Pullen Herbarium, located in the Department of Biology at The University of Mississippi, is working with herbaria at Mississippi State University, University of Southern Mississippi, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Sciences and Delta State University. The project is called Magnolia grandiFLORA in honor of the official state tree and flower of Mississippi, as well as to highlight the comprehensive and collaborative spirit of investigators. The resulting data set will be used to develop botanical resources for Mississippi, including a checklist, atlas andfield keys, to address questions regarding invasive species, systematics, biogeography and other research areas, and to develop educational materials for K-12 teachers and students that can be integrated into the existing Mississippi science education framework..

Parsons, G., primary investigator

Promoting Crappie Recruitment in Northwest Mississippi Reservoirs

Sponsor: MS Dpt of Wild/Fish/Parks
Award Amount: $15,000.00

The project endeavors to describe black and white crappie activity patterns in Sardis and Enid Reservoirs in north Mississippi. Specifically we are using radio-telemetry to track fish over several months during the crappie spawning season. We hope to correlate various environmental parameters with crappie behavior, determine home range, and to identify spawning habitat in each reservoir.

Green, J., primary investigator

New Pathways: Education and Workforce Development for Children’s Health in the Mississippi Delta

Sponsor: Dreyfus Health Foundation/W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Award Amount: $41,000.00

Right From the Start: Research and Evaluation Concerning Disparities in Preterm Births

Sponsor: The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi
Award Amount: $12,500.00

The New Pathways to Health Program

Sponsor: Dreyfus Health Foundation/W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Award Amount: $165,000.00

The New Pathways to Health Initiative was developed to promote healthy behaviors and enhance educational and mentorship opportunities in five counties located in the Delta region of Mississippi, creating pathways for young people interested in pursuing careers in healthcare and ultimately improving access to care for vulnerable families. Despite the many health and socioeconomic challenges in the Delta region, there is substantial energy among a number of organizations to tackle these problems and increase opportunities for youth and community advocates in the area. The Dreyfus Health Foundation of The Rogosin Institute (DHF) first began working in the region in 2003, introducing its Problem Solving for Better Health® (PSBH) methodology, which draws on community strengths, resources, and participation to address health-related challenges. Building on prior PSBH projects and an ever-evolving network, DHF has partnered with the Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center, Inc. (AEH), Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce (ONW), Tri-County Workforce Alliance (TCWA), and the University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies (CPS) to create, implement, and evaluate the New Pathways to Health Initiative. Funding is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The CPS provides research and evaluation services for this initiative.

Right From the Start: Research and Evaluation Concerning Disparities in Preterm Births

Sponsor: The Community Foundation of NW Mississippi/W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Award Amount: $12,500.00

Right! from the Start builds awareness of preterm birth and associated health outcomes, advocates for the needs of vulnerable children and families, and provides action oriented and evidence-based education to improve maternal and child health services. Special attention is given to socioeconomic stressors, the importance of breastfeeding, and the creation of more mother and baby supportive health care environments. Activities are concentrated in the Delta region of Northwest Mississippi, but this initiative has the potential to inform work across the state. Right! from the Start is a collaborative program between Women and Children’s Health Initiatives and the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi. It is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies (CPS) assists with this program by providing research, development, and evaluation services through the Institute for Community-Based Research.

Cummings, R., primary investigator

Open Education and Collaborative Documentation Project

Sponsor: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Award Amount: $140,000.00

Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Institutional Consortium English Composition Course Specification Development

Sponsor: Association of Public and Land Grant Universities/Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Award Amount: $11,500.00

Cizdziel, J., primary investigator

Plant/soil microbe interactions and plant health in modern cropping systems

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service
Award Amount: $48,733.00

Glyphosate, better known as Roundup, is the mostly widely used herbicide in the world. Field studies are being performed to assess the impact of glyphosate on plant health (disease and nutrition) and productivity. Understanding how these interactions vary with cropping systems is important in the development of future technologies designed to improve plant-pest pressure and ensure economic competitiveness.

Dass, A., primary investigator

CAREER: Monodisperse Noble Metal Alloy Nanoparticles

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $650,000.00

Professor Dass and his students are studying gold-metal (Cu, Ag, Pd) alloy nanoparticles (< 3 nm, < 500 atoms). The chemical and physical properties of these nanomolecules are unique and different from bulk materials. This research will facilitate the understanding of these alloys in this size regime where quantum effects play important roles. These unusual materials have potential applications in catalysis, electronics/plasmonics, and solar cells as well as medical diagnostics.

