Grants & Contracts 2007: Showcasing Partnerships & Collaborations

College of Education & Human Development

One Size Doesn’t Fit AllResearchers evaluate changes to WIC food packages, examine food choices and behaviorBy Jenna Kujawski

Increasing Minority Involvement in the Broadening Participation in Computing Program Teaching math through cultureBy Tanya Nading

What Was the Deal in 1867?Creative curriculum for Texas’ rural schoolsBy Amy Klinkovsky

Leadership by ExampleTexas youth with disabilities receive training to become advocates and role models in their communityBy Kelsey Johnson

How Significant Weight Loss Impacts Bone MassThe effects of the loss on athletes and the U.S. Armed ForcesBy Tanya Nading

Walk the LineTexas A&M HRD faculty cross international borders to bring their curriculum to the worldBy Jenna Kujawski

Funding AppendixStatistical DataExternally Funded Projects and Grants

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From public schools to private corporations. From federal granting agencies to foreign countries. From the University of Toronto to the University of North Carolina - Charlotte. The College of Education and Human Development is forging partnerships and collaborations in research allowing the college to continue to address the importance of health, education and business across generations and across continents.

In 2007, we had 66 faculty and staff members participating in externally funded projects with $16 million in expenditures. Also, in 2007 there were 44 faculty members with $13 million in new funding awards. In the pages of Grants and Contracts 2007: Showcasing Partnerships and Collaborations, there is an opportunity to learn about six of the college’s research initiatives.

Our work with the federal WIC program addresses the nutritional impact the program has on the low-income families being served. This research program will address obesity issues for those living with lower incomes. Also, in health-related research, we have faculty members who are engaged in how excessive diets and workout regimens can negatively affect those in the armed services and those involved in athletics.

In the public schools, our faculty and staff are working with colleagues in other colleges and universities to teach middle school math in culturally relevant ways with the goal that more students will aspire to careers in engineering and technology. The interdisciplinary Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health grant has provided middle school teachers with creative, research-based resources for incorporating science, math, social studies and language arts into curriculum, and the project coordinators work with teachers to arrange scientist visits to the classroom.

Researchers in the college also are addressing another high-need education field with the Youth Leadership Forum — a forum designed to increase the leadership skills of high school students with disabilities. The program will spend the following year working with those students as they learn to hone the forum-learned skills and advocate for themselves.

And while our work in the United States is important, our research projects stretch beyond our borders. This year, we introduce you to our international human resource development programs and the important work being done in Saudi Arabia.

I encourage you to contact the principal investigators found in these pages. The featured story projects, as well as all the research projects listed in the appendix, are a reflection of the breadth and potential impact of our work — locally, nationally and internationally.

All the best,

Doug Palmer, Professor and Dean

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One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Jenna Kujawski

Researchers evaluate changes to WIC food packages, examine food choices and behavior

Would you like fries with that?”— the standard question American fast food diners are asked when ordering their ultimate cheeseburger. But, with a recent push to become a more health-conscious America, the familiar, greasy side is being replaced with apple wedges or side salads. With mainstream America having healthier choices, health experts want to offer comparative food options to families with lower incomes in need of nutritional intervention.

“ Dr. Lisako McKyer, assistant professor of health education, serves as a principal investigator of a three-year study aimed at determining if proposed revisions to the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) food packages affect the food purchasing behaviors or nutrient and calorie intake of participants.

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Food, like clothes, is not a ‘one size fits all’ concept,” McKyer said. “The paradox of being poor in America is that cheap, highly-refined foods are less expensive than foods that provide long-term health benefits. In the United States, the association between income and weight is inverse [lower income = higher weight].”

The other irony is that although the poor may be overweight, they can still be malnourished,” she added.

WIC currently has seven food packages available, including those for 1) infants less than 3 months old, 2) infants 4 months to 1 year, 3) children 1-5 years old, 4) children or women with special dietary needs, 5) women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, 6) women who are only breastfeeding, and 7) non-breastfeeding postpartum women.

The revised WIC food packages will contain new food items such as fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods and will be brought in line with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the new Food Guide Pyramid.

Important additions are the expansion of food choices due to the broadening cultural influences of food,” McKyer said. “Ten years ago the only place you could find soy milk was at specialty health markets. Now, they’re beside regular milk at the grocery stores.”

The revised nutrition education program that participants will take part in will allow McKyer to evaluate if having a better knowledge of nutrition affects their food choices and shopping behavior.

Many children have extended families in a single household where Grandma does the cooking, but Grandma may never be included in nutrition education programs,” McKyer said. “If Grandma learns to cook differently, then everyone in that household may experience improved health.”

McKyer added that since WIC began in 1972, it has not undergone any major changes.

Obesity, especially childhood obesity, is now clearly a national epidemic. Establishing healthy eating behaviors now is easier than changing unhealthy eating patterns later,” she said.

With mainstream America having healthier choices, health experts want to offer comparative food options to families with lower incomes in need of nutritional intervention.

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MCKYER, E. LISAKO (Co-PI), HLKNPeter Murano (PI), Nutrition and Food Science

Design, Implementation, Feasibility and Impact of a Nutrition Education Intervention Centered on the Revised WIC Food Packages

Department of State Health ServicesThree-year project with total funding of $221,996

2007......$24,888> eljmckyer@hlkn.tamu.edu

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Tanya Nading

Increasing Minority Involvement in the Broadening Participation in Computing Program

Teaching math through culture

Hot apple pie, turkey on Thanksgiving, baseball and the American flag are common images of American culture. The United States, a country traditionally known as a vast mixing pot of ethnicities and nationalities, is home to several unique subcultures that also consider a

variety of images when defining their culture. Cornrow braiding, graffiti tagging, basket weaving and rhythm wheels, for example, are some artifacts embraced by African-American, Native American, and Latino subcultures.

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All artifacts in youth subcultures have mathematical elements,” says Dr. Chance Lewis, an associate professor of urban education in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture. “For African-Americans, braiding hair is an important cultural artifact. There are many mathematical elements involved when simulating the braiding process.”

Using transformational geometry, part of a Culturally Situated Design Tools software program developed by Dr. Ron Eglash, an associate professor in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, Eglash, Lewis and research collaborators hope to broaden participation in computing related careers for students of color (ages 7-12) by using their culture to stimulate interest in math.

