Public Information Announcements Archive

Awards for the Week of June 4, 2008

Dr. William F. Patterson, Biology, has been awarded $41,930 from the National Marine Fisheries Service for a one-year pilot project titled "Migratory Pathways and Population Connectivity in Gulf of Mexico King Mackerel: A Pilot Study Using Next Generation Pop-up Satellite Archival Tags." The objective of this project is to examine the efficacy of estimating movement of king mackerel in the western Gulf of Mexico with pop-up satellite archival tags. Data will indicate migration pathways of tagged fish, which may be used to infer connectivity between western and eastern Gulf king mackerel, as well as to estimate the exposure of tagged fish to winter fisheries in Mexican waters. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Patterson at 850-857-6123 or via email at wpatterson@uwf.edu.

Dr. Klaus Meyer-Arendt, Environmental Studies, and Dr. Chris Houser, Texas A&M University Department of Geography, have received an award of $64,640 for Year 1 of a two year project from Florida Sea Grant for a project titled “A Spatial Hazard Index of Semi-Permanent Rip Currents in Northwest Florida." This project will fund to continue development of a model of the role of offshore bathymetry on rip current formation along Perdido Key and to develop a spatial map of the rip current hazard for a range of incident wave activity based on bathymetry. This map will allow for real-time updates on the rip current hazard in general and specific areas of the island where rip currents are expected to assist safety officers in the placement of infrastructure, staffing decisions, and issuing public alerts. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Meyer-Arendt at 850-474-2792 or via email at kjma@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of May 28, 2008

Dr. Lakshmi Prayaga, Computer Science, has received an award of $25,897 from Prompt Technologies, Inc. for a project titled “Prompt Student Research Program". This project will fund student salaries associated with a research assignment a sponsored internship to develop software programs and quality analysis for mobile applications. Prompt Technologies is a private company based in California which develops software tools for its clients. Students will gain real life experience and receive academic credit for a seminar experience. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Prayaga at 850-474-2973 or via email at lprayaga@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of April 14, 2008

Dr. Philip Darby has been awarded $40,857 from the South Florida Water Management District for a project titled "Estimating Apple Snail Density and Egg Production on Lake Istokpoga". This study will provide information on the effects of wet prairie habitat restoration and management on trends in apple snail reproduction rates. The apple snail is the sole food source for the Florida Snail Kite, which is a bird on the endangered species list. The rate of reproduction of the apple snail has a direct effect on snail density and consequently on Snail Kite populations. This study will assist managers of Florida lake systems by providing recommendations and data related to improving water and habitat management plans. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Darby at 850-474-2647 or via email at pdarby@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of February 25, 2008

Dr. Matthew Schwartz, Environmental Studies, and Dr. Wade Jeffrey, Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, have received an award of $3,500 from Florida Sea Grant for a project titled “Preliminary Data Analysis to Test Land-Use Influence on Red Tide in Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida". This project will analyze estuarine water samples to quantify the red tide populations from two neighboring northwest Florida bayous from an outbreak in October-December, 2007. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Schwartz at 850-474-3469 or via email at mschwartz@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of February 11, 2008

Dr. Klaus Meyer-Arendt, Environmental Studies, and Dr. Chris Houser, Texas A&M University Department of Geography, have received an award of $15,000 from Escambia County Neighborhood and Environmental Services Department for a project titled “A Spatial Hazard Index of Semi-Permanent Rip Currents in Northwest Florida." This project will continue development of a model of the role of offshore bathymetry on rip current formation along Perdido Key and to develop a spatial map of the rip current hazard for a range of incident wave activity based on bathymetry. This map will allow for real-time updates on the rip current hazard in general and specific areas of the island where rip currents are expected to assist safety officers in the placement of infrastructure, staffing decisions, and issuing public alerts. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Meyer-Arendt at 850-474-2792 or via email at kjma@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of January 28, 2008

Dr. Sukumar Kamalasadan, Assistant Professor of Engineering and Computer Technology, has received a prestigious Faculty Early CAREER Development Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This highly competitive award, is the highest honor for young faculty members, and is bestowed on those teachers and scholars deemed most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century. According to NSF, fewer than 20 percent of the proposals submitted to the annual competition are selected for funding.

The award provides five years of funding to simulate the early development of academic careers in science and engineering and to support the critical roles played by faculty members in integrating research and education. The initial year award is $79,791 with four additional years of funding bringing the total five year award to $400,000. Kamalasadan will use the projected five-year, $400,000 grant to develop next generation intelligent control and optimization architectures. The work will be mainly focused on electric power system dynamics optimization and control.