High School Outreach Program in Chemistry and Biochemistry Summer 2012

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $8,580.00

Dr. Dass’s CAREER Award has a required educational component. Thus, as part of this educational program, Professor Dass and his students are developing a K-12 outreach program at North Panola high school that involves high school and undergraduate students in his nanomaterial research. These programs are designed to encourage the interest of younger and under-represented students in science careers.

International Travel Grant – Year 4 – EPSCoR

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $12,169.00

High School Summer Outreach for 2013-2014

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $5,000.00

CompBio-CompChem Collaborative MS EPSCoR Seed Grant Proposal

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $25,527.00

Seed grant to foster collaboration in nanomaterial research between Mississippi universities participating in the EPSCoR Program

Delcamp, J., primary investigator

Development of NIR Dyes with Novel Heterocyclic Structures for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells: A Combined Experimental, Computational Approach

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $53,000.00

Grant to develop novel organic building blocks for solar energy applications. The project will focus on concise, cost-effective solutions to current challenges in dye-sensitized solar cell technology. The building blocks have been judiciously selected for in order to collect sunlight in the near-IR region, which is commonly wasted. Computational analysis of these novel dyes will allow the prediction of future high profile synthetic targets.

Hammer, N., primary investigator

REU Site: Ole Miss Physical Chemistry Summer Research Program REU

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $300,000.00

This NSF-sponsored Ole Miss Physical chemistry Research Program will host ten students for a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) May 28th – August 6th, 2014. These students will have completed their freshman year of college at schools outside of Ole Miss and will work on a research project under the direction of UM faculty advisors. They will also participate in mini-courses and social activities with Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty and students. The director of the program is Dr. Nathan Hammer and the co-director is Dr. Gregory Tschumper. Other mentors include Drs. Steve Davis, Randy Wadkins, Robert Doerksen, and Jared Delcamp.

NSF EPSCoR Community College Internship Supplement (P. Correro)

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $1,430.00

Grant supplement to foster research internships at UM with community college students.

NSF EPSCoR Student Exchange UGA Supplement

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $1,496.00

Grant supplement to foster student exchange between UM and UGA

Advanced Training and Fostering Collaborations with the Biomolecules and Spectroscopy Research Group at Villetaneuse and Orsay, France (EPSCoR International Exchange)

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $3,647.00

Grant supplement to foster international collaboration with French scientists

Hussey, C., primary investigator

SISGR: An Integrated Basic Research Program for Advanced Nuclear Energy Separations Systems Based on Ionic Liquids

Sponsor: Brookhaven National Lab
Award Amount: $71,991.00

Department of Energy collaborative grant between Brookhaven National Lab; Argonne National Lab; Oak Ridge National Lab; University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and UM. The goals of this project are to study the use of ionic liquids as solvents for the processing of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The UM component takes advantage of our research groups expertise in the electrochemistry of ionic liquids and molten salts. Work at UM is directed toward the application of electrochemical technology to separate actinides, lanthanides, and other deadly fission products such as 141Cs and 90Sr that are produced in significant amounts during the burn-up of nuclear reactor fuel.

Alternative Plating Processes for Metal Electroplating Based on Ionic Liquids

Sponsor: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Award Amount: $107,632.00

Department of Defense collaborative grant between Oak Ridge National Lab and UM. Aluminum and its alloys cannot be plated from aqueous solutions because hydrogen is generated before aluminum compounds can be reduced to the metal. This project is to develop electrochemical-based methods for the portable plating of corrosion protective aluminum coatings from non-aqueous, highly conductive aluminum-based ionic liquid solvents. These platings are important for defense applications, e.g., corrosion protection of aircraft landing gear and radar equipment for naval vessels.

Mattern, D., primary investigator

Design, Synthesis, and Applications of a Uniquely Multi-functionalized Small Organoboron Molecule for Organic Synthesis

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $241,398.00

The deceptively simple small molecule diaminoboryl acetonitrile now joins the ranks of useful boron reagents in organic synthesis. By carefully manipulating the reagent’s ionic character, we can convert aldehydes into a series of alkenes having the Z configuration that is difficult to obtain by other means. This work has also led to the development of an acetonitrile reagent that can convert epoxides into 2-aryl allylic alcohols, another arrangement that is ordinarily difficult to obtain. Having such transformations available can facilitate the production of pharmaceuticals and other useful chemicals by synthetic chemists.

