Recipient Project Abstracts
Fall 2007
Technology-based
Research Category:
A Novel Application of Passive Integrative Transponder Technology to the Study of Animal Behavior, Information Use, Species Interactions, and Energetics
PI: William A. Mitchell, Environmental & Ecological Sciences; CoPI: Justin R. St. Juliana, EES
Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) technology will make possible numerous innovative research projects involving optimal foraging behavior as it relates to: species interactions, information, and energetics. The primary research technique involves measuring one “low tech” variable: the amount of food that mice consume under different treatments. With PIT tags implanted in animals, every experiment conducted will collect the following additional information: foraging time, harvest rates, vigilance behavior, and individual differences in foraging behavior (sex, age, reproductive state, etc.). The PIT tags and tag readers enable faster, more significant, more innovative research projects with more student involvement and greater potential for external funding. The technology also supports ISU as an institution of technological excellence.
Continuous Movement Measurement
PI: Jacqueline C. Shin, Psychology
Equipment will be purchased to create experimental configurations in motion analysis technology to measure reaching movements for novel research on complex and realistic limb movements. The configurations will present visual information, collect high-temporal resolution coordinates of limbs, and coordinate these two aspects. Over three to five months, we will create a prototype scheme, program individual experiments, and adapt the set-up for portability. Research on basic and applied issues in motor coordination among healthy people and neurological/elderly populations with motor control problems will result in publications and generate pilot data for extramural grant applications. The equipment will also be used to train graduate and undergraduate students.
Recording of Habitat Selection and Behavior of Hibernating Bats with a Remote Monitoring System
PI: John O. Whitaker, Jr., Ecology and Organismal Biology; CoPIs: Justin G. Boyles, Virgil Brack, Jr., & Dale W. Sparks, EOB
The grant will purchase equipment in support of a multi-institution effort to place remote monitoring devices in a southern Indiana cave used by federally endangered Indiana bats. This will be one of the world’s most advanced platforms to study bat hibernation and cave biology. This tool will help conserve an endangered species. A public-access website will provide an opportunity to learn about caves and their role in bat conservation while highlighting ISU’s pioneering use of advanced technology in the field and the role of experiential learning to solve real-world conservation problems. Data collection is a pilot for a National Science Foundation grant for purchase of thermal imagers for future research in the cave.
Emerging
Technologies
Enhancing Classroom Presentation Techniques for Displaying GeoSpatial Information
PI: Basil Gomez, Geography
Geospatial information has great utility; ranging from quantitative depictions of objects on Earth’s surface, through its use for resource management and land use planning, to the portrayal of forecast information. Common representations of Geospatial information include street, topographic and weather maps, infrastructure charts, and schematic diagrams of transit systems. This information is essential to our daily lives. Consistent with the Geography Department’s mission to provide students with expert knowledge, laboratory classes provide the means by which most students at Indiana State University develop the skills and expertise required to understand and interpret geospatial information. Equipment purchased will support an experiential learning approach that enhances student engagement with geospatial information in the classroom.
Enhancing the Correctional Education Experience through Technology
PI: Harriet Hudson, English/College of Arts & Sciences; CoPIs: Jennifer Boothby,Psychology/CAS, Kent D. Koerner, Life Sciences/EOB/Correction Education
The Indiana State University Correctional Education Program (CEP) serves a disadvantaged population, and is the third largest program in the College of Arts and Sciences. This project seeks to improve instruction in CEP by bringing technology into the classroom to improve the use of limited classroom time and provide a better experience for the CEP student. We have already secured 4 digital projectors and computers for this project. Therefore, funds are requested to purchase re-born cards, media carts, tripod projection screens, and replacement bulbs for the projectors. Initially, funds will be used to support a pilot program. We expect to apply for external funding within a year to support a more widespread adoption of technology in CEP classrooms
Building a Virtual House
Chul S. Kim, Technology Management
Construction management students must acquire vast knowledge about building materials and construction methods during their early academic years. Traditionally, they read drawings and make small models to understand these often complex matters. Utilizing a 3-dimensional computer-aided tool based on virtual reality technology, students will have a new way to learn how buildings are constructed. Once the system is developed, students will be able to build a house in a virtual space as they would in a real world. This allows students to experience the actual construction process without the limitations of time, cost, and other physical resources. The “virtual house” will be an excellent aid for teaching construction subjects.
Acquisition of a Tablet PC for Teaching Organic Chemistry
PI: Richard Kjonaas, Chemistry
Organic chemistry occupies a unique position in the course offerings at any university. Premedical students are among the many who enroll in this two-semester course sequence in order to build a foundation for the understanding of life at the molecular level. Unfortunately, the delivery of organic chemistry lectures presents some special challenges. Among these is the need for intricate drawing in real time. Tablet PC technology has potential to contribute significantly to overcoming these challenges. Paired with a scanner, a tablet PC can facilitate the use of in-class group learning activities. This grant supports the acquisition of a tablet PC, scanner, and external CD-RW drive for use in organic chemistry lecture courses.
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