“The objective of this research is to develop a new class of intelligent adaptive control architecture with scalable algorithms for complex systems control and optimization. The approach is to provide unified control framework using adaptive controller and intelligent learning schemes with special emphasis on control of power system dynamics,” Kamalasadan said.

For more information on this award, please contact Dr. Kamalasadan at (850) 857-6451 or skamalasadan@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of December 3, 2007

Dr. Will Patterson, Biology, has received an award of $38,819 from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to continue a study titled “The Effect of Unpublished Artificial Reef Sites Deployed on the Northwest Florida Shelf." This project is a multidisciplinary, process-oriented study to estimate the ecological function of artificial reefs created by FWC in the Escambia East Large Area Artificial Reef Site (LAARS). This study will continue the baseline species-specific diversity and abundance estimates for fishes at individual reef sites. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Patterson at 850-857-6123 or via email at wpatterson@uwf.edu.

Dr. Tim Royappa, Chemistry, has received an award of $2,892 from Avista Technologies, Inc. for a project titled "Hyperbranched PAA Chemical Literature Research and Preparation Procedures." The published literature on hyperbranched polyacrylic acid (PAA) and closely-related polymers will be reviewed. Papers containing the most promising synthetic routes to hyperbranched PAA will be identified and compiled. The published syntheses of hyperbranched PAA will be digested into "recipes" for Avista Technologies to try in their applications. These will be written laboratory procedures for Avista to use in their attempts to synthesize hyperbranched or branched PAA appropriate for a practicing chemist. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Royappa at 850-474-2028 or via email at royappa@uwf.edu.

Dr. George Stewart, Biology, has received an award of $10,515 from Alcon Research, Ltd. for a project titled “Antimicrobial Activity of Contact Lens Care Products Against Acanthamoeba." This project will provide analysis services for Acanthamoeba testing and product evaluation. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Stewart at 850-473-7226 or via email at gstewart@uwf.edu.

Dr. Richard Snyder, Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, has received an award from the Northwest Florida Water Management District in the amount of $7,790 for a project titled "Wet Prairie Habitat Restoration Evaluation and Measurement on Garcon Point Water Management Area." This study will continue work to evaluate and measure effects of attempts to restore the wetlands property to its natural state and provide research information that will enhance efforts for wet prairie habitat restoration, enhancement, and maintenance in northwest Florida. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Snyder at 850-474-2806 or via email at rsynder@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of November 26, 2007

Mr. John Phillips of the UWF Archaeology Institute has received an award of $21,818 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation titled "Falling Waters State Park Archaeological Survey." This project is an archaeological survey of Falling Waters State Park in Chipley, Florida. The project is designed to identify archaeological sites and features, evaluate their significance, and tender cultural resource management recommendations for any potentially significant or significant archaeological deposits encountered during the survey. Data generated during the project will be utilized to develop a historic preservation plan and provide direction for future public. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Mr. Phillips at 850-474-3015 or via email at jphillips@uwf.edu.

Dr. Joe Eugene Lepo of the University of West Florida's Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation has received a subaward of $70,559 for Year 1 of a three-year study from the University of South Florida and the US Environmental Protection Agency for a project titled “Validation and Field Testing of Microbial Source Tracking Methods in the Gulf of Mexico.” In collaboration with colleagues from University of South Florida and the University of Southern Mississippi, Dr. Lepo will conduct research on methods of identifying, tracking, and testing microbial pollution sources within the Gulf of Mexico. The anticipated outcome of this work is that risk assessment for microbial pollution of environmental waters will be more accurate, which in turn will result in better protection of fisheries, consumers of seafood, and recreational water users. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Lepo at 857-6098 or via email at jlepo@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of November 19, 2007

Dr. Phyllis Pooley, Associate Director of the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, has been awarded $40,000 from the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization for her project entitled "Inland Port Intermodal Terminal Feasibility Study." The project will produce a study of the feasibility and potential economic impact that will result from the construction of an inland port facility in the Pensacola region. For more information, please contact Dr. Pooley at (850) 474-3388 or pkpooley@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of October 22, 2007

Ms. Shigeko Honda of the UWF Japan Center has received an award of $2,500 from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs for a project titled "Hokusai: Master of Book Illustration." This project will provide for a two month exhibit of Hokusai book illustrations at the UWF Japan House. Katsushika Hokusai is one of the most prominent Ukiyoe artists of the Edo period (1603-1868) and his work is well known and admired. The exhibit will include a reception and lectures by Dr. Patrick Rowe, as well as demonstrations on Japanese culture. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Ms. Shigeko Honda at 850-474-3108 or via email at shonda@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of September 17, 2007

Ms. Margo Stringfield of the UWF Archaeology Institute has received a contract award of $256,500 from Enola Contracting Services, Inc. and the City of Key West, Florida. The Key West (City) Cemetery Restoration/Preservation Project will focus on repairs to a number of metal fences, stone markers and monuments, as well as other masonry features in need of restoration. The Key West (City) Cemetery was established in 1847, is located in the heart of old Key West, and includes a large number of funerary structures of varied design. The project is financed in part by the State of Florida, Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, assisted by the Florida Historical Commission and by the City of Key West. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Ms. Stringfield at 850-857-6334 or via email at mstringfield@uwf.edu.

