Previously Funded Foundation Fellows Grants
Many faculty have successfully completed a wide range of projects with funding from Foundation Fellows Grants. Below are brief descriptions of some previously funded grant endeavors.
Latinos in the High Country: An Assessment of Healthcare and Service Needs for Latino Families
Dr. Cameron Lippard, Sociology
July 2008-June 2009; Grant: $3,874.00
Lippard developed a research methodology for the local Latino Health Coalition (LHC) to assess heath care issues for Latinos in Avery and Watauga Counties. Grant funds were used to purchase software and a transcription kit, provide cash incentives for survey participants, hire a student to transcribe survey responses, and provide travel funds for Lippard to present at conferences in Boston and New Orleans. Lippard completed the data collection and analysis and presented the results at two professional conferences and three local gatherings. As a result of connections Lippard made while working on this grant, he was appointed to the new High Country Latino Health Coalition. He also obtained additional University funding to travel to Mexico to further study health issues facing immigrants.
Introducing Persona Dolls to Appalachian and the K-12 Schools
Dr. Linda Veltze, Leadership and Educational Studies
July 2007-June 2008; Grant: $4,996.00
Veltze requested support for training in the Persona Doll method and for the purchase of Persona Dolls. Grant funds enabled Veltze to receive training in Great Britain where she had the opportunity to observe how the Persona Dolls were used in four different settings. She also purchased ten Persona Dolls with accompanying materials. Veltze incorporated her training into a course she taught in Germany and two courses at Appalachian on multicultural literature. She also took materials to the Sister Library in Cochabamba, Bolivia, with instructions on how they can make their own Persona Dolls.
Macintosh's Logic Pro Licensed Training
Mr. Scott Wynne, Music
July 2007-June 2008; Grant: $3,500.00
The Hayes School of Music provided partial funds for Wynne's training in Macintosh's Logic Pro software for multi-track recording, mixing, and processing. Foundation Fellows Grant monies were used for travel, registration, and exam fees. Wynne received certification in Overview of Logic Pro and Logic Express, and Advanced Techniques in Logic Pro. The training provided a complete background in software used in the recording industry, benefited his coursework, and allowed him to research additional musical applications.
Expanding Bodywork at Appalachian
Ms. Marianne Adams and Ms. Rebecca Quin, Theatre and Dance
July 2008-June 2009, Grant: $5,000.00
Adams and Quin requested funding for study and certification in the Gyrotonic ® method of bodywork. Grant funding was used to allow Adams and Quin to attend a certified trainer course and a twelve-day foundations course. Both also completed over 200 hours of individualized instruction on Gyrotonic ® equipment. As part of their coursework requiring apprentice teaching hours, Adams and Quin offered free lessons to Appalachian faculty, staff, students, and community members. The grant directors plan to offer a selected topics course in the Gyrotonic ® method.
The New River Bluebird Project: A Long-term Project to Connect Behavioral Ecology Research, Citizen Science, and Teaching
Dr. Lynn Siefferman, Biology
July 2008-June 2009; Grant: $5,000.00
The goal of this effort was to establish a field site and begin data collection on a long-term research program on the behavioral ecology of eastern bluebirds. Siefferman previously obtained other University monies to construct over 200 nest boxes and purchase field supplies. Current grant funds were used to hire two undergraduate students to monitor the nest boxes at the field site along the New River. Siefferman has applied for a NSF Early Career Development grant to continue the project. She is also working with two local elementary schools on a Citizen Science Initiative, and has made presentations to five local community groups. Data collection is ongoing and Siefferman plans to present her research at national scientific conferences and use the bluebird project as a field laboratory tool in three of her classes.
Strategy for Improving the Health and Fitness of Low-Income Populations Using Public Physical Activity Areas
Dr. Stephanie West, Health, Leisure and Exercise Science
July 2008-June 2009; Grant: $5,000.00
West is researching the potential of free accessible parks to facilitate healthful physical activity, especially among low-income residents. This grant provided funds to pay cash incentives for subjects to participate in the study, hire a consultant to provide environmental assessment services, hire two research assistants to collect data obtained from GPS-enabled watches and accelerometers, and provide travel monies for West to present her findings at professional conferences. West successfully submitted a grant and received funding from the Be Active Appalachian Partnership for continued research in this area. After further analysis of the data, West plans to complete two articles for publication in at least one parks and recreation-based journal and one public heath-based journal.