We hope to see an increased interest in future careers in computer science or another engineering type of career,” says Lewis. “We also want to train teachers to use a student’s culture to teach standards-based mathematics and to use this program to reach out to their students.”

Lewis has developed a quasi-experimental design to measure if students benefit from this new type of education and to see if they receive higher math scores after the program is implemented. With funding provided by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, Eglash and Lewis will teach the program to undergraduate students at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte so that they can enter schools in the southeast part of the country to help math teachers learn about and coordinate the program into their curriculum and gather the necessary data to fulfill the goals of the grant.

It is expected that the success of this type of intervention will improve research and education opportunities for all students seeking computing careers. This is the first year of a three-year grant by the NSF. Currently, Eglash, Lewis and colleagues are the only researchers to use this program at this magnitude.

We also want to train teachers to use a student’s culture to teach standards-based mathematics and to use this program to reach out to their students.” - Dr. Chance Lewis

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LEWIS, CHANCE (Co-PI), TLACTiffany Barnes (PI) and Ron Englash (Co-PI) with the University of North Caroline at Charlotte

Collaborative Research: BPC-D Improving Minority Student Participation in the Computing Career Pipeline with Culturally Situated Design Tools

National Science FoundationThree-year project with total funding of $319,196

2007......$20,046> chance.lewis@tamu.edu

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What Was the Deal in 1867?Creative curriculum for Texas’ rural schools

Amy Klinkovsky

Travis paused before a very old gravestone. The letters were faint, but Travis could make out “fought in the American Revolution.” Travis let out a low whistle. “That is an old grave!” He zigzagged around the close growing trees to a row of graves in another section, reading aloud. “1867. Died 1867. Departed 1867. 1866-1867. That was just a baby. September, 1867. Died, age 15 years, 3 months and 10 days, 1867. What was the deal in 1867?”

The deal was Yellow Fever; and, thanks to integrative curriculum modules created by the Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health (PEER), middle grade students in rural school districts have an opportunity to learn science, math, social studies and language arts while uncovering Travis’ 1867 mystery. “PEER began in 1999,” said Dr. Jim Kracht, associate dean for academic affairs in the College

of Education and Human Development and co-principal investigator for PEER. “The PEER team developed modules on environmental health issues that were built around mystery stories, such as the Backpack Adventure Series.” The series follows middle schoolers, like Travis, who own special backpacks, allowing them to travel to any time and location to uncover mysteries.

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The PEER team, under the direction of principal investigator Dr. Larry Johnson, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is made up of members from the Colleges of Education and Human Development, Veterinary Medicine, and Agriculture and Life Sciences as well as the Texas A&M System’s Health Science Center. PEER trained 804 teachers through module workshops.

Jan Fechhelm, who teaches sixth grade science at Cypress Grove Intermediate School in College Station, Texas, is one of those teachers.

The best part about the Backpack Adventure Series is the ‘real life’ connection,” Fechhelm said. “In Texas: 1867, the story takes place in Independence, Texas, which is not that far from where I teach. In fact, many of my students have been to Independence.”

The module includes the Backpack Adventure Series stories, possible lesson plans and slide shows that teachers can edit and tailor for specific class needs.

Like the mystery stories, PEER scientists’ visits to rural middle school classrooms stimulate interest in science. The visiting scientists also promote science careers. PEER scientists reached 1,522 teachers and over 37,000 students with rural classroom visits.

It is always exciting to get a visitor in our rural classrooms. All the hands-on activities are interesting to the students,” said Debbie Weir, the science teacher in Lazbuddie, Texas, a rural community located 85 miles northwest of Lubbock. “Students talk about the lecture for weeks.”

While the seven-year National Institutes of Health project has officially ended, the PEER team has funding from the National Science Foundation that continues to place graduate and undergraduate fellows in rural classrooms as science, technology, engineering and mathematics resources and role models.

Jan Fechhelm has taken advantage of the visiting fellows as well.

Over the years I have had the pleasure and honor of being a part of a number of projects through Texas A&M,” said Fechhelm. “Many of these projects have allowed me to stay on the cutting edge of educational knowledge. I simply do not have the time to sit and read the top educational journals, but in a 30-minute conversation with some folks at Texas A&M, I can catch up on the latest research.”

KRACHT, JAMES (Co-PI), TLACLarry Johnson (PI), Veterinary Anatomy

Integrating Environmental Health Science in Rural Schools

National Institutes of Health

Seven-year project with total funding of $1,545,687

2007......$13,145> jimkracht@tamu.edu

It is always exciting to get a visitor in our rural classrooms. Students talk about the lecture for weeks.” - Debbie Weir

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Postsecondary school outcomes continue to be a major concern for those involved in the lives of youth with disabilities. Research in the past decade has consistently shown that acquired self-determination and leadership skills promote successful completion of high school and transition from school to adult life (e.g., Algozzine, et al., 2001; Zhang & Benz, 2006).

Leadership by Example

Kelsey Johnson

Texas youth with disabilities receive training to become advocates and role models in their community

Successful stories from other states that have conducted Youth Leadership Forums (YLF) since 1996 have demonstrated that YLF is an effective model for preparing youth with disabilities to become advocacy leaders. However, the current YLF model lacks an adequate follow-up component to guide delegates in practicing the leadership skills they acquire during YLF training.

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Affiliated with the Center on Disability and Development, Texas A&M University’s Texas Statewide YLF project has created a new model that consists of three components: (1) a four-day leadership and advocacy skills training on a college campus in Austin with a visit to the State Capitol; (2) a plan-of-action session where delegates plan how to practice leadership skills during the training year; and (3) a follow-up component, in which delegates receive ongoing mentoring and participate in an end-of-year celebration.

Through an application process, the Texas Statewide YLF selects 30 youth with disabilities from across the state who are juniors and seniors in high school. By participating in YLF training activities, these youth delegates learn the history of the disability rights movement and new legislation that has been created as a result. They take part in career and employment activities and engage in legislative activities at the Capitol, such as a mock legislative session, a tour of the facilities, and meeting with state legislators.

