EMU Today

YPSILANTI – Automatic snoring detection and prevention through a wearable gadget.

A study of self-control in early childhood and its implications for later social and emotional development.

The development of sustainable coal tar-free sealants for protection of asphalt pavements.

The role of digital communication in the use of religion to argue about gun rights.

And what about how wall lizards will behave when the cat’s away and danger is at bay?

That’s just a sample of the 40 research projects to be undertaken by Eastern Michigan University faculty members after they were awarded individual $12,000 stipends to pursue their respective projects this summer.

The Summer Research/Creative Activity Award (SRA) is intended to encourage and support the research, creative, artistic and scholarly endeavors of full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty during the summer months (May-August) by providing stipends of $12,000 for outstanding proposals in lieu of summer teaching assignments.

The Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents approved the 2019 Summer Research Awards at its regular meeting Tuesday, April 23.

This summer’s awardees (listed in alphabetical order) and their research topics include the following:

• Munther Abualkibash, (Information Security and Applied Computing). “Network Forensics: Using Machine Learning Algorithms to Analyze Network Traffic.”

• Eric Acton, (English Language and Literature). “Sociopragmatics: Towards a unified theory of meaning in language.”

• Muhammed Ahmed, (Engineering Technology). “An Intelligent Audience Response System using Smartphone.”

• Logan Bearden, (English Language and Literature). “Making Progress: Models of Multimodal Curricular Transformation.”

• Peter Bednekoff, (Biology). “When the Cat's Away: Anti-Predator Behavior by Wall Lizards Under Reduced Danger.”

• Adam Briggs, (Psychology). “Effectively Training Behavioral Technicians Efficiently: Preparing to Compare Traditional Training Procedures to those Informed by Recent Advancements in the Research Literature.”

• Nancy Bryk, (Geography and Geology). “Awakening A Sleeping Giant: Turning Around Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village 1980-1989”

• Jonathan Carter, (Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts). “‘Cling to Religion and Guns:’ Investigating the Role Digital Communication Technologies in the Use of Religion to Argue About Gun Rights.”

• Stephanie Casey, (Mathematics and Statistics). “Teachers' Designed Tasks to Develop Students' Statistical Thinking and Data Analysis Skills with CODAP.”

• Howard Cass, (Music and Dance). “Composition, Performance, and Recording of an Original Musical Score, for a New Dance Film Collaboration.”

• Catherine Gammon, (Health Promotion and Human Performance). “Eastern Michigan University’s Student Food Pantry: Usage and User Characteristics over Four Academic Years.”

• Sarah Ginsberg, (Special Education). “Case Studies in Evidence-Based Education: A Resource for Teaching in Clinical Professions.”

• Jillian Graves, (Social Work). “Get to Know my World: Photovoice in Westmoreland, Jamaica and Ypsilanti, MI.”

• Emily Grman, (Biology). “Publishing student projects on current challenges in prairie restoration.”

• Jenni Hoffman, (Nursing). “Evaluating the Design and Effectiveness of an Innovative Community/Public Health Nursing Simulation.”

• Christine Hume, (English Language and Literature). “Consider the Sex Offender and Other Essays.”

• Heather Hutchins-Wiese, (Health Sciences). “Frailty Index Calculation and Application to Health Outcomes in Meals on Wheels Recipients.”

• Dejuana Jackson, (Nursing). “Bridging the Gap in NP Education and Transition into Clinical Practice.”

• Siyuan Jiang, (Computer Science). “Automatically Generating Computer Programs.”

• Andrii Kashliev, (Computer Science). “A software tool for automating schema evolution of big data databases.”

• Tareq Khan, (Engineering Technology). “Automatic Snoring Detection and Prevention using a Smart Wearable Gadget.”

• Kasim Korkmaz, (Visual and Built Environments). “Integrated Structural Damage Assessment using Aerial Images.”

• Jamie Lawler, (Psychology). “A longitudinal study of the development of self-control in early childhood and its implications for socioemotional development and mental health.”

• You Li, (Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts). “Differentiating Native Advertising from News: Using Machine Learning to Discern the Integration Strategies and Content Characteristics of Native Advertising on News Websites.”

• Vijay Mannari, (Engineering Technology). “Design and Development of Sustainable Coal Tar-Free Sealants for Protection of Asphalt Pavements.”

• Christina Marsack, (Social Work). “State-by-State Policy Analysis of Advance Care Planning for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.”

• Christina Mirtes, (Teacher Education). “Concepts to Go!: Early Literacy Supporting Intentional Learning Experiences in Early Childhood Settings.”

• Meeae Nam, (Music and Dance). “Ground Work for Music Recording at the Mozart Museum in Augsburg, Germany 2019.”

• Deborah Pae, (Music and Dance). “Formosa Quartet Tours Hawaii, Canada, Asia, and California.”

• Valerie Pauli, (Nursing). “Usefulness and Ease of Interactive Video Technology Integration Among Faculty Members in Online Nursing Courses.”

• Ildiko Porter-Szucs, (World Languages). “Writing a Book Entitled ‘Assessing Language Learners: A Practical Handbook.’"

• Paul Price, (Biology). “Applying Co-Culture Fermentation in Antibiotic Discovery.”

• Amani Rashid, (Economics). ”How Old is too Old? The Welfare Effects of Extending Foster Care Beyond Age 18.”

• Rema Reynolds, (Leadership and Counseling). “Movin' On Up: Suburban African American Parents in ‘Good’ Schools.”

• Franklin Schaller, (Nursing). “Opioid Overdose Prevention Education for Eastern Michigan University Laypersons.”

• Hannah Seidel, (Biology). “Role of the Breakdown Complex in regulating the abbreviated cell cycle.”

• Heather Silander, (Health Sciences). “The Challenges of Applying the APIED Process in Community Therapeutic Recreation.”

• Tucker Staley, (Political Science). “The Impact of Coordinated Funding on the Washtenaw County Nonprofit Sector.”

• Angela Staples, (Psychology). “Bedtime Routine Consistency and Sleep Regulation in Toddlerhood.”

• Aaron Struminger, (Health Promotion and Human Performance). “Identifying Age Related Differences in the Shoulders and Knees of Swimmers.”

• Stephanie Wladkowski (Social Work). “Understanding Professional Boundaries of Interprofessional Collaborative Practice in End-of-Life Care.”

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.