KU Research GO boosts a dozen projects across disciplines

LAWRENCE — Twelve projects have been selected for funding through KU’s 2024 Research Grant Opportunity program. KU Research GO aims to expand the university’s research enterprise by providing seed funding for projects poised to compete for external funding opportunities with application deadlines in the near future. The Office of Research received 50 proposals, which underwent peer review by KU faculty expert panels. Recipients represent STEM, social science, humanities and arts fields in departments and research centers across the university.

Projects are listed alphabetically by principal investigator:

1. Yoshiaki Azuma, professor, molecular biosciences
   Role of SUMO Modification in the Structural Organization of Mitotic Chromosomes Required for Accurate Genome Transmission in Mitosis

2. Elizabeth Corson, Fred Kurata Assistant Professor, chemical & petroleum engineering
   Recovering Ammonia from Wastewater: Electrolyte Engineering for Selective and Efficient Nitrate Reduction

3. Kris Ercums, curator of global contemporary & Asian art, Spencer Museum of Art; and Maki Kaneko, associate professor, art history
   STREET NIHONGA: The Art of Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani

4. Terry Loecke, associate professor and associate director, environmental studies; associate scientist, Kansas Geological Survey
   Geochemical and Microbial Controls on Methane Emissions During Variable Hydrologic Conditions

5. Zachary Mohr, associate professor, public affairs & administration
   Refocusing Election Administration Cost Research to 20/20: Understanding the Cost Structure and Cost Dynamics of Election Administration into the 2020s

6. A. Townsend Peterson, University Distinguished Professor, ecology & evolutionary biology; and co-applicants Rafe Brown, Jocelyn Colella, Lucas DeCicco, Richard Glor, Dianna Kresja, Ana Motta and Robert Moyle
   Climate Change Impacts on Terrestrial Vertebrates of the Great Plains: Measuring Biodiversity Change on Continental Scales

7. Muhammad Raza, associate professor, child language program
   Family-based Genetic Study of Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

8. Panying Rong, associate professor, speech-language-hearing: sciences & disorders
   Toward a Precision Medicine Approach to Improve the Assessment and Management of Progressive Motor Speech Disorders in Individuals with Neurodegenerative Diseases

9. Joshua Roundy, associate professor, civil, environmental & architectural engineering; and Sam Zipper, assistant scientist, Kansas Geological Survey
   Hydrologic Stable States Analysis

10. Maria Velasco, professor, visual art
    Reclaiming Home: Remembering the Topeka Bottoms

11. Richard Yi, professor, psychology
    Neural Correlates of Art-Episodic Future Thinking (ArtEFT)

12. Hui Zhao, professor, physics & astronomy
    Controlling Dipolar Excitons in van der Waals Materials for Future Excitonic Devices