At the conclusion of the training, delegates create a personal leadership plan with specific goals and objectives. Then, delegates spend the next nine months implementing their leadership plans in their own communities with YLF-paid advisors mentoring them along the way. At the end of the year, delegates share their experiences and celebrate successes at a one-day meeting at a camp.

The ultimate goal of the YLF project is to assist youth delegates in becoming inspiring leaders and role models for other youth with disabilities.

The ultimate goal of the YLF project is to assist youth delegates in becoming inspiring leaders and role models for other youth with disabilities.

ZHANG, DALUN (PI), EPSYMichael Benz (Co-PI), EPSY and Ann Reber (Co-PI), EPSY and Office of the Vice President for Student Services

The Disability Training Network for the TAMU System

U.S. Department of EducationThree-year project with total funding of $937,5362007......$312,095

Youth Leadership and Advocacy ProjectsTexas Council for Developmental DisabilitiesThree-year project with total funding of $275,0002007......$100,000

Youth Leadership Program TrainingTexas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative ServicesThree-year project with total funding of $75,0002007......$25,000> dalun@tamu.edu 11

Bone loss is often attributed to old age. Many young people may think: Why be troubled with the worries of tomorrow, today? However, there is a population of people in the United States who should start to worry now—soldiers in the U.S. Armed Forces and a multitude of professional and amateur athletes. Dr. Susan Bloomfield, a professor of exercise physiology,

How Significant Weight Loss Impacts Bone Mass

Tanya Nading

is working in close collaboration with Dr. Harry Hogan, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M, and Dr. Mary Jane DeSouza with the University of Toronto, to study the effects of voluntary and involuntary weight loss on the long-term health of such individuals.

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The effects of the loss on athletes and the U.S. Armed Forces

A study published about 24 years ago, looking at bone mineral density scans in young female cross country and crew athletes, found that these young, 20-something women had the bones typically seen in 50-year-old women,” says Bloomfield, director of the Bone Biology Laboratory. There are plenty of studies to how a sedentary lifestyle effects bone loss, but very few on the effects of exercise and diet, which makes Bloomfield’s research unique in the field.

An average person who loses 10-30 pounds through strict diet and exercise starts to lose bone mass, which begins to deteriorate at age 35. For young athletes and soldiers, who are under strict diets and exercise programs for a number of years, bones begin to deteriorate at an earlier age.

This bone loss may be attributed to low calorie diets and extensive exercise training for peak physical fitness, which often causes the loss of the menstrual cycle and estrogen, which can trick the body into thinking that it’s pre-menopausal,” says Bloomfield. “These are similar conditions that many new recruits to the U.S. Armed Forces experience during basic training.”

Bloomfield and her colleagues are looking at the impact of moderately restricted diets (20 percent decrease in food), highly restricted diets (40 percent decrease in food), and aerobic exercise, on bone loss in adult rats whose bones are comparable to human bones.

We expect that animals who are restricted 40 percent in their diets should show negative bone loss,” says Bloomfield. “And, we expect to find that a 20 percent reduction in exercise should be somewhat protective against bone loss.”

Bloomfield’s group is funded through a Department of Defense grant. The laboratory will seek future funding from the National Institutes of Health to study how bone health is impacted with resistance training in patients with Type II diabetes. The lab also hopes to continue with future military studies and will be submitting a grant to study NASA’s issues of microgravity and radiation on bone loss.

There are plenty of studies to how a sedentary lifestyle effects bone loss, but very few on the effects of exercise and diet, which makes Bloomfield’s research unique in the field.

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BLOOMFIELD, SUE (PI), HLKNHarry Hogan (Co-PI), Mechanical EngineeringIncreasing the Efficiency of Exercise Countermeasures for Bone Loss

Baylor College of Medicine2007......$310,000

Harry Hogan (Co-PI), Mechanical EngineeringImpact of Graded Energy Restrictions on Bone Health in Exercising Female RatsDepartment of Defense – Army – Medical Research & MaterialThree-year project with total funding of $904,4992007......$248,454> sbloom@tamu.edu 13

Walk the LineTexas A&M HRD faculty cross international borders to bring their curriculum to the world

Jenna Kujawski

Where in the world is the College of Education and Human Development? Everywhere. With study abroad opportunities for undergraduates in countries like Costa Rica and Italy and a teaching partnership with the University of Qatar, the college

has been involved in numerous international initiatives for quite some time. But now, the human resource development (HRD) program is setting out on its own international endeavor.

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In fall 2007, Gary McLean, senior professor and executive director of international HRD programs, traveled to Saudi Arabia to teach the second of five required courses as part of the Professional Certificate in Human Resource Development, a collaborative agreement between Texas A&M University and the Arabian Society for Human Resource Management.

HRD is the fastest growing field at the moment,” McLean said. “Countries like Thailand are grabbing at opportunities to collaborate with Texas A&M in the HRD field.”

McLean and HRD faculty Jamie Callahan, Larry Dooley, Toby Egan, Susan Lynham and Fred Nafukho will meet with students face-to-face for classes, with the first cohort of students finishing in spring 2008.

The Saudis are relationship-oriented. When they embrace a new professor, it is tradition to sit on the floor and eat lamb with rice,” McLean said. “You can’t do that over the Internet.”

In addition, traveling to Saudi Arabia helps globalize our faculty by giving them the opportunity to be in the midst of a new culture,” he added.

McLean is most proud that this international collaboration also will create interdisciplinary partnerships here at Texas A&M University. The HRD program is joining with the human resource management program in the Mays Business School as well as the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture whose faculty will provide English as a second language, math and science courses in Saudi Arabia.

In addition, McLean is looking at international partnerships with Taiwan, Korea, Mexico and St. Lucia.

I have a very realistic vision that we can create a totally integrated, global curriculum for students here and abroad,” McLean said. “I came here because this program is the number one program in the nation. Texas A&M is now the future in HRD.”

