Research Awards

Principal Investigator: Yasin F. Elshorbany, College of Arts and Sciences

Sponsor: National Science Foundation

Breaking waves on the ocean surface is a dominant production pathway for aerosol mass over most of Earth’s surface. The sea-salt aerosols thus produced are known to be quickly acidified by atmospheric acids and acid precursors, and are highly enriched in organic matter and nitrate; they may serve as reactive media for photochemical and heterogeneous reactions leading to HONO formation in the MBL. Here it is hypothesized that rapid photolysis of particulate nitrate associated with sea-salt aerosol is the major daytime HONO source and is an effective renoxification pathway in the MBL. We propose to conduct field measurements, laboratory experiments and model simulations to test and verify the above hypothesis.

Principal Investigator: David R. Rosengrant, College of Education

Sponsor: National Science Foundation

This Capacity Building Proposal is a joint effort between the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and the Pinellas County Schools District (PCS). This project will tackle a wide-spread issue in K-12 education: recruitment and retention of well-trained, effective, and culturally responsive mathematics and science teachers. We will develop a program that results in a mindshift for future STEM educators to refute deficit thinking and see cultural, language, and identity differences as an asset.

Principal Investigator: Brenda L. Walker, College of Education

Sponsor: National Science Foundation

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) departments at four large state universities in Florida will establish an alliance to support the professional development and career advancement of underrepresented women in STEM at three levels: 1) doctoral dissertation phase, 2) post-doctoral, and 3) early-career faculty. As the Florida AGEP Pathway, the alliance will be comprised of the University of South Florida (USF) (lead institution), Florida State University (FSU), Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), and Florida International University (FIU) will implement an innovative model designed to enhance professional development opportunities among underrepresented women in STEM at the doctoral, post-doctoral, and early-career faculty levels. The proposed project also includes a longitudinal, mixed-methods, educational research component in addition to a plan for formative and summative assessment of the project.

Co-Principal Investigator: Lindsay Rodriguez, College of Arts and Sciences

Sponsor: National Institutes of Health

Lindsey Rodriguez, Co-investigator will be primarily responsible for providing input during survey development and programming for the measures related to alcohol consumption and related problems. Dr. Rodriguez will also be primarily responsible for statistical analyses, data management, and coordinating dissemination efforts focused on publications, conference presentations, and future grant applications.

Principal Investigator: Lyman L. Dukes III, College of Education

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education

This project will teach an online course on inclusion education. Dr. Dukes will serve as the ID/transition expert and will infuse expertise into the course designs.

Principal Investigator: Jordan T. Knab, College of Education

Sponsor: Florida Department of Education

The SEDNET Administration Project provides overall management, technical support, and professional development for the 19 local SEDNET projects. Through support and leadership provided by SEDNET Administration, local SEDNET projects, school districts and other stakeholders are better postured to provide intensive, integrated educational programs to include a continuum of mental health treatment services to enable students with or at risk of E/BD to develop appropriate behaviors and demonstrate academic and career education skills.

Principal Investigator: Jordan T. Knab, College of Education

Sponsor: Florida Department of Education

The state personnel Development Grant, hereinafter referred to as the SPDG discretionary Projects, will focus on increasing and sustaining implementation of two evidenced-based practices, Check and Connect (C&C), and the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM). Targeted student outcomes are increased school completion rates of secondary-aged students with disabilities (grades 6-12) including reduced dropout rates, increased graduation rates and increased academic performance. Additionally, as part of the other activities included in this proposal, the project will provide financial supports to Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teachers seeking to add certification of academic content to their teaching certificate.

Principal Investigator: Jordan Knab, College of Education

Sponsor: Florida Department of Education

This project establishes an evidence-based youth mental health awareness and assistance training program to help school personnel identify and understand the signs of emotional disturbance, mental illness, and substance use disorders and provide such personnel with the skills to help a person who is developing or experiencing an emotional disturbance, mental health, or substance use problem.

