UCR Research and Economic Development Newsletter:  January 28, 2017

Michael Pazzani

Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development

http://research.ucr.edu

Back Issues of Newsletter: http://research.ucr.edu/vcr/newsletters.aspx

Grant Opportunity Search: http://pivot.cos.com

 


·         NSF CAREER AWARDs

·         Book Smart and Street Smart: What Can We Learn About Human Memory from Pokémon?:  Feb 22, 2pm

·         NSF funding for 2016

·         UCR funding to date in FY 2017

·         Resource Implementations for Data Intensive Research in the Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences (RIDIR)

·         Center for Advanced Neuroimaging (CAN) Building Dedication – 1/30/17

·         Lunch Research Meetings:  IMMIGATION (NEW), Sustainability (Moved):  High Performance Computing; BRAIN;

·         Australia: Fairy Wrens


NSF CAREER Awards

 

I recently looked at NSF databases.  Here’s one statistic that jumped out at me.  UCR is tied with Berkeley for the number of active CAREER awards of University of California Campuses (and has at least 50% more than Irvine, Davis, or Santa Barbara). 

 

UC Riverside

34

UC Berkeley

34

UC San Diego

33

UCLA

30

UC Irvine

22

UC Davis

21

UC Santa Barbara

20

UC Merced

9

UC Santa Cruz

7

UC San Francisco

3

 

This year, six UCR faculty to date have been recipients of NSF CAREER awards.  Congratulations to the following.

 

Fokwa, Boniface                        

CAREER: Rational Design of Magnetic Materials Featuring Low-Dimensional Subunits                                                                                                   

Gabor, Nathaniel                       

CAREER: Optoelectronic Probes of Interlayer Electron-Hole Pair Multiplication in Atomic Layer Semiconductor Heterostructures                                                       

Liu, Haizhou                           

CAREER: Beyond Conventional Drinking Water Management: Control of Redox-driven in situ Release of Accumulated Inorganic Contaminants from Water Distribution Infrastructure        

Liu, Ming                              

CAREER: Advanced Optical and Electrical Characterization of Novel Van der Waals Heterostructure Materials                                                                          

Tsutsui, Hideaki                       

CAREER: Printable and Injectable Chromatic Nanosensor for One-Step, Naked-Eye Detection                                                                                             

Yan, Ruoxue                            

CAREER: Development of Novel-scheme Nano-optical Chemical Imaging Spectroscopy                                                                                                      

 

Three UCR faculty have not yet heard the results from NSF and I’ll update these stats when all have heard.

 


Book Smart and Street Smart: What Can We Learn About Human Memory from Pokémon?

 

Dr. Weiwei Zhang, Psychology 

2 PM on Wednesday, February 22 at HUB 355. 

 

 

Seminar Summary:

The two major components of human intelligence, fluid and crystallized intelligence, have been linked to working memory and long-term memory, respectively. Although the two memory system are traditionally believed to operate independently, some recent research suggest close interactions between the two systems. We conducted a series of experiments assessing how existing long-term memory affects working memory using Pokemon characters. Our results from three studies suggest that prior stimulus familiarity increases the speed and the amount of information we could process on a moment by moment basis. In another word, book smart could lead to street smart. 

 

Bio:  

Dr. Zhang received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Iowa. He joined faculty at the Department of Psychology here at UCR in 2012. The research program in Dr. Zhang’s laboratory focuses on perception, memory, and higher cognition using multiple Cognitive Neuroscience methods, including eye tracking, EEG, non-invasive brain stimulation, and fMRI. 

 

The seminar is free and open to the public.  No registration is required.  Light refreshments will be available and seating is limited. 

 


NSF funding for 2016

 

NSF also released data (https://dellweb.bfa.nsf.gov/) on top universities with NSF funding and program acceptance rates.  UCR was ranked 54th of all universities, up from 70th in 2013 with  $33M in 2016 up  from $18.8M in 2012.  This increase of $14.2M is the largest increase of any UC campus (and two campuses, UC Davis, UCSD declined).  In the rise from 70th to 54th, UCR passed Colorado State University, University of Massachusetts Amherst,  Northeastern University, Clemson University, , SUNY at Buffalo, Scripps Inst of Oceanography, SUNY at Stony Brook, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Brown University, Vanderbilt University, University of New Mexico, University of Pittsburgh, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Notre Dame, University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus,  and University of California-Santa Cruz. (The universities in italics are AAU universities).