I have a very realistic vision that we can create a totally integrated, global curriculum for students here and abroad. Texas A&M is now the future in HRD.” - Gary McLean

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McCLEAN, Gary (Senior Professor), EAHRToby Egan (PI), EAHRMaster of Science in Human Resource Development and Professional Certificate in Human Resource DevelopmentArabian Society for Human Resource Management2007......$48,990> gmclean@neo.tamu.edu

Funding Appendix 2007Fiscal Year 2007: September 2006 - August 2007

Statistical DataExternally Funded Grants

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Annual Funding Totals Over the Last Five Years

Table 1

Local.........$236,910..........2%

State.........$3,274,243.......20%

Private.......$4,343,564.......27%

Federal......$8,270,167.......51%

Percent of Funding by Agency TypeTable 2

Total $16,124,884

Statistical Data

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2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

$12,379,603

$13,318,560$13,959,670

$20,902,707

$16,124,884

Percent of Federal Funding Broken Down by Agency Type

Table 3

Total $8,270,167

Other Federal Agencies..................................$573,965

U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.........$705,165

National Science Foundation..........................$1,723,933

U.S. Dept. of Education...................................$5,267,104

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Departmental Funding in Fiscal Year 2007

Table 4

Total $16,124,884

Center for Distance Learning Research

Health and Kinesiology

Teaching, Learning and Culture

Educational Administration and Human Resource Development

Dean’s Office

Educational Psychology

New Awards by DepartmentTable 5

Total $13,318,314

Dean’s Office

Center for Distance Learning Research

Teaching, Learning and Culture

Health and Kinesiology

Educational Administration and Human Resource Development

Educational Psychology

Statistical Data

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$277,450

$1,617,365$1,965,611

$1,989,463

$3,134,402

$7,140,593

$72,260$217,850

$1,458,311$1,489,941

$1,511,647

$8,568,305

Percent and/or Number of Faculty in Each Department Directing Externally Funded Grants and Contracts in Fiscal Year 2007

Table 6

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Key for Externally Funded Grants & Contracts

CDLRCenter for Distance Learning Research

CEHDCollege of Education and Human Development

EAHREducational Administration and Human Resource Development

EPSYEducational Psychology

HLKNHealth and Kinesiology

TLACTeaching, Learning and Culture

TAMUTexas A&M University

PIPrincipal Investigator

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Externally Funded Grants & ContractsThe 2007 externally funded projects are listed here alphabetically by the principal investigator’s last name. The department follows the name. Listed below each project is the funding agency and the annual level of funding, as well as totals for multi-year projects. Some projects have multiple principal investigators and will, therefore, be listed under each principal investigator’s name.

ASH, MICHAEL (PI), EPSYMental Health InternsBrazos Valley Child Development Program2007......$47,568mash@tamu.edu

Consumer StipendsTexas Council for Developmental Disabilities2007......$5,960

BENNETT, GREGG (PI and Co-PI), HLKNF. Adrien Bouchet (Co-PI), HLKNData Collection at Sunshine State GamesFlorida Sports Foundation2007......$6,500gbennett@hlkn.tamu.edu

BLOOMFIELD, SUE (PI), HLKNHarry Hogan (Co-PI), Mechanical EngineeringIncreasing the Efficiency of Exercise Countermeasures for Bone LossBaylor College of Medicine2007......$310,000sbloom@tamu.edu

Michael Sagas (PI), HLKNThe American Sport Brand International ExchangeDepartment of StateThree-year project with total funding of $840,0002007......$279,987

Harry Hogan (Co-PI), Mechanical EngineeringImpact of Graded Energy Restrictions on Bone Health in Exercising Female RatsDepartment of Defense – Army – Medical Research & MaterialThree-year project with total funding of $904,4992007......$248,454

BENZ, MICHAEL (PI and Co-PI), EPSYTexas A&M University Center on Excellence in Developmental DisabilitiesU.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Administration for Children & Families2007......$490,000mbenz@tamu.edu

NSBRI – Associate Team Leader – Bone Loss TeamBaylor College of Medicine2007......$35,000

Dalun Zhang (PI), EPSY; Ann Reber (Co-PI), EPSY; and the TAMU Office of the Vice President for Student ServicesThe Disability Training Network for the TAMU SystemU.S. Department of EducationThree-year project with total funding of $937,5362007......$312,095

Current Controversies in Exercise ScienceTAMU Honors Program Advisory Committee2007......$1,750

BOUCHET, F. ADRIEN (Co-PI), HLKNGregg Bennett (PI), HLKNData Collection at Sunshine State GamesFlorida Sports Foundation2007......$6,500abouchet@hlkn.tamu.edu

BROSSART, DANIEL (Co-PI), EPSYLinda Castillo (PI), EPSYGulf Coast Gear Up Partnership ProjectU.S. Department of EducationSix-year project with total funding of $1,629,9352007......$279,744brossart@tamu.edu

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BURKE, MACK (PI and Co-PI), EPSYKimberly Vannest (PI), EPSY; Richard Parker (Co-PI), EPSY; and Shanna Hagan-Burke (Co-PI), EPSYD2K: Data to Knowledge - Progress Monitoring in Behavior and AcademicsTexas Education AgencyTwo-year project with total funding of $1,100,7162007......$500,358mburke_aggie@tamu.edu

CASTILLO, LINDA (PI), EPSYDaniel Brossart (Co-PI), EPSYGulf Coast Gear Up Partnership ProjectU.S. Department of EducationSix-year project with total funding of $1,629,9352007......$279,744lcastillo@tamu.edu

Shanna Hagan-Burke (Co-PI), EPSYDeveloping Quality Personnel to Meet the Needs of Students with Emotional and Behavioral DisordersU.S. Department of EducationFour-year project with total funding of $799,7962007......$199,967

CHLUP, DOMINIQUE (PI), EAHRTexas Adult and Family Literacy Statewide Clearinghouse GrantTexas Education Agency2007......$999,999dchlup@tamu.edu

BYRNES, GLENDA (Co-PI), EPSYConstance Fournier (PI), EPSYSpecial Education Recruitment and Retention GrantTexas A&M University – Texarkana2007......$48,000gbyrns@tamu.edu

Texas Adult Education Standards ProjectTexas Education Agency2007......$299,431

CAPRARO, ROBERT (Co-PI), TLACJim Scheurich (PI), EAHR; James Morgan (Co-PI), Civil Engineering; and Gerri Maxwell (Project Coordinator), EAHRNorth Texas STEM CenterTexas Education AgencyTwo-year project with total funding of $1,200,0002007......$513,542rcapraro@tamu.edu

CIFUENTES, LAUREN (PI), EPSYCapacity Building in Antigua-Barbuda through Higher EducationStanford Foundation2007......$64,552laurenc@tamu.edu

CARPENTER, B. STEPHEN (PI), TLACOscar Munoz (Co-PI), Colonias, College of ArchitectureVisiting Artists as Social and Educational Change Agents: Step One of the TAMU Interdisciplinary Ceramic Water Filter ProjectTAMU Visual and Performing Arts2007......$5,000bscarpenter@tamu.edu

Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy Technical Assistance ProjectBarbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy2007......$31,731

COLE, BRYAN (PI), EAHRKelli Peck Parrott (Co-PI), EAHRDeveloping Institutional and Program Capacity in Student AffairsTAMU Office of the Vice President for Research2007......$10,000b-cole@tamu.edu

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A study published about 24 years ago found that these young, 20-something women [athletes] had the bones typically seen in 50-year-old women.”– Sue Bloomfield, Professor

To learn more about Sue Bloomfield’s work with weight loss and bone mass, see the story on page 12.

