Wednesday, August 01, 2001

WILMINGTON, N.C. – With state appropriations accounting for only 45 percent or $60.9 million of the overall $134 million annual budget for the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and with budget cuts looming, external sources of funding are increasingly important for scholarly research conducted by faculty and hands-on learning for undergraduate and graduate students.

Over the past 10 years there has been a significant increase in the amount of research being conducted by UNCW faculty and staff as well as the total number of external dollars coming into the university to support that work.

From 1990 to 2000 there was a 74 percent increase in grant proposals funded, from 51 to 201. At the same time, the dollar amount jumped 502 percent, from $2,079,668 to $12,514,813 annually.

Those individuals whose cumulative external grant funding has reached the $1,000,000 mark are recognized by induction into UNCW’s “Million Dollar Club.”

2001 INDUCTEES:

Troy Alphin, research associate, Center for Marine Science – Alphin and his colleagues study factors that determine what species make up marine bottom communities by looking at the effects of predation, competition, biological disturbance, water quality and introduced species on these communities. Other ongoing research examines the function of oyster reefs as habitat for fish, crabs and shrimp; the influence of dredging disturbance on bottom communities; and factors structuring the benthic communities of estuarine marshes.

Daniel Baden, director, Center for Marine Science – As coordinator of Harmful Algal Bloom Laboratories for Analytical Biotechnology, Baden studies harmful algal bloom toxins, like red tide and pfiesteria, which occur along the world’s coastlines, and looks at their effect on humans and marine animals.



William Cooper, department chair, chemistry – Cooper is investigating ways of cleaning and treating drinking water, wastewater and sludge using high-powered electron beams to break down hazardous chemical and biological compounds. In his study of surface water photochemistry, Cooper is exploring the reactions initiated by sunlight on the surface of the ocean, primarily the formation of hydrogen peroxide.

Michelle Howard-Vital, vice chancellor, Public Service and Extended Education – Howard-Vital is interested in employing emerging communications to enhance teaching and learning and to furnish access to a myriad of resources. She engages in scholarly activities that encourage educators to keep abreast of communication technologies and to ascertain how these technologies can support the teaching process and student learning. She provides leadership for the expansion of online, professional development and noncredit courses for the development of skills needed by a diverse citizenry.

Robert Kieber, professor, chemistry – Kieber studies chemical processes in atmospheric, river, estuary and ocean water. One project focuses on how iron is transported into the ocean from the atmosphere and how its chemical form enables it to act as a nutrient for microscopic plant life (phytoplankton) in the ocean. This process is important because phytoplankton uptake of iron is believed to play a role in processes that mediate global warming.

William McLellan, research associate, biological sciences – McLellan works with marine mammals – whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals – to better understand how they function in their aquatic environment. His work on why marine mammals strand on the beaches has helped researchers understand how natural disease processes cause mortality and how human activities may negatively impact local marine mammals. His research also investigates how dolphins regulate their body temperature, lending insight into the evolution of marine mammals by identifying features required to survive in the aquatic environment.

Steve Skrabal, assistant professor, chemistry – Skrabal focuses on understanding the behavior and cycling of trace metals in ocean, estuary, river and rain water. Metals such as copper and zinc are required nutrients for living things, but can be toxic at higher levels that might be encountered in polluted systems. Working in both the field and laboratory, he examines a range of processes that affect the behavior and potential toxicity of copper and zinc in the Cape Fear estuary, coastal waters and local rain water.

The staff of the UNCW Office of Sponsored Programs (formerly Research Administration) – Pamela B. Whitlock, director; M.J. Carver, proposal development coordinator; Sandie Moore, grants coordinator; and Michelle Starks, office manager – assists faculty, staff and administration in obtaining and managing external funding for their research and scholarly activities. These activities frequently extend beyond the university and are aimed at improving the quality of life for the entire region.

Financial support is provided by the National Science Foundation; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration including the National Undersea Research Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Sea Grant and National Institute of Standards and Technology; National Institutes of Health including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.



UNCW researchers who reached the $1,000,000 mark between 1994 and 2000 are: Richard Dillaman, professor, biological sciences; Steve Emslie, assistant professor, biological sciences: Richard Huber, associate professor, curricular studies, Watson School of Education; Lynn Leonard, associate professor, earth sciences; David Lindquist, professor, biological sciences (deceased); Karen Shafer, director, Science and Math Education Center; Larry Cahoon, professor, biological sciences; Steven Miller, director, National Undersea Research Center, UNCW Center for Marine Science; Ann Pabst, associate professor, biological sciences; Joseph Pawlik, professor, biological sciences; Courtney Hackney, professor, biological sciences; Robert Wicklund, director, federal programs, Division for Academic Affairs; James Merritt, associate director, Center for Marine Science; Martin Posey, professor, biological sciences; Steve Ross, coordinator, National Estuarine Research Reserve, UNCW Center for Marine Science; Alan Hulbert, former director, National Undersea Research Center; Ted Jans, former director, Small Business and Technology Development Center; and Charles Ward, professor, chemistry.