Principal Investigator: Kathryn Arthur, College of Arts & Sciences

Sponsor: National Research Foundation

This project collaborates with the people of the Boreda Gamo highlands of southern Ethiopia to integrate oral traditions, archaeology, ethnoarchaeology, and environmental studies to document their heritage associated with their sacred forests.

Principal Investigator: Lyman Dukes

Sponsor: City of St. Petersburg

A partnership between John Hopkins All Children Hospital (JHACH), the City of St. Petersburg, USF College of Education’s SMART Leadership Summer Camp, and USF St. Petersburg's Family Study Center is established to help support a quality improvement education collaborative for children finishing 4th grade. The project focuses on vulnerable children to reduce the education gap, and enable school success.

Principal Investigator: Jordan Knab, College of Education

Sponsor: Florida Department of Education

This project, sponsored by the Florida Department of Education’s Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, serves as a statewide coordination effort to create a network of local key stakeholders committed to assisting in the provision of a quality system of care for students with or at-risk of emotional and/or behavioral challenges. Learn more about SEDNET Administration.

Principal Investigator: James McHale, College of Arts and Sciences

Sponsor: National Institutes of Health

This project tests via randomized controlled trial methodology the efficacy of a prenatal intervention designed for unmarried, largely non-co-residential African American mothers and fathers expecting a first child together. Both child and family outcome measures will be assessed.

Principal Investigator: Karina Hensberry

Sponsor: National Science Foundation

A three-year program of research in collaboration with the PhET Interactive Simulations group at the University of Colorado Boulder, which is the lead institution for this NSF grant. Dr. Hensberry, will contribute to the development of computer simulations, support data collection involving these simulations in middle grade classrooms in Florida and Colorado and analyze data collected at these schools.

Principal Investigator: Barnali Dixon

Sponsor: Seminole Tribe of Florida

The goal of this project is to map and delineate selected habitats within the reservation to perform a spatio-temporal analysis in order to determine changes in landcover within the reservation over time. The results from this project will identify areas and habitats that experienced significant changes over time as well as areas (and habitats) that remained relatively constant over time. Identification and delineation sensitive areas (areas experiencing changes) and relatively stable areas (areas experiencing less changes) over time will provide insights into the ecosystem stress-response patterns that can be useful in developing long-term conservation practice and strategies within the reservation.

Principal Investigator: Jordan Knab, College of Education

Sponsor: Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services

Project 10 assists school districts and relevant stakeholders in building capacity to provide secondary transition services to students with disabilities to improve their academic success and post-school outcomes. It is the primary conduit between the Florida Department of Education’s Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services and relevant school district personnel to address law and policy, effective practices, and   research-based intervention in transition services for youths with disabilities. 

Principal Investigator: Alexander Brice, College of Education

Sponsor: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

Project BRIDGE will create training and resources for researchers and consumers to collaborate on aphasia research and treatment.

Principal Investigator: Lyman Dukes, College of Education

Sponsor: 3Play Media

This research investigates the educational value of both closed captioning and transcripts in lecture-based online courses.

Principal Investigator: Harold Heller, College of Education

Sponsor: Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County

This program prepares 5th grade students for the transition to middle school and supports successful adaptation to life changes.

Principal Investigator: Joseph Smoak, College of Arts and Sciences

Sponsor: National Institute of Food and Agriculture/USDA

This study uses in situ field efforts, remote sensing technology, and spatiotemporal models to quantify regional C storage and model future spatial variability of C stocks in mangroves and coastal marshes in Southwest Florida.

Principal Investigator: Thomas Whitmore, College of Arts and Sciences

Sponsor: Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Paleolimnological studies on lake sediments in the Kissimmee river basin to identify historical water quality conditions during a period of time when the lakes color and stage were in a more natural condition.

Co-Principal Investigator: Lindsay Rodriguez, College of Arts and Sciences

Sponsor: National Institutes of Health

This project evaluates expressive writing as a novel intervention for problem drinking among college students.