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CROUSE, STEPHEN (PI), HLKNFitlife Contract TestingParticipants2007......$31,854s-crouse@tamu.edu

DENTON, JON (PI), TLACAn On-line Alternative Certification Program at Texas A&M UniversityU.S. Department of EducationFive-year project with total funding of $2,178,4102007......$458,436jdenton@tamu.edu

Accelerate OnlineParticipants2007......$130,086

CUNNINGHAM, GEORGE (PI), HLKNDiversity in Sport OrganizationsTAMU Honors Program Advisory Committee2007......$1,750gbcunningham@hlkn.tamu.edu

Trina Davis (Co-PI), TLAC; R. Arlen Strader (Co-PI), CEHD; and Ben Smith (Co-PI), TLACMiddle School Aerospace Scholar ProgramNASA-Johnson Space CenterTwo-year project with total funding of $61,6002007......$25,525DAVENPORT, DONNA (PI), EPSY

Individual and Group Counseling for Sexual Assault SurvivorsBrazos County Rape Crisis Center, Inc.2007......$14,400donna-davenport@tamu.edu

Trina Davis (Co-PI), TLAC, and Ben Smith (Co-PI), TLACOpening Pathways for Teacher Instructional Opportunities in Natural ScienceBaylor College of MedicineFive-year project with total funding of $292,0002007......$10,000

DAVIS, TRINA (Co-PI), TLACJon Denton (PI), TLAC; R. Arlen Strader (Co-PI), CEHD; and Ben Smith (Co-PI), TLACMiddle School Aerospace Scholar ProgramNASA-Johnson Space CenterTwo-year project with total funding of $61,6002007......$25,525trinadavis@tamu.edu

EGAN, TOBY (PI), EAHRMaster of Science in Human Resource Development and Professional Certificate in Human Resource DevelopmentArabian Society for Human Resource Management2007......$48,990egan@tamu.edu

Fitlife Exercise ProgramParticipants2007......$15,362

Jon Denton (PI), TLAC, and Ben Smith (Co-PI), TLACOpening Pathways for Teacher Instructional Opportunities in Natural ScienceBaylor College of MedicineFive-year project with total funding of $292,0002007......$10,000

NSBRI Web Site and Special Public Outreach Project SupportBaylor College of Medicine2007......$21,509

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Accelerate Online is an innovative approach to preparing secondary teachers in the state of Texas. The program is designed to provide graduates and professionals possessing a bachelor’s degree, as well as students late in their undergraduate careers, with an accelerated secondary education certification program that can be completed in 12-18 months.

“”– Jon Denton, Professor, TLAC

GUNDY, ANN (Co-PI), EAHRDeborah Harrison (PI), CDLRAVANCE Houston Even Start ProgramAVANCE Houston2007......$6,000agundy@tamu.edu

ELLIOTT, TIMOTHY (PI), EPSYProblem Solving for Caregivers of Women with DisabilitiesUniversity of Alabama-BirminghamTwo-year project with total funding of $1,100,7162007......$29,100telliott@tamu.edu

FOURNIER, CONSTANCE (PI), EPSYGlenda Byrns (Co-PI), EPSYSpecial Education Recruitment and Retention GrantTexas A&M University – Texarkana2007......$48,000cfournier@tamu.edu

Editorship of Rehabilitation PsychologyAmerican Psychological Foundation2007......$13,300

FULLER, MEL (PI), CEHDThe Texas High School ProjectTexas A&M University SystemFour-year project with total funding of $817,8052007......$308,902melfuller@tamu.eduEZRAILSON, CATHY MARIOTTI (Co-PI), TLAC

Nancy J. Simpson (PI), Texas A&M University Coordination; Ramesh Talreja (Co-PI), Aerospace Engineering; and Christine Ehlig-Economides (Co-PI), Petroleum EngineeringReading, Writing – Energy (RW-E)Two-year project with total funding of $149,3302007......$95,038

Texas Adult Education Standards ProjectTexas Education Agency2007......$299,431

FERREIRA, MAURICIO (PI), HLKNSelf-Congruity versus Functional Congruity: Predictors of Participation Choice in Community-based Sport ProgramsTAMU Mexican American/Latino Research Center2007......$5,000

GONZALEZ, JORGE (PI and Co-PI), EPSYDeborah Simmons (Co-PI), EPSY, and Sharolyn Pollard-Durodola (Co-PI), EPSYProject Words of Oral Reading and Language Development (WORLD)U.S. Department of EducationThree-year project with total funding of $1,292,0862007......$434,996jegonzalez@tamu.edu

FLUCKEY, JAMES (PI), HLKNThe Effect of Flywheel Resistance Exercise on Rates of Muscle Protein Degradation during Hindlimb Suspension in RatsUniversity of Kentucky Research Foundation2007......$60,518jfluckey@hlkn.tamu.edu

Preschool Activities of Literacy (PAL)Bryan ISDThree-year project with total funding of $482,0492007......$160,642

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Polycom GAP ProgramPolycom, Inc2007......$60,000

HAGAN-BURKE, SHANNA (Co-PI), EPSYKimberly Vannest (PI), EPSY; Richard Parker (Co-PI), EPSY; and Mack Burke (Co-PI), EPSYD2K: Data to Knowledge - Progress Monitoring in Behavior and AcademicsTexas Education AgencyTwo-year project with total funding of $1,100,7162007......$500,358shaganburke@tamu.edu