 

UCR’s funding from all sources continues to increase.  This funding provides support for graduate students, advanced equipment, travel, etc.   Below is a chart shows total funded awarded each year.

cid:image002.png@01D27964.8352AE10

 

Facilities and Administrative Costs (F&A, i.e., overhead) are of increasing importance e.g., in paying for new buildings at UCR.  The F&A awarded to UCR as part of external grants is also increasing. (Note: While F&A awarded is increasing, UCR can’t spend and distribute F&A until the corresponding grant funds are spent).

cid:image004.png@01D27964.8352AE10

 


UCR Funding Stats

UCR’s fiscal year started July 1.   In the first six month of the year,  UCR received $72.5M in new awards, on track to exceed last year’s record. (we often get large grants late in year).  

 

Below, is a ranking of Colleges/Units by research funding for the first six months.

 

·         College of Nat & Agr Sciences                                  28,730,193

·         Bourns College of Engineering                                 20,739,805

·         School of Medicine                                                      9,502,776

·         Coll of Hum, Arts & Social Sci                                     2,989,348

·         Graduate School of Education                                     2,463,527

·         Graduate Division                                                        1,790,000

·         Vice ChancellorStudent Affairs                                    1,532,969

·         Vice Chancellor - Research                                          1,394,621

·         Business & Administrative Serv                                   1,070,938

·         UC MEXUS                                                                    1,017,837

·         School of Public Policy                                                     406,116

·         Undergraduate Education                                               280,941

·         University Extension                                                        100,000

·         School of Business Administrat                                           6,396

 

Below, is a ranking of Departments/Center by research funding in the first half of this year.

 

·         SOM Research                                   6,912,967

·         Computer Science & Engin                 5,466,415

·         Electrical & Computer  Eng                5,236,293

·         Entomology                                         5,111,234

·         Physics and Astronomy                       4,187,563

·         Chemistry                                            3,888,139

·         Plant Pathology & Microbiology         3,775,349

·         CE-CERT                                              3,627,731

·         Botany and Plant Sciences                 3,022,243

·         Mechanical Engineering                    2,853,305

·         SOM Neuroscience                             2,536,378

·         Graduate School of Education            2,463,527

·         Chemical/Environ. Engin                    2,150,740

·         Graduate Division                              1,790,000

·         Earth Sciences                                     1,540,385

·         Psychology                                           1,449,948

·         Biochemistry                                       1,314,299

·         Bioengineering                                    1,225,321

·         Biology                                                1,161,198

·         Office of TRIO Programs                   1,148,176

·         UC MEXUS                                           1,122,510

·         Early Childhood Services                    1,070,938

·         Institute of Genomics                          1,068,709

·         Environmental Sciences                      1,009,192

·         RED Research Centers                          739,948

·         Mathematics                                         665,275

·         Statistics                                                622,172

·         Gluck Administration                             556,444

·         Technology Partnerships                      500,000

·         Nematology                                           442,806

·         One Health Center                                373,333

·         Univ Eastside Commun Collab              334,793

·         Ctr for Conservation Biology                 282,047

·         Undergraduate Education                     257,611

·         Cell Biology & Neuroscience                 254,687

·         CNAS Dean's Office                               250,086

·         Economics                                              192,697

·         Engineering - Dean's Office                   180,000

·         History                                                     169,568

·         Agricultural Operations                          134,808

·         Ethnic Studies                                         126,048

·         UNEX-Education                                    100,000

·         Cntr for Ideas and Society                     100,000

·         History of Art                                            66,152

·         Philosophy                                                62,742

·         Biomedical Sciences                                53,431

·         Anthropology                                            50,794

·         Sociology                                                  50,000

·         Religious Studies                                      50,000

·         Financial Aid                                             50,000

·         Music                                                        32,819

·         English                                                      32,819

·         Dance                                                         32,819

·         SPP - Dean's Office                                   32,783

·         University Writing Program                       23,330

·         UCR ARTSBlock                                         15,000

·         School of Business Administrat                    6,396

·         Hispanic Studies                                          1,500

 

Note: In this data, CoPIs get partial credit for grants.  For example, if a researcher in statistics collaborates with a researcher in SOM, both get partial credit and similarly their departments and colleges get partial credit.  This is done in recognition that many efforts are collaborative and cross department and college boundaries.