Pedigo, S., primary investigator

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need – Chemistry

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education
Award Amount: $133,266.00

“This program provides fellowships, through academic departments to assist graduate students with excellent records who demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue the highest degree available in their course study at the institution in a field designated as an area of national need. Grants are awarded to programs and institutions to sustain and enhance the capacity for teaching and research in areas of national need.” (from the GAANN website).

Tschumper, G., primary investigator

Modeling and Simulation of Complex Systems

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $755,946.00

Prof. Greg Tschumper is the Computational Chemistry (CompChem) focus area leader for the state-wide NSF EPSCoR award in MS. Experimental and theoretical chemists from UM, MSU, JSU and MC are collaborating to understand a wide range of complex chemical systems including the discovery of nanomaterials for new sensor technologies, drug delivery, and solar cells. Since September 2009, the EPSCoR program has supported 8 faculty at UM and enabled more than 20 undergraduates to participate in summer research programs with these faculty. Furthermore, an average of 6 graduate students have been supported during EACH semester of the award.

Modeling and Simulation of Complex Systems

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $718,603.00

NSF EPSCoR Supplement: Request to Support Graduate Student Training Opportunity

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $4,819.00

Grant supplement to foster training opportunities for graduate students at UM.

MRI: Acquisition of a GPC Cluster for Computational Science in MIssissippi

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $300,000.00

With this award, Professor Gregory Tschumper and colleagues Brian Hopkins and Robert Doerksen from UM have acquired a GPU-based high performance computing (HPC) cluster to investigate chemical reactions and the properties of chemicals and materials using theoretical models and programs. This resource will be operated by the Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research (MCSR) on the UM campus, but will be available for research and course work to students and faculty at all eight public institutions of higher learning in Mississippi. The scientific computations performed on the resource will be used, often along with experimental data, to model and better understand many types of complex chemical phenomena.

Salau, M., primary investigator

Northern Nigeria: Precolonial Documents Preservation Scheme – Major Project

Sponsor: British Library
Award Amount: $15,090.00

Buskes, G., primary investigator

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need – Mathematics

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education
Award Amount: $133,266.00

GAANN (Graduate Assistance in the Area of National Need). This grant funds students working toward the doctorate degree in the mathematical sciences. Particular emphasis is given to those underrepresented in the discipline. In addition to tuition and a healthy stipend, mentoring, advising, travel opportunities are also provided.

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need – Mathematics

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education
Award Amount: $134,172.00

Jones, N., primary investigator

Images of Adelic Galois Representations

Sponsor: National Security Agency
Award Amount: $19,999.00

Milinovich, M., primary investigator

Zeros of Zeta and L-functions

Sponsor: National Security Agency
Award Amount: $19,989.00

The study of zeta and L-functions is a central topic in modern number theory, and they encode a great deal of arithmetic information. Apart from number theory, there are also connections between L-functions and many other areas of mathematics including algebraic geometry, mathematical physics, random matrix theory, and cryptography. Extending my previous research, this grant proposal explores connections between mean-values, or averages, of zeta and L-functions to the distributions of their zeros and non-zero values. In addition, I explore some newer techniques which incorporate, among other things, recent solutions to some extremal problems in Fourier analysis.

Zeros of Zeta and L-functions

Sponsor: National Security Agency
Award Amount: $19,989.00

Spiroff, S., primary investigator

A New Higher Codimension Analogue of Hochster’s Theta Invariant [Or, Simons Foundation Research Collaboration Grant]

Sponsor: Simons Foundation
Award Amount: $35,000.00

The purpose of this funding is to promote research in the area of Commutative Algebra through the collaboration with international and national scholars. The grant increases the mathematical dialogue with researchers around the world by supporting travel to and from the Department of Mathematics at the University of Mississippi.

Nylander, A., primary investigator

Delta Leadership Institute

Sponsor: Delta Regional Authority
Award Amount: $917,400.00

Berti, E., primary investigator

CAREER: Physics and Astrophysics of Compact Binaries

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $92,000.00

“Advanced LIGO, an interferometer to detect gravitational waves (GWs) from astrophysical sources, is currently the largest scientific endeavor supported by the National Science Foundation. The primary target for the first GW observations by Advanced LIGO is the merger of compact binary systems composed of two black holes, two neutron stars or one black hole and one neutron star. The observation of these systems will start a new field of research: GW astronomy.

