05/17/06 Contact: Teresa L McCall, 334-844-7521 (whitmtl@auburn.edu)
David Granger 334-844-9999 (grangdm@auburn.edu)

AU OUTREACH AWARDS MORE THAN $100,000 IN GRANTS TO FACULTY

AUBURN - The Office of the Associate Provost and Vice President for Auburn University Outreach has awarded more than $100,000 to fund seven faculty scholarship grants for 2006-07.

The primary goal of the program is to provide AU faculty members with resources to connect their research with pressing needs of the state, said Assistant Vice President for University Outreach, Royrickers Cook.

Seven projects were funded out of 26 proposals submitted for the competitive, faculty scholarship grants.

“The Outreach Scholarship Grants Review Committee felt these seven proposals show enormous potential for connecting research to the direct benefit of external audiences,” said Cook, who is also the chair of the committee.

“These projects will continue to strengthen Auburn University’s commitment to improving the quality of lives and services for individuals, organizations, counties and towns throughout the state of Alabama.”

The seven projects selected for funding, the amounts and principal investigators are:

* Building a Professional Knowledge Community for Problem-based History Study in the Auburn City School System, $15,000, John W. Saye, professor in the College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Teaching. This project builds upon the Persistent Issues in History (PIH) Network which uses field-tested learning strategies and the power of interactive technologies to promote civic-oriented curriculum reform among sixth- through twelfth-grade history teachers;

* Developing a Viable Retail Food Service Operation at the Rural Heritage Center in Thomaston, Ala., $6,233, Robin Fellers, associate professor in the College of Human Sciences’ Department of Nutrition and Food Science. This project will support the Rural Heritage Center’s efforts to promote consumption of fresh locally-grown produce through a retail food service operation;

* The Twenty Thousand Dollar House, Phase III, $20,000, Andrew Freear, associate professor and co-director of the Rural Studio, School of Architecture. The goal of the $20K house is to design and develop a range of home plans and prototypes that can be built by local contractors under the USDA’s Guaranteed Rural Housing Loan Program;

* L.I.F.E. in Science: Leadership Institute for Females Exceptional in Science, $20,000, Toni Alexander, assistant professor in the College of Sciences and Mathematics’ Department of Geology and Geography. The program’s goal is to increase the participation of women in the physical sciences at both Auburn University and throughout Alabama by creating a network of women science professionals and students ranging from K-12 to college;

* Prime III Ushering in a New Age of Electronic Voting, $14,000, Juan Gilbert, associate professor in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering. The Prime III is a secure, multimodal electronic voting system that aims to address shortcomings in the election process and will be piloted in Uniontown, Ala.;

* Camp KEMET (Knowledge, Excellence in Mathematics Equilibrium and Technology), $18,000, Kimberly King-Jupiter, associate professor, College of Education’s Educational Foundations Leadership and Technology. Camp KEMET is a two-week summer program targeting underrepresented sixth and seventh graders from the schools in Lowndes County, Loachapoka Elementary School in Lee County, Tuskegee Institute Middle School in Macon County, and Edward Bell School in Tallapoosa County;

* Supporting the Efforts of the Black Belt Superintendents’ Coalition to Close the Achievement Gap, $16,000, Cynthia Reed, director of the Truman Pierce Institute. This project will support research efforts, professional development, organizational and leadership improvements, and other efforts focused on assisting school superintendents within the Black Belt region.

Auburn University is a preeminent land-grant and comprehensive research institution with more than 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff. Ranked among the top 50 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama’s largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs.

###

may06:AU-outreachawards0607