Ann Gundy (Co-PI), EAHRAVANCE Houston Even Start ProgramAVANCE Houston2007......$6,000

Mack Burke (PI), EPSYDeveloping Quality Personnel to Meet the Needs of Students with Emotional and Behavioral DisordersU.S. Department of EducationFour-year project with total funding of $799,7962007......$199,967

HELFELDT, JOHN (PI), TLACDevelop and Deliver Ph.D. Cohort ProgramTexas A&M International UniversityFive-year project with total funding of $107,1702007......$20,580jhelfeldt@tamu.edu

HARRISON, DEBORAH (PI), CDLRCollaboration AgreementVerizon2007......$119,600dharrison@cdlr.tamu.edu

HOYLE, JOHN (PI), EAHRAdministrative Leadership InstituteDellThree-year project with total funding of $100,0002007......$33,333jhoyle@tamu.edu

Collaborative Videoconferencing Certification ProgramMcMillen Center2007......$5,500

Training Services for Texas Independent School DistrictsParticipants2007......$40,200

Distance Education Certification ProgramArch Ford Cooperative2007......$34,150

Polycom Portal MaintenancePolycom, Inc2007......$12,000

Administrative Leadership InstituteParticipants2007......$13,230

JUNTUNE, JOYCE (PI), EPSYInstitute for Applied CreativityTAMU Center for Executive Development2007......$5,400j-juntune@tamu.edu

KELLY, LARRY (PI), TLAC B1-Teach: Alternative Certification Program ModelU.S. Department of EducationFour-year project with funding totaling $78,6502007......$9,000lkelly@tamu.edu

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In Texas: 1867, the story takes place in Independence, Texas, which is not that far from where I teach.” – Jan Fechhelm, Science Teacher

To learn more about Jim Kracht’s work with the Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health, see the story on page 8.

“

Texas 2+2 Project: Certifying Teachers of LEP Students: Blinn College, Educational Service Center Region VI and Texas A&M U.S. Department of EducationFive-year project with total funding of $1,955,9372007......$376,486

Online Bilingual/ESL Dual Certification ProjectTexas Education AgencyTwo-year project with total funding of $422,1702007......$264,327

KRACHT, JAMES (Co-PI), TLACLarry Johnson (PI), Veterinary AnatomyIntegrating Environmental Health Science in Rural SchoolsNational Institutes of HealthSeven-year project with total funding of $1,545,6872007......$13,145jimkracht@tamu.edu

Larry Johnson (PI), Veterinary AnatomyContinuing GK-12 Fellows Integrate Science/Math in Rural Middle SchoolNational Science FoundationThree-year project with total funding of $1,647,6012007......$1,743

LARA-ALECIO, RAFAEL (PI), EPSYProject ELLA (English Language/Literacy Acquisition)U.S. Department of EducationFive-year project with total funding of $6,762,0052007......$1,519,374a-lara@neo.tamu.edu

Travis and his friends in the Backpack Adventure Series travel through time. The PEER team can’t travel through time, but they can travel through air. As part of the PEER grant, Dr. Jon Hunter, a veterinary medicine professor, created Wings Across Texas — an airborne project for university scientists to reach public schools in rural Texas. Wings Across Texas operated from November 2002 – May 2005 allowing 128 scientists to make 285 presentations to students attending 59 rural middle/junior high schools in 49 Texas counties.

Wings Across Texas

Student Contact: 9,832 hours

63.6% Hispanic33.2% Caucasian2.6% African-American0.4% Asian0.2% Native-American

(62% of these students are on the free lunch program)

Demographics:

Distance Traveled: 76,440 nautical air miles

(equivalent to 97,264 statute highway miles)

29

LEWIS, CHANCE (Co-PI), TLACTiffany Barnes (PI) and Ron Englash (Co-PI) with the University of North Caroline at CharlotteCollaborative Research: BPC-D Improving Minority Student Participation in the Computing Career Pipeline with Culturally Situated Design ToolsNational Science FoundationThree-year project with total funding of $319,1962007......$20,046chance.lewis@tamu.edu

LINCOLN, YVONNA (PI), EAHREditorship of Qualitative Inquiry JournalSage Publications, Ltd2007......$7,356ysl@tamu.edu

LOVING, CATHLEEN (Co-PI), TLACBruce Herbert (PI), GeologyProfessional Learning Community Model for Alternative Pathways in Teaching Science and MathematicsNational Science FoundationFive-year project with total funding of $777,3062007......$163,244cloving@tamu.edu

LYNCH, PATRICIA (Co-PI), EPSYLaura Stough (PI), EPSY, and Linda Parrish (Co-PI), EPSYMaster’s Training Program for Special Educators and Transition Specialists of Students with Low-Incidence DisabilitiesU.S. Department of EducationFive-year project with total funding of $1,480,7982007......$299,982pslynch@tamu.edu

LECHUGA, VICENTE (PI), EAHRMoving Toward Diversity: How University Administrators are Working to Increase Minority Student Access and Success in American Public UniversitiesTAMU Mexican American/Latino Research Center 2007......$10,000vlechuga@tamu.edu

LAWLER, JOHN (PI and Co-PI), HLKNMarkus Horning (PI) TAMU-GalvestonCollaborative Research: Aging in Weddell Seals: Proximate Mechanisms of Age-Related Changes in Adaptations to Breath Hold Hunting in an Extreme EnvironmentNational Science FoundationFour-year project with total funding of $449,3582007......$200,385jml2621@neo.tamu.edu

Regulation of Oxidative Stress in the DMX DiaphragmU.S. Department of Health and Human Services – National Institutes of HealthThree-year project with total funding of $209,2082007......$69,736

Exercise Training Protects Against Pro-Apoptotic Signaling in the Aging HeartAmerican Heart Association – Texas AffiliateTwo-year project with total funding of $124,0002007......$62,000

Aging in Weddell Seals: Proximate Mechanisms of Age-related Changes in Adaptations to Breath-Hold Hunting in Extreme EnvironmentsOregon State University2007......$52,073

30

MISRA, RANJITA (PI), HLKNConceptual and Contextual Factors that Influence Diabetes Outcomes: A Comparative Study of Rural and Urban Mexicans and Mexican AmericansUniversity of California-Berkeley2007......$40,000misra@hlkn.tamu.edu