This project addresses fundamental issues in the physics of compact binaries, such as testing the predictions of Einstein’s theory of gravity (general relativity) through GW observations. Another goal of the project is to “”put more astronomy in GW astronomy” by reaching out from the GW community to the larger astrophysics community, and by training students and postdocs in a highly interdisciplinary field that requires knowledge of general relativity, astrophysics and GW data analysis. The students and postdocs supported by this grant are part of a productive international network of researchers, involving theoretical astrophysics and relativity groups in Cambridge, Lisbon, Princeton and at the California Institute of Technology, where the PI holds a Visiting Associate faculty position.

The long-term goals of this proposal are: (1) to improve our theoretical understanding of compact binary mergers, and (2) to explore the science payoff that will follow the first GW observations: what can we learn about fundamental gravitational physics, and how will compact-binary detections contribute to our understanding of the Universe?

Last but not least, a primary mission of this CAREER award is to promote scientific education in Mississippi. The award is supporting a five-year long outreach program consisting of lectures, multimedia presentations, hands-on physics experiments, visits to the UM campus and to the LIGO facilities in Louisiana. The outreach program targets in particular Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Community Colleges in the Mississippi Delta, with the goal of increasing the recruitment of minorities in the physical sciences.”

Cavaglia, M., primary investigator

Mississippi’s Participation in LIGO’s Search for Gravitational Waves: Getting Ready for Advanced LIGO

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $100,000.00

Cremaldi, L., primary investigator

US CMS FPIX SOW 2013

Sponsor: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory/U.S. Department of Energy
Award Amount: $20,000.00

QuarkNet Support 2012-2013

Sponsor: University of Notre Dame/National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $17,080.00

CMS Pixel Operations Support 2014

Sponsor: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory/U.S. Department of Energy
Award Amount: $20,000.00

Datta, A., primary investigator

Selected Topics in Quark Flavor, Neutrino and Higgs Physics

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $15,000.00

Selected Topics in Quark Flavor, Neutrino and Higgs Physics

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Amount: $15,000.00

Gladden, J., primary investigator

Elastic Constants of Selected Thermoelectric Materials at Elevated Temperatures

Sponsor: California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA
Award Amount: $11,472.00

Elastic Constants of Selected Thermoelectric Materials at Elevated Temperatures

Sponsor: California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA
Award Amount: $11,472.00

Quinn, G., primary investigator

Studies of the Standard Model and Beyond at the Energy and Intensity Frontiers

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Energy
Award Amount: $118,000.00

Support of W Mass Measurement at D0/Fermilab for James Krauss

Sponsor: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory/U.S. Department of Energy
Award Amount: $9,900.00

Intensity Frontier Fellowship on Muon g-2 and ORKA

Sponsor: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Award Amount: $26,400.00

Summers, D., primary investigator

Muon Accelerator Program R&D for a Neutrino Factory and Muon Collider

Sponsor: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory/U.S. Department of Energy
Award Amount: $68,353.05

Brown, R., primary investigator

UMMC Economic Impact Analysis – UMMC

Sponsor: University of Mississippi Medical Center
Award Amount: $48,223.00

This grant examines the economic impact of expanding facilities and graduates at the University of Mississippi Medical Center on the state of Mississippi’s economy. Using economic impact models, we project the economic impact of expanding the number of UMMC-trained physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and other health related professionals practicing throughout the state over the period of 2013-2025.

Holland, J., primary investigator

Promoting Economic Development through Capacity Building within the Local Food Economy

Sponsor: Appalachian Regional Commission
Award Amount: $30,840.00

“As the food economy in the Appalachian region is making the transition from an agribusiness model to more sustainable methods of farming and influencing the local area, the University of Mississippi proposed a multi-level, multi-disciplinary effort to affect public policy and policy implementation related to the food economy that stresses full social engagement and access to the local food system. As communities utilize local food systems and sustainable agriculture to assist in economic revitalization, it is important to understand the impact of its current state as well as provide capacity building tools to communities to promote economic development through local food systems.

To address these problems within the scope of this project, the Department of Public Policy Leadership (PPL) focused on three tasks: 1) establishing county workshops on sustainable & low input agriculture; 2) hosting the 2013 Mississippi Food Summit; 3) conducting a whiteboard session – Economics and Food: Building Mississippi’s Sustainable Agriculture Network- to develop strategies for creating a sustainable, local food network that will support producers, consumers, and other stakeholders.”

