Research at UM-Flint

We’re happy to announce that the 2nd annual Student Research Conference was a huge success! In total, close to 100 undergraduate and graduate students (double the amount of the first year) came together for a day of oral and poster presentations. It was truly a celebration of the many contributions students make to research.

There were many hands involved in making today so special. First, thanks to Mary Deibis for all of her hard work.

Special thanks to the following individuals and departments for making today’s event possible:

Dr. Ruth Person
Dr. Gerard Voland
Dr. Vahid Lofti
Dr. Terry Van Allen and the Office of Research staff
Dr. Mary Jo Sekelsky
Associate Provost Chris Waters
Brad Maki and the Office of Graduate Programs staff
Maureen Thum and Laura Staudacher of the Honors Program
The Riverfront Event Center Staff
Epoch Catering
Marilyn Christensen and the Printing Services staff
Melissa Storch and the Mediated Classroom Service staff
Jan Worth and Sandy Alberto of the Thompson Center for Learning & Teaching
Jennifer Hogan and the University Relations staff

Additional thanks to today’s volunteers:

Erin Kingsley
Nina Chaney
Sue Montenegro
Endia Santee
Patty Tracy
Dr. Amy Gresock
Kathy Bloink
Tracy Wacker
Sandy Alberto
Dr. Heather Roebuck
Dr. Denise Dedman
Dr. Monique Wilhelm
Jameel Amoudi
Andrea Yinger
The many departments who loaned out easels

Finally, thanks to all the students and faculty for all of your hard work and efforts.

Join us again next year!

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Filed under: Campus News, Conferences

The Office of Research is pleased to announce that Mr. Dave Childers will be on the U of M Flint campus to provide statistics support to faculty, staff, and students working on research projects.  Dave is a part of the Center for Statistical Consultation and Research (CSCAR) team in Ann Arbor, and will be available for appointments on our campus the SECOND WEDNESDAY of each month.  To schedule an appointment to see Dave, please contact our office at 810.762.3383 or at research@umflint.edu

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Filed under: Campus News, CSCAR, Services

The Office of Research is pleased to announce that the office has surpassed $5 million in grant awards for FY 2012, which is the highest level of sponsored funding in the history of UM-Flint. This is a remarkable achievement of success in the times of federal and state budget cuts. We wish to express our sincere appreciation to all faculty and staff who have been awarded sponsored grants and contracts for FY 2012. We wish to say “congratulations” to our wonderful faculty and staff. We wish to thank the university’s leadership and senior officials for their outstanding support of academic affairs, research, and sponsored programs.

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Filed under: Campus News, Funding Opportunities

From Mel Serow, University Relations:

If you live in an older house, you may have wondered who lived there before you moved in. UM-Flint students are currently working in the archives of the City of Grand Blanc Heritage Museum and older city neighborhoods, doing research that will identify who lived in or actually built some of the houses that date back to the 1800s.

The Grand Blanc Historic Resource Survey is a research project jointly conducted by Thomas Henthorn of the Department of History and Greg Rybarcyzk of Earth and Resource Sciences. In March 2011, the city of Grand Blanc hired Professors Henthorn and Rybarcyzk to conduct an investigation of historic structures in the city. The result of this investigation will be an inventory of historic properties and maps that detail the location of structures and historic neighborhoods. These types of surveys are used by local governments as a planning tool. By locating historic properties and places within a municipality, local governments are better prepared to protect historic places.

For the next year, students from UM-Flint will be in Grand Blanc conducting archival research and field work to trace the genealogy of the historic homes and structures.

“This is a great way to get research experience by being able to get out of the classroom and work closely with your classmates,” noted history major Renee Gonzales. “It’s a unique perspective on history, and definitely a unique class.”

History Major Jason Lorenz says he is doing something that matters, and the research will produce results that can be shared with many other people.

“So much of what we learn is from other people’s papers,” according to Lorenz. “When you do your own research, with each step you find something new, and you become more interested in it.”

“We are providing experiential learning opportunities for students in a number of ways,” remarked Henthorn.

Some students are being employed as student researchers through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program from the Office of Research. Other students are aiding in the survey through coursework such as the class assignment in Henthorn’s “Introduction to Historic Preservation.” In both cases, students visit a variety of archival repositories such as the Genesee County Register of Deeds, Grand Blanc Heritage Museum, or Flint Public Library. Students then conduct fieldwork to photograph properties and record their physical features.

Beginning in January, students from Earth and Resource Sciences will begin creating maps based on the research conducted in the fall.

The contract is being funded by a Community Foundation of Greater Flint Grant.

Source

Several of Dr. Henthorn’s students have been provided research funding through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program.

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Filed under: Campus News, Funding Opportunities, Undergraduate Research

From the desk of Dr. Terry Van Allen, Director:

On May 3^rd, the Office of Research sponsored a tour of the Wind Park near Bad Axe, Michigan, where 48 wind turbines (each approximately the size of a football field) generate alternate energy for Michigan. Six faculty and staff, and ten engineering students toured the facility and met with representatives from Consumers Energy, Exelon Wind, and General Electric. The purpose of the trip was to educate students in wind energy and technology, and to build a collaboration between faculty and Consumers Energy engineers.

Dr. Van Allen facilitated the bus trip, discussions, and luncheon meeting with officials of the energy companies. Drs. Quamrul Mazumder, Olanrewaju Aluko, and Dale Tuttle, along with Deb White (Director of Extended Learning) and Greg Snyder (Purchasing Manager for contracts with Consumers Energy) participated in this event. Also included were several Engineering students: Anita Ainsworth, Pronab Biswas, Ed Howard, Andrew Johnston, Kerry Jones, Justin Ladd, Shawn Miller, Matthew Schneider, Saiful Siddique, and Evan Smith.

All energy officials and university participants believed that this was a highly successful meeting and that future collaborations will be developed between Consumers Energy and UM-Flint as a result of the discussions and tour. Christina Gipson of Consumers Energy is a graduate of the School of Management at UM-Flint, and Ms. Gipson organized this learning experience in partnership with Dr. Van Allen and the Office of Research. A future meeting is planned to discuss renewable energy courses and training between UM-Flint and Consumers Energy.

Click here to view photos from the event (Photos courtesy of Engineering student Saiful Siddique)

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Filed under: Campus News