Influence of Clinical and Nonclinical Factors on Diabetes Outcomes: A Bi-National Comparison of Mexican Migrants and Mexican-AmericansUniversity of California-Berkeley2007......$9,325

PALMER, DOUGLAS (PI), CEHDSchool Training and Support in QatarState of Qatar, Qatar UniversityFour-year project with total funding of $8,778,6412007......$2,753,240dpalmer@tamu.edu

PARKER, RICHARD (Co-PI), EPSYKimberly Vannest (PI), EPSY; Mack Burke (Co-PI), EPSY; and Shanna Hagan-Burke (Co-PI), EPSYD2K: Data to Knowledge - Progress Monitoring in Behavior and AcademicsTexas Education AgencyTwo-year project with total funding of $1,100,7162007......$500,358rparker@tamu.edu

PARRISH, LINDA (Co-PI), EPSYLaura Stough (PI), EPSY, and Patricia Lynch (Co-PI), EPSYMaster’s Training Program for Special Educators and Transition Specialists of Students with Low-Incidence DisabilitiesU.S. Department of EducationFive-year project with total funding of $1,480,7982007......$299,982kparish@tamu.edu

MAXWELL, GERRI (Project Coordinator), EAHRJim, Scheurich (PI), EAHR; Robert Capraro (Co-PI), TLAC; and James Morgan (Co-PI), Civil EngineeringNorth Texas STEM CenterTexas Education AgencyTwo-year project with total funding of $1,200,0002007......$513,542gmaxwell@tamu.edu

MCNAMARA, JAMES (Co-PI), EPSYCarol Stuessy (PI), TLACPolicy Research Initiative in Science Education to Improve Teaching and Learning in High School ScienceNational Science FoundationFive-year project with total funding of $2,340,6772007......$353,441j-mcnamara@tamu.edu

MCKYER, E. LISAKO (Co-PI), HLKNPeter Murano (PI), Nutrition and Food ScienceDesign, Implementation, Feasibility and Impact of a Nutrition Education Intervention Centered on the Revised WIC Food PackagesDepartment of State Health ServicesThree-year project with total funding of $221,9962007......$24,888eljmckyer@hlkn.tamu.edu

Marcia Ory (PI), Health Science CenterHealth Maintenance Consortium Resource Center (HMCRC)U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – National Institutes of HealthTwo-year project with total funding of $264,5732007......$132,284

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Establishing healthy eating behaviors now is easier than changing unhealthy eating patterns later.” – Lisako McKyer, Assistant Professor

To learn more about Lisako McKyer’s work with WIC food packages, see the story on page 4.

“

POLLARD-DURODOLA, SHAROLYN (Co-PI), EPSYJorge Gonzalez (PI), EPSY, and Deborah Simmons (Co-PI), EPSYProject Words of Oral Reading and Language Development (WORLD)U.S. Department of Education Three-year project with total funding of $1,292,0862007......$434,996

RAE, WILLIAM (PI), EPSYPsychological Counseling and Consulting ServicesBrazos Valley Community Action Agency2007......$10,000

RICCIO, CYNTHIA (PI), EPSYJorge Gonzalez (Co-PI), EPSYPreparation of Leadership Personnel: Doctoral Training Program in School Psychology/Special Education and the Hispanic Child with DisabilitiesU.S. Department of EducationFour-year project totaling $795,0442007......$198,761criccio@tamu.edu

Preparation of Adult Living TrainingTexas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services2007......$20,000

RIECHMAN, STEVEN (PI and Co-PI), HLKNEgg Cholesterol Consumption, Blood Cholesterol and Skeletal Muscle HypertrophyUnited States Poultry & Egg AssociationTwo-year project with total funding of $40,0002007......$19,999sriechman@hlkn.tamu.edu

Psychological Evaluations & Full and Individual EvaluationsBryan ISD2007......$4,300

The American Sport Brand International Exchange was a great opportunity for us to share many of the best practices found in the U.S. sport industry, which is likely the best model for understanding the sport product as a business.

PEDERSEN, SUSAN (PI and Co-PI), EPSYEric Simanek (PI), Chemistry and Carol Stuessy (Co-PI), TLACTrack 1, GK 12: Building Understanding through Research Partnerships and ITNational Science FoundationThree-year project totaling $1,916,7702007......$200,385spedersen@tamu.edu

Scott Slough (Co-PI), TLAC; Janie Schielack (Co-PI), Mathematics; and Douglas Williams (Co-PI), University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Instructional TechnologyEngaging Middle School Students in Student Directed Inquiry through Virtual Environments for LearningNational Science FoundationFive-year project with total funding of $1,172,3372007......$247,180

Karen Butler-Purry (PI), Electrical Engineering, and Vinod Srinivasan (Co-PI), ArchitectureCCLI: Enhancing Learning in Digital Systems Courses with Video GamesNational Science FoundationTwo-year project funded at $150,0002007......$6,038

PARROTT, KELLI PECK (Co-PI), EAHRBryan Cole (PI), EAHRDeveloping Institutional and Program Capacity in Student AffairsTAMU Office of the Vice President for Research2007......$10,000kparrott@tamu.edu

“ ”– Michael Sagas, Associate Professor, HLKN

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International Journal of Qualitative Studies in EducationTaylor & Francis2007......$21,851

SIMMONS, DEBORAH (PI and Co-PI), EPSYProject Early Reading InterventionU.S. Department of EducationFour-year project with total funding of $2,885,6282007......$678,274dsimmons@tamu.edu

SLOUGH, SCOTT (Co-PI), TLACSusan Pedersen (PI), EPSY; Janie Schielack (Co-PI), Mathematics; and Douglas Williams (Co-PI), University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Instructional TechnologyEngaging Middle School Students in Student Directed Inquiry Through Virtual Environments for LearningNational Science FoundationFive-year project with total funding of $1,172,3372007......$247,180sslough@tamu.edu

William Rupley (Co-PI), TLACEnhancing the Quality of Expository Text Instruction and Comprehension through Content and Case-Situated Professional DevelopmentU.S. Department of EducationThree-year project with total funding of $1,498,5302007......$499,989