Rutherford, D., primary investigator

J. Joe Ferguson Geography Education Fund 2012

Sponsor: National Geographic Education Foundation
Award Amount: $49,373.00

The J. Joe Ferguson Geography Education Fund facilitates coordination and action among partnering organizations in order to engage young people in real-life, place-based learning that is related to exploration of environments, economies, and cultures and that applies such learning to the regional, national, and global contexts in which Mississippians live their lives. Current projects include: 1) outreach to K-8 students and schools with large floor maps of Mississippi, the United States, and major world regions; 2) collaboration with the nine other states that lie along the Mississippi River to produce teacher professional development programs; 3) collaboration with the Global Studies Foundation and the Mississippi Environmental Education Alliance to produce and disseminate a video on major forces of change in the contemporary world; 4) collaboration with the Mississippi Council for Economics Education on the International Economic Summit simulation for middle and high school students; and 5) collaboration with the Natural Resources Institute on the Upper Tallachatchie River Watershed Education Initiative which provides place-based education for students using watersheds as an organizing structure and a GIS as a primary educational tool.

Mississippi Geographic Alliance Programs and Operations Grant

Sponsor: National Geographic Education Foundation
Award Amount: $145,348.00

The Mississippi Geographic Alliance (MGA) seeks to improve geographic literacy in the state of Mississippi by providing high-quality geography education services. MGA’s work prepares Mississippians to embrace a diverse world, succeed I na global economy, serve as good stewards of the planet’s resources and understand the forces of change in the contemporary world so that they can meaningfully contribute to our participatory democracy and our shared economic interests. MGA conducts a wide variety of programs for schools, teachers, students, and the public that are based on market research studies and extensive networks with educational providers.

MGA Ferguson Fund 2013-2014

Sponsor: National Geographic Education Foundation
Award Amount: $54,691.00

MGA Programs and Operations

Sponsor: National Geographic Education Foundation
Award Amount: $156,423.00

Winburn, J., primary investigator

Economic Impact Analysis — University of Mississippi Medical Center

Sponsor: University of Mississippi Medical Center
Award Amount: $14,485.00

This grant examines the economic impact of telemedicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center on the state of Mississippi’s economy. We examine the scope and potential role of telemedicine at the Medical Center and use economic impact models to project the expansions benefit to the state economy.

Johnson, J., primary investigator

Geophysical Research and Excavation Support in Endangered Sections of the Feltus Mounds, 22Je500

Sponsor: Mississippi Department of Archives & History
Award Amount: $9,568.31

Two geophysical survey techniques, downhole resistivity mapping and electrical resistivity tomography, were used to map mound structure at a prehistoric mound site near Natchez, Mississippi. The results were used to guide test excavation in order to map mound structure.

Mississippi Mounds Trail Project, Phase I

Sponsor: Mississippi Department of Archives & History
Award Amount: $37,178.06

The Federal Highway administration is developing a guided trail so that visitors to Mississippi will be able to drive from Memphis to Woodville visiting prehistoric Indian mounds along Highway 61. Phase I of this project was to gather bibliographic and map data on the mound sites along the northern portion of the route between Memphis and Greenville.

Mississippi Mounds Trail Project, Phase II

Sponsor: Mississippi Department of Archives & History
Award Amount: $49,931.00

Phase II of the Mounds Trail Project focused on test excavations at the mounds along the northern segment in order to collect a sample of artifacts and carbon to be used in dating the mounds.

Geophysical Survey of a Portion of the UMMC Medical Center

Sponsor: Mississippi State University/UMMC
Award Amount: $17,259.18

The University of Mississippi Medical School has known of the existence of unmarked graves on the campus for several decades. We conducted a geophysical survey of portions of the campus which they hoped to develop in order to locate these graves. Magnetic gradient survey revealed the location of several hundred grave shafts.

Johnson, W., primary investigator

Intertwining Legacies: A Lecture Series on Jews and African Americans in the Deep South

Sponsor: Association for Jewish Studies
Award Amount: $22,000.00

The Association for Jewish Studies-Legacy Heritage Jewish Studies Project funded a year-long lecture series focusing on Jews and African Americans in the Deep South. The University of Mississippi was one of four institutions in the United States to win an award for the 2012-13 academic year. The Critical Race Studies Group assumed responsibility for bringing five scholars and other noted guests who engaged students, faculty and community members in ten events.