Resource Implementations for Data Intensive Research in the Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences (RIDIR)

 

Full Proposal Deadline Date: February 27, 2017

Program Guidelines: NSF 15-602

 

As part of NSF’s Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and Engineering (CIF21) activity, the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) seeks to develop user-friendly large-scale next-generation data resources and relevant analytic techniques to advance fundamental research in SBE areas of study. Successful proposals will, within the financial resources provided by the award, construct such databases and/or relevant analytic techniques ...
More at
https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505168&WT.mc_id=USNSF_50&WT.mc_ev=click

If you want help finding a collaborator, please contact me.

 

 


Center for Advanced Neuroimaging (CAN) Building Dedication – 1/30/17

 

Please join us for the Dedication Ceremony and tours of the Center for Advanced Neuroimaging (CAN) on Monday, January 30, 2017, followed by a lecture presented by Dr. Roderic Pettigrew, Director, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health

 

9:45 a.m. 

Tours of the Center for Advanced Neuroimaging

10:15 a.m. 

Dedication Ceremony
UCR Center for Advanced Neuroimaging
(located immediately south of the UCR Psychology building)

11:00 a.m. 

Lecture Presented by Dr. Roderic Pettigrew
Director, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
National Institutes of Health
UCR Genomics Auditorium 1102A

 

Complimentary parking is available in Parking Lot 6.

 

The Center for Advanced Neuroimaging (CAN) is a newly established MRI imaging facility that is aimed at providing state-of-art capabilities for neuroimaging and other applications of MRI. It is equipped with a state-of-art 3T MRI scanner (Siemens Prisma) for human imaging and will soon be equipped with an insert for small animal imaging. Furthermore, it is staffed with 3 highly experienced full time support staff. The techniques that are available include structural imaging, functional brain imaging, perfusion imaging, diffusion imaging, susceptibility imaging, and in vivo MR spectroscopy. These techniques are expected to play critical roles in noninvasive studies of brain and other organs.

 

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2017 Faculty Networking Lunches

 

Due to other campus meetings on Monday, the Sustainability Lunch has been moved to Feb 27.

 

Neuroscience on 2/6/17 (register here: https://brain-lunch.eventbrite.com)

High Performance Computing on 2/13/17 (register here:  https://high_performance_computing.eventbrite.com)

Sustainability Research and Education on 2/27/17 (register here: https://sustainability-lunch.eventbrite.com)

Immigration: Research on immigration  3/6/17 (register here. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ucr-immigation-research-discussion-tickets-31567187307

 

More to be announced soon.  The goal is get faculty with common interests to meet each other in an informal setting and discuss possible collaborations. 

 

The new immigration lunch is intended to be broad covering all aspects of research on immigration populations as well as immigration policy.  It will catered by a local Persian restaurant and include vegetarian and halal dishes.

 

 

 


Australia: Fairy Wrens

 

I will go bird watching in the US again someday soon (after my binoculars are repaired since the coating deteriorated due to my using DEET as  mosquito repellent).  In the meantime, here are some photos of Australia’s fairy wrens from my recent trip.

 

We didn't have a list of birds we 'needed' to see before we left.  We did buy an app to help identify birds and found out about Australia’s fairy-wrens. They are somewhat common but still spectacularly colorful birds.  They also aren't particularly shy, but the variegated prefers dense shrubbery. We found three varieties.

 

 

 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jhVStzuxcS8/WH7a7Z0QrBI/AAAAAAAAJVo/DDKarm4EQpE/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png 

Variegated Fairy-wren

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9dhT0dCRzZM/WH7a-ktj-NI/AAAAAAAAJVs/pturIR6Xcw4/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png 

Superb Fairy-wren

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VqUnZvvYVZY/WH7a_--wVoI/AAAAAAAAJVw/RDePwnzHAbU/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png 

Red-backed Fairy-wren

 

 

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