Findings Staff Report | Oct. 12, 2021

[Scroll to go directly to the list of available awards.]

For some time now, Assistant Professor Patrick Ray has been struck by an idea: Why shouldn’t the University of Cincinnati be the center of Ohio River research?

The city, of course, sits on the Ohio River, a waterway that impacts the lives of all 25 million Americans living within its basin. For many, it’s a source of drinking water and serves as the habitat for many, many living things. The river is a major corridor for industry and recreation.

Therefore, knowing what is in the water and how it is changing is important, says Ray, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, who has spent his career studying water in river systems around the world and is author of the World Bank guide “Confronting Climate Uncertainty in Water Resources Planning and Project Design.”

Ray has decided to turn his attention to the Ohio River, and he’ll get the ball rolling on that “center of research” idea with the help of a $25,000 Faculty Scholar Award from UC Office of Research. The Faculty Scholar Award is meant to recognize promising UC early career faculty, who are proposing transformative ideas that will shape our future.

“We pitched a database where we would gather every bit of information that we can about the Ohio River,” Ray says. “We want it to be queryable. We want it to be in GIS.” And Ray wants to make it available for anyone to use.

His award is just one of many given out by the Office of Research over the years—and it is time again for applications, with deadlines starting in late November.

Another award available is the Pivot Award, created for faculty who are mid-way or more through their careers and have a game-changing idea. Professor John Wolfer, who teaches fine art, drawing and graphic design at UC Blue Ash, was a recipient last year.

With his award, Wolfer has embarked on a multimedia art and research project called Indians and Cowboys. Wolfer is studying art from the 1940s, 50s and 60s depicting the American West. As part of his research, he’s scouring critiques, watching old Western films and traveling around the country to collect varying perspectives, including speaking with Native Americans on a reservation, visiting the Black Cowboy Museum in Houston, Texas, and talking to Midwesterners, who grew up watching Western television programs and listening to radio shows in the Western style. Wolfer already has plans to show his resulting artwork in galleries around the country starting in early 2023.

“I want to start a conversation,” Wolfer says. “Have people think about it a little differently. I'm really curious to see how this resonates with different perspectives.”

Yet another award available is the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Advancement Program Award, which specifically seeks to incentivize novel research, exceptional scholarship and the production of creative and performing art works that address issues of increasing societal significance.

Associate Professor Pravin Bhiwapurkar in the School of Architecture and Interior Design knows the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events continues to rise in the Midwest region of the United States. With an AHSS award from last year, he will examine heat-related vulnerability in urban communities.

It continues work he began in 2016 gathering data related to indoor thermal stress felt by residents living in different sorts of residential buildings in Cincinnati. He developed simulations with the data to better understand how residential building typologies and neighborhood environment affect vulnerability to heat.

This new funding will allow Bhiwapurkar and his team to explore the design-health relationship and establish a strong proof of concept of association with urban microclimate and indoor thermal stress in residential buildings.

These are just three of the awards available. There are several more. Read details on each of the awards, and how to apply, on the OoR’s Funding webpage.

University Research Council Faculty Scholars Research Award

What: Building upon the rich legacy of the University Research Council (URC), UC’s oldest and most prestigious internal funding program, the URC Faculty Scholars Research Awards are meant to recognize promising UC early-career faculty who are proposing transformative ideas that will shape our future in the areas of Arts & Humanities, Behavioral & Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Physical Science & Engineering.

Who: This program is for individual faculty at the assistant professor level and may be discipline-focused or interdisciplinary in nature.

How much: $25,000

Deadline: Letter of Intent due Nov. 30, 2021

University Research Council Graduate Student Stipend

What: Following in the Teacher-Scholar model of graduate education, this URC program provides summer stipend support to outstanding graduate students plus funds to support related research costs working in collaboration with a UC faculty member.

Who: This program is open to UC graduate students, who meet a few eligibility requirements.

How much: A total award of up to $7,500 is available to each applicant; up to $6,500 provided to the graduate student plus up to $1,000 for research costs payable to the department.

Deadline: Proposals due Dec. 15, 2021

Office of Research Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Advancement Program

What: Building upon previous investments in arts, humanities, and social sciences, the Office of Research seeks to incentivize novel research, exceptional scholarship, and the production of creative and performing art works that address issues of increasing societal significance.

Who: Faculty whose proposed activities fall within the areas of the arts, humanities and social sciences.

How much: Up to $10,000

Deadline: Proposals due Dec. 15, 2021

Office of Research Collaborative Research Advancement Program: Pilot Grants

What: Consistent with Office of Research goals to spur interdisciplinary research and establish new partnerships within and beyond the institution, this program is designed to seed collaborative research endeavors to help develop research to the point where external funding can be obtained.

Who: Faculty teams

How much: $25,000

Deadline: Letters of Intent due Feb. 1, 2022

University Research Council Faculty Research Pivot Grants

What: The URC Faculty Research Pivot Grants are targeted to mid-career and beyond faculty who are proposing transformative new ideas and directions for their research, scholarship and creative activities.

Who: Mid-career and beyond faculty involved in any area of research that is either discipline-focused or interdisciplinary in nature.

How much: $15,000

Deadline: Letter of Intent due April 11, 2022