Dr. Sandra Davis, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, has received an award from the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium through the Washington County School Board in the amount of $67,324 for her project entitled "Science: Optimizing Academic Returns (SOAR)." Dr. Davis will develop a rigorous, four-day professional development chemistry curriculum for middle school science teachers. Her husband, "Bo" Davis, a biologist in CAS, will be collaborating with her. This training will be provided in three locations in the Panhandle area during the Summer 2008 semester. For more information on this award, please contact Dr. Davis at sbdavis@uwf.edu or call (850) 474-2025.

Dr. Stacie Whinnery, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, was awarded a contract in the amount of $120,913 from the Kern County Superintendent of Schools and MOVE International for her project entitled "MOVE International Program Development." Dr. Whinnery will be developing a training curriculum for programs serving adults with physical impairments and conducting professional development training to present this new curriculum. For details about this project, please contact Dr. Whinnery at swhinnery@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of August 20, 2007

Escambia County Health Department has awarded $40,000 to Drs. Joe Eugene Lepo and Richard A. Snyder for a project titled “Tracking Source of Fecal Contamination in Environmental Waters FY 2007-08”. The University of West Florida’s Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation under the direction of Drs. Lepo and Snyder the CEDB will conduct research on the basic science and practical application of approaches to fecal source tracking using molecular methods. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Lepo at 857-6098 or via email at jlepo@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of August 13, 2007

Dr. Ed Rodgers, Computer Science, has received an award of $3054 from Mikkeli Polytechnic School of Business to teach a course titled “Project Management." Mikkeli Polytechnic is an important part of Finland's higher education system. Mikkeli Polytechnic's mission is to provide the highest professional expertise as well as applied research and development work for the needs of the working life. Mikkeli Polytechnic has also been active in developing opportunities for student and faculty exchange, international projects and research. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Rodgers at 850-474-2581 or via email at erodgers@uwf.edu.

Dr. Phillip Darby, Biology, has been award $51,798 from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) for a project titled "Monitoring Native and Exotic Apple Snail Populations in Central Florida Lakes" to continue monitoring populations of native and exotic apple snail populations and to test a variety basic hypothesis regarding wetland fauna inhabiting central Florida lakes. This is the 6th consecutive year (and 10th year overall) that Dr. Darby has been funded to provide scientifically based management recommendations for improving water management and habitat management plans for fisheries and wildlife habitats developed by FFWCC. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Darby n at 850-474-2647 or via email at pdarby@uwf.edu.

Dr. Rick Harper, Director of the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, was awarded $42,000 from the Pasco Hernando Jobs and Education Partnership Board, Inc. for his project entitled "Community-Wide Assessment of Business and Workforce Needs for Pasco and Hernando Counties." The Haas Center will conduct an evaluation of the Hernando and Pasco County School Districts to identify relevant courses of study designed to lead to post-secondary education and/or nationally recognized industry certifications that facilitate employment in high skill, high wage occupations. They will work with local businesses and industries to identify the region's current and 5-year projected workforce needs and workforce skill gaps. For more information on this award please contact Dr. Rick Harper at (850) 474-2657 or rharper@uwf.edu.

Dr. Kristina Behan, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, has received a Grant-in-Aid Research Award from the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Scientists in the amount of $5,000 for a project titled "Investigation of the Accuracy of Point of Care Testing for A1c in Patients with Sickle Cell Trait." This study will correlate average blood glucose (sugar) to A1c in diabetic subjects with Sickle Cell Trait and compare the correlation to subjects with normal hemoglobin. The objective is to develop a testing algorithm for African Americans that includes an assessment for Sickle Cell trait prior to A1c testing and an assessment for anemia in ongoing diabetes management. If you would like further information on this project, or are interested in being a participant, please contact Dr. Behan at 850-474-3060 or via email at kbehan@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of June 28, 2007

Dr. Joe E. Lepo, Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, has received an award of $25,014 as one third of a total project award of $75,040 for a project titled "Microbial Source Tracking (MST) and its Application to the Northern Gulf of Mexico" sponsored by the Gulf of Mexico Cooperative Institute of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. This project will involve scientists and institutions from Florida and Mississippi in a collaborative research effort. MST has been developed and tested over the past decade, showing promise for discriminating between animal and human fecal pollution sources. One MST method, chosen from a suite of three, will be field-tested for widespread geographic applicability and accuracy in all waters, and round-robin tested among laboratories. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Lepo at (850) 857-6098 or via email at jlepo@uwf.edu.

