From creating a digital library of maps to returning ancient and modern Mayan art to the spotlight, and from educating teens about U.S. citizenship to exploring new medical diagnosis and treatment, the 2008 Venture Grant awards benefit a variety of endeavors at NIU.
The grants, made annually by the NIU Foundation and awarded through a competitive application process, are intended to support faculty in their pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and outreach to the larger community. Funding is intended as an investment in the imagination, intellect and dedication of NIU’s faculty and students.
Five Venture Grants totaling more than $54,000 were distributed. The winning projects were:
This proposal focuses on the development of a virtual map library of more than 97,000 artifacts that would further enhance NIU’s national visibility as an important center for digital resources.
Specifically, the project would serve several important functions: establish a digital archive of the map collection, preserve the content of the collection, provide access to the collection via the Internet and make the maps usable in an electronic format for travel and other purposes. In addition, the university is in the process of seeking approval for a new Ph.D. program in geography; this digital library would be a valuable resource to support the research of both doctoral students and faculty.
Funding this project would permit the development of an exhibition of Mayan art at NIU; a symposium conducted by four internationally known scholars; and a catalog in English and Spanish that includes extensive documentation of the significance of the artistic works in the exhibition.
In addition to the collaborations between the School of Art and the Jack Olson Gallery to mount the exhibit and symposium, the University Press would produce a permanent record of the exhibition at NIU and one being planned in Mérida, Yucatán. The project would provide the university with regional, national and international exposure via the two exhibitions, the Internet and the English/Spanish catalog. It would benefit students in numerous ways: direct participation in the project, exposure to Mayan art and interactions with experts of the genre.
The outreach focus of this proposal has the potential to increase NIU’s visibility and to connect the College of Law faculty and students with high schools, community colleges and community agencies within the university’s service region.
Purchase of the resources to deliver the national “StreetLaw” program would educate teens in northern Illinois about their rights and responsibilities as American citizens and provide them with information related to constitutional, family and consumer law. The program would be conducted jointly by the law faculty and the student organization. It would give law students experiences with making oral presentations, leading discussions, engaging in community service and translating legal concepts for lay audiences.
It also has the potential to help with the recruitment of students to the college, to secure private funding and to serve as the basis for funding from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC).
The basic research outlined in this proposal has the potential for technology licensing and commercialization of a biological product that could have a significant impact on molecular diagnostics and gene therapy.
Funding for this genome-related research would support the purchase of laboratory commodities and the salary for a graduate research assistant for one semester in conducting the next stage of investigations of ribonucleic acid (RNA) structure, and the ability of RNA to make copies of itself and to combine with other molecular structures.
These new approaches to understanding the cloning and combinational qualities of RNA have implications for the development of markers that could aid in the diagnosis of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Potassium plays many important roles in regulating physiologic processes that range from heart function and muscle contraction to the transportation of oxygen to cells in the brain and other organs.
Recent research has suggested that potassium might also play a role in producing diseases including stroke and cancer. The role of this electrolyte’s therapeutic effects in regulating the processes of the human body has stimulated research on producing new drugs that capitalize on the actions of potassium.
Funding for this project would support the purchase of laboratory commodities to support the next stages of research on factors such as genes and acid production within the body that affect potassium function and to help sustain the collaborations between this NIU researcher and researchers in Hungary.