Jorge Gonzalez (PI), EPSY, and Sharolyn Pollard-Durodola (Co-PI), EPSYProject Words of Oral Reading and Language Development (WORLD)U.S. Department of EducationThree-year project with total funding of $1,292,0862007......$434,996

Heath Gasier (PI), HLKN Graduate StudentThe Effects of Immediate Post-Exercise on Protein Ingestion on Protein Synthesis and mRNA Translation after an Acute Bout of Resistance TrainingGatorade Sports Science Institute2007......$1,500

RUPLEY, WILLIAM (Co-PI), TLACDeborah Simmons (PI), EPSYEnhancing the Quality of Expository Text Instruction and Comprehension through Content and Case-Situated Professional DevelopmentU.S. Department of EducationThree-year project totaling $1,498,5302007......$499,989w-rupley@tamu.edu

SAGAS, MICHAEL (PI), HLKNGregg Bennett (Co-PI), HLKNThe American Sport Brand International ExchangeDepartment of StateThree-year project with total funding of $840,0002007......$279,987msagas@tamu.edu

U.S. Sports Industry Forum and ExchangeKyung Hee University, Seoul Korea2007......$9,000

SCHEURICH, JIM (PI), EAHRRobert Capraro (Co-PI), TLAC; James Morgan (Co-PI), Civil Engineering; and Gerri Maxwell (Project Coordinator), EAHRNorth Texas STEM CenterTexas Education AgencyTwo-year project with total funding of $1,200,0002007......$513,542jscheurich@tamu.edu

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Texas is one of the first states to implement reforms to rebuild math and science curriculum at all grade levels since there are implications for all of us whether or not our kids are learning science and math. The biggest change needed is a cultural one, making science and technology attractive to today’s students.

“”– Jim Scheurich, Professor and Head, EAHR

VANNEST, KIMBERLY (PI), EPSYRichard Parker (Co-PI), EPSY; Mack Burke (Co-PI), EPSY; and Shanna Hagan-Burke (Co-PI), EPSYD2K: Data to Knowledge - Progress Monitoring in Behavior and AcademicsTexas Education AgencyTwo-year project with total funding of $1,100,7162007......$500,358kvannest@tamu.edu

VIRURU, RADHIKA (PI), TLACPlanning and Curriculum Development for Young ChildrenTAMU Honors Program Advisory Committee2007......$2,000viruru@tamu.edu

Jon Denton (PI), TLAC; Trina Davis (Co-PI), TLAC; and Ben Smith (Co-PI), TLACMiddle School Aerospace Scholar ProgramNASA-Johnson Space CenterTwo-year project with total funding of $61,6002007......$25,525

Eric Simanek (PI), Chemistry, and Susan Pedersen (Co-PI), EPSYTrack 1, GK 12: Building Understanding through Research Partnerships and ITNational Science FoundationThree-year project totaling $1,916,7702007......$636,718

STUESSY, CAROL (PI), TLACJames McNamara (Co-PI), EPSYPolicy Research Initiative in Science Education to Improve Teaching and Learning in High School ScienceNational Science FoundationFive-year project with total funding of $2,340,6772007......$353,441carolsd@suddenlink.net

Evaluating the Impact of the Katrina Aid to Individuals with Disabilities ProjectNational Disability Rights Network2007......$35,000

Research Education in Disaster Mental HealthDartmouth College2007......$10,800

STRADER, R. ARLEN (PI and Co-PI), CEHDNIMS and Web Site Maintenance and DevelopmentBaylor College of Medicine2007......$72,260strader@tamu.edu

SMITH, BEN (Co-PI), TLACJon Denton (PI), TLAC; Trina Davis (Co-PI), TLAC; and R. Arlen Strader (Co-PI), CEHDMiddle School Aerospace Scholar ProgramNASA-Johnson Space CenterTwo-year project with total funding of $61,600ben_smith@tamu.edu

Jon Denton (PI), TLAC and Trina Davis (Co-PI), TLACOpening Pathways for Teacher Instructional Opportunities in Natural ScienceBaylor College of MedicineFive-year project with total funding of $292,0002007......$10,000

STOUGH, LAURA (PI), EPSYLinda Parrish (Co-PI), EPSY, and Patricia Lynch (Co-PI), EPSYMaster’s Training Program for Special Educators and Transition Specialists of Students with Low- Incidence DisabilitiesU.S. Department of EducationFive-year project with total funding of $1,480,7982007......$299,982lstough@tamu.edu

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Our society is only as good as our ability to take care of our most vulnerable. The biggest lesson we learned from Katrina was that our system was broken. People with disabilities need to be involved in the evacuation planning for future disasters.

“” – Laura Stough, Associate Professor, EPSY

WOODWARD, ROBERT (PI), EPSYYouth Adventure ProgramParticipants2007......$239,000drjay@tamu.edu

ZHANG, DALUN (PI), EPSY Michael Benz (Co-PI), EPSY; Ann Reber (Co-PI), EPSY; and the TAMU Office of the Vice President for Student ServicesThe Disability Training Network for the TAMU SystemU.S. Department of EducationThree-year project with total funding of $937,5362007......$312,095dalun@tamu.edu

Youth Leadership and Advocacy ProjectsTexas Council for Developmental DisabilitiesThree-year project with total funding of $275,0002007......$100,000

Youth Leadership Program TrainingTexas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative ServicesThree-year project with total funding of $75,0002007......$25,000

35

The College of Education and Human Development Grants and Contracts Report is published every year by the research and communication offices in the college. To request additional copies of this publication, e-mail Amy Klinkovsky at amyk@tamu.edu.

Douglas J. Palmer, DeanLinda Skrla, Associate Dean for Research and P-16 InitiativesWindy Hollis, Director of Grants and ContractsAmy Klinkovsky, Communications ManagerWriters: Kelsey Johnson Amy Klinkovsky Jenna Kujawski Tanya NadingDesigner: Esther Ewert

I learned that I can be a leader. I want to become involved in more community activities.” – Youth Leadership Forum Participant

To learn more about Dalun Zhang’s work with the Youth Leadership Forum, see the story on page 10.

“

www.cehd.tamu.edu

College of Education & Human DevelopmentTexas A&M University4222 TAMUCollege Station, TX 77843www.cehd.tamu.edu