Dr. Rick Harper, Director of the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, has been awarded $36,500 from WorkNet Pinellas, Inc. to perform a gap analysis and feasibility study for the Centers of Excellence Career-Technical High Schools for Pinellas County, FL. The Haas Center will identify specific occupations that have high growth potential within targeted and emerging industry sectors, determine gaps in labor supply and demand in high growth potential occupations, identify industry recognized certificates that can reasonably be attained by students within the K-12 system, and design and administer surveys to employers in order to measure and assess their needs for employee skill sets. For more information please contact Dr. Harper at (850) 474-2661 or rharper@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of June 18, 2007

Dr. Rick Harper, Director of the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, was awarded $50,000 from the Okaloosa County School District for his project entitled "Needs Assessment for Employ Florida Banner Center of Excellence." The overall purpose of the study is to produce an economic assessment of future industry structure, demand for occupational job growth, earnings gap analysis, and business and educational needs.  For more information, please contact Dr. Rick Harper at rharper@uwf.edu or (850) 474-2657.

Awards for the Week of May 14, 2007

Dr. Doug Waggle, Assistant Professor in Accounting and Finance, has received a $5,104 award from the Mikkeli Polytechnical International Center. Dr. Waggle will travel to Mikkeli, Finland for a portion of the summer semester to teach a course on investments. "Understanding basic investment concepts is a virtual necessity for all individuals, regardless of their backgrounds or professions," states Dr. Waggle. The course will focus on things that individuals need to know in order to make informed investment decisions. Students will learn about various types of securities and how to purchase them, and how those assets fit into their portfolio needs. The primary emphasis is on the practical applications of investing. The course also addresses key finance concepts of the time value of money and risk versus return. For more information, please contact Dr. Doug Waggle at dwaggle@uwf.edu or (850) 474-2726.

Awards for the Week of March 19, 2007

Ms. Lakshmi Prayaga, Dr. Leo Ter Haar, CAS Computer Science, and Dr. Karen Rasmussen, COPS Engineering and Computer Technology, have received an award of $1,172,893 as a collaborative project with the Escambia County School District for "Math Matters: A New Vision for Florida." The award will allow the formation of a collaborative partnership to leverage the combined academic, technical, and pedagogical resources of both institutions to positively impact middle school academic achievement and career preparation. Specifically, this collaborative effort will develop and deploy a virtual instructional context that provides career counseling, algebraic tutorial content, and practical application of inferential and analytical reading skills within a digital gaming environment. The gaming challenges that students will confront within this virtual environment, which are presented in a combination of interactive animation and passages of descriptive and explanatory text and audio, will consist of work place tasks requiring practical application of seventh and eighth grade Sunshine State Standards in math (algebra) and reading. This highly contextual and concrete approach to student mastery of academic skills and to raising student awareness of the relevance of academic skills to lucrative career opportunities addresses (1) educational and economic needs of the community served by both institutions; (2) emerging research regarding the potential of gaming to motivate and instruct; (3) urgent demand for engaging K12 instruction to address distracted and low performing subgroups; (4) delivery of middle school career counseling curriculum as mandated by the 2006 Florida legislature; and (5) efforts of the Florida DOE to compile an online repository of modular digital media assets for K12 teachers. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Ms. Prayaga (850-474-2973; lprayaga@uwf.edu), Dr. Rasmussen (850-474-2484; krasmuss@uwf.edu) or Dr. Ter Haar (850-474-2542; lterhaar@uwf.edu).

Dr. Ed Rodgers, Computer Science, has received an award of $2,068 from Mikkeli Polytechnic School of Business to teach an online course titled “Data Security in eBusiness." Mikkeli Polytechnic is an important part of Finland's higher education system. Polytechnics are institutes of high-level post-secondary education based on the needs of working life. Mikkeli Polytechnic's mission is to provide the highest professional expertise as well as applied research and development work for the needs of the working life. Mikkeli Polytechnic has also been active in developing opportunities for student exchange, international projects and research. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Rodgers at 850-474-2581 or via email at erodgers@uwf.edu.

