The record-breaking $103.6 million in research funding received by UCF faculty and staff in 2004-2005 resulted from the efforts of nearly 400 faculty and staff working on more than 800 new and continuing projects. IMPACT asked some of those researchers to talk about the research they are conducting and what it took to get funded.

Glenn Boreman

Trustee Chair, Professor of Optics, Electrical Engineering, and Physics at the College of Optics and Photonics
Total Funding FY 2005: $2,697,141

Research: “Our projects centered on developing next-generation infrared sensors using electron-beam lithography and millimeter-wave radiation for detecting buried land mines. We’re also focused on the implementation of radio-frequency concepts at infrared frequencies."

Advice on how to secure and manage major research programs: “Send lots of proposals. Keep pushing on the good ideas and present them to as wide a selection of potential sponsors as possible. Managing major research programs involves making each sponsor feel special, and giving their needs the individual attention they deserve. Equally important is the development of your research team, and knowing when to get out of their way.”

Subrato Chandra

Program Director, Building Research Division, Florida Solar Energy Center
Total Funding FY 2005: $1,329,187

Research: For 2005, Chandra was able to secure further funding for The Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership, which works with factory and site homebuilders throughout the nation to significantly enhance the energy efficiency, durability, indoor air quality and comfort in new homes. This is the sixth year of the project and since 1999 it has received more than $9.8 million in external funding ($9.6+ million from the U.S. Department of Energy). FSEC collaborates with the UCF Industrial Engineering and Management Systems department in conducting the project.

Advice on how to secure and manage major research programs: “It begins with understanding the needs of the funding agency in the program area of interest. Each agency is different and to fully understand their needs you need to develop a great rapport with the program managers, which may take a few years. Of course we need to do great work, but that is often not sufficient. In our area, it is extremely important to develop industry partnerships that use our results.”

Peter Delfyett

Professor of Optics, ECE and Physics
Total Funding FY 2005: $1,598,440

Research: “I’m involved in multiple research programs that are funded by the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation and industry. The programs deal with fundamental optical physics in semiconductor lasers, and novel semiconductor laser device development/fabrication. I’m researching the use of these devices in optical networking/communications, signal processing and novel measurement and characterization instrumentation. The technologies that we develop are then transferred to local industry to help build and strengthen the economic vitality of the Central Florida region.”

Advice on how to secure and manage major research programs: “It is important for faculty to meet with the program managers at their respective funding agents. A well-planned presentation of your research goals is critical in securing a major research program. Target the presentation on how your research will impact the program and the vision of the program manager, and how your efforts can successfully achieve both of your ultimate objectives.”

Peter Hancock

The Provost’s Distinguished Research Professor in Psychology
Total Funding FY 2005: $1,312,541

Research: “Human factors research is about the integration of people and technology – particularly under conditions of significant stress. In particular we have a number of projects with the military where people inevitably have to perform in adverse conditions. Our work also spills over into other professions – law enforcement, emergency response etc. Our lab is one of the leaders in the world in these areas.”

Advice on how to secure and manage major research programs: “Probably the most vital thing is to understand the nature of the agency and the individual with whom you are dealing. Cold proposals (those which contain no personal contact) are difficult to obtain and sometimes difficult to manage. Most times, especially in recent years, I am more interested in working with an involved scientist who acts as a grant manager, rather than someone simply tagged to do the job by the organization. In this way, the work becomes a collaborative project.”

“Get a mentor. There’s no substitute for experience...Then it was persistence. I failed many, many times and it works out that I am good at failure – I know how to deal with rejection. My worst year was when I had 18 projects running at one time – the paperwork was a nightmare. It turns out that paperwork for a large grant is pretty much the same as for a small grant, so try for the larger ones.”

Pappachan Kolattukudy

Dean, Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences
Total Funding FY 2005: $1,465,500

Research: “Tuberculosis is a leading cause of death in the world with 2-3 million fatalities per year. The spread of multi-drug resistant TB has emerged as a major public health problem. Funded by the National Institute of Health, our program seeks to identify new targets for developing novel anti-mycobacterial drugs to fight TB...”

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world. Ischemic heart disease is the major form of the killer disease. Our National-Institutes-of-Health-funded research tries to elucidate how inflammation plays a major role in the development of ischemic heart disease. We are currently elucidating the underlying mechanisms involved. . .”

“Fungal diseases cause major damage to the production of food and fiber and cause human infections that are extremely difficult to cure. Our National-Science-Foundation-funded research program is attempting to identify key molecular events involved in fungal infection. The ultimate purpose is to devise ways to intervene in the disease processes.”

Advice on how to secure and manage major research programs: “My only advice is to work hard and use your creativity. When applying for grants, it is not unusual to require submission of revised grants before a favorable funding decision. In one case, I know the second revision of a grant application scored the highest among all applications reviewed in that round.”

Mary Little

Associate Professor, Child, Family and Community Sciences
Total Funding FY 2005: $1,144,215

Research: “Our state-funded project, the Effective Instructional Practices project, a.k.a. Project CENTRAL, is focused on building capacity among teachers, administrators, and educational service providers throughout Florida by identifying and disseminating resources, professional development, and research related to current and emerging effective instructional practices. The ultimate goal is to provide quality professional development products, and resources to ensure quality and improved outcomes for all students in Florida, including those with disabilities and diverse learning needs.”

Advice on how to secure and manage major research programs: “We were successful with our first authoring of this project, however, I have not been successful with every proposal. I have been blessed with excellent grant opportunities through my career. My advice is to follow your passion for research and scholarship, as this defines your line of research and continues to motivate throughout the process. I am also extremely grateful to the grant support personnel, both in the College of Education and at the University of Central Florida.”

Sandra Robinson

Dean, College of Education
Total Funding FY 2005: $9,619,527

Research: Reading First Professional Development is a multi-dimensional initiative created to implement a comprehensive, systematic organizational design for statewide professional development in reading. The program is based on scientific research and principles of effective methodologies, to assure continuous, high-quality implementation of methods and strategies for all K-3 teachers.

Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence Center (FLaRE) provides a system for delivering professional development in literacy to teachers throughout the state of Florida; serves as a clearinghouse for literacy research and practice; provides a center for professional development materials related to literacy; coordinates linkage for school districts, institutions of higher education, community organizations, and other stakeholders; and provides Florida Reading Endorsement in-service aid to reading teachers acquiring a reading endorsement.

Advice on how to secure and manage major research programs: “In the same manner as the advice given to aspiring novelists, ‘Write about what you know.’ That is to say, seek to develop a continuum of research that builds over time the knowledge base supporting a particular field or subject area. Let reflection and inquiry be your guide, and passion be the catalyst for your research, and it will be evident to funders that yours is a program worthy of support. As for managing a major research program, surround yourself with good people, and mentor their efforts as you develop your research. Attention to detail has always been the cornerstone of good program management. . .”

Mubarak Shah

Assistant Vice President for Research Computer Vision Initiative
Total Funding FY 2005: $1,142,909

Research: “My research deals with automatic analysis of video and images to extract useful information e.g.

• Detecting if a moving object is a person, a truck, a missile, etc.
• Tracking object in a video from frame to frame and determining their activities and behavior
• Retrieval and search of videos and images from a large database."