Dr. Philip C. Darby, Biology, has received an award of $9,996 from St. John's River Water Management District to conduct a research project titled “Baseline Monitoring of Apple Snails as Indicators of Restoration Success." This project will provide a baseline monitoring network and protocol for sampling Apple Snails in the Blue Cypress Water Management Area (BCWMA) as part of a "Conservation Recommendation" for the District. The project will establish eight (8) permanent fixed Apple Snail monitoring sites in wet prairie habitats in the BCWMA and provide baseline density estimates of adult Apple Snails for each site for one year. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Darby at 850-474-2647 or via email at pdarby@uwf.edu.

Award for the Week of February 26, 2007

Dr. Rick Harper, Director of the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, has been awarded $24,000 from the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County for his study entitled "Okaloosa 2007 BRAC Study." The project is designed to analyze changes in local economic activity arising from increased military-related spending in Okaloosa County due to proposed BRAC 2005 changes. The analysis describes the magnitude of the economic impact in Okaloosa County that is attributable to the increased number of military and civilian employees occurring to missions being relocated to Eglin Air Force Base and clarifies the impact that military activities have on the other industry sectors in the region. For more information contact, Dr. Rick Harper at 850-474-2661 or rharper@uwf.edu.

Dr. Klaus Meyer-Arendt, Environmental Studies, has received a three-year award of $84,320 from Florida International University and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct a research project titled “Direct and Indirect Mortality Associated with Tropical Cyclones.” Indirect deaths associated with tropical cyclones in Florida will be analyzed, quantified, and modeled. The research will focus upon the four hurricanes that struck Florida in 2004 (Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jean). This research project is designed to increase understanding of hurricane-related deaths in order to develop and implement policies to prevent disaster-related mortality when residents are unprepared. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Klaus Meyer-Arendt or Dr. Chris Houser at 850-474-2746 or via email at kjma@uwf.edu or chouser@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of February 12, 2007

Dr. Bill Mikulas, Psychology, has received an award of $31,495 to continue the planning to establish an Integrated Health Institute. This project will provide funding for Dr. Mikulas to identify and meet with community and University representatives to explore the proposed Institute's purpose, common goals, and to priortize possible programs related to health, diversity, and education. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Mikulas at 474-2971 or wmikulas@uwf.edu.

Dr. K. Ranga Rao, CEDB, has received an award of $492,600 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in additional funds for the continuation of the project titled Assessment of Environmental Pollution and Community Health. This additional funding will allow the expansion and extension of the current work on ongoing tasks and provide for a thorough assessment and integration of the results in comprehensive assessment of environmental pollution and community health in Northwest Florida. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Rao at 474-2060 or rrao@uwf.edu.

Dr. Wade Jeffrey, CEDB, has received an award of $49,132 to fund the first year of a three-year project titled Science Training in Ecology Programs (STEP) II. This program is designed to provide undergraduate students with cooperative and collaborative science research and training opportunities not available at their home institutions. The program will be a training collaboration between UWF and the EPA Gulf Ecology Division Laboratory, Gulf Breeze to conduct research, education, and training experiences in areas associated with understanding the effects of human activities on marine, estuarine, and coastal ecosystems. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Jeffrey at 474-2472 or wjeffrey@uwf.edu.

Dr. William Lees, FPAN, has received an award of $44,907 from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation and the Florida Division of Historic Resources to fund a project titled Local Government Preservation Program Directory. This project will compile information on Florida's local government preservation programs including ordinances, financial incentive programs for historic preservation, ad-valorem tax exemption programs, grant programs, loan programs, public educational programs and other information from across Florida. The electronic database will be distributed by the Florida Division of Historic Resources as a statewide publication. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Lees at 595-0051 or wlees@uwf.edu.

Dr. Robert Markowitz, Teacher Education, has been awarded $170,000 from the Florida Department of Education for his project entitled "State Personnel Development Grant 2006-2007." This project provides tuition support for the Para-to-Teacher Tuition Support program focusing on UWF's Elementary/Exceptional Student Education dual major for students from North Florida's 31 counties. A unique strength of this program is that its students will graduate with both the reading and English for Speakers of Other Languages endorsements. This program is designed to fulfill the goals of the Florida Board of Education's Strategic Imperative 1 (to increase the supply of highly qualified teachers). For more information on this project, please contact Dr. Markowitz at 474-2158 or rmarkowitz@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of December 18, 2006

The Okaloosa County School District (OCSD) has contracted with the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development in the amount of $24,000 for a customer satisfaction survey to provide information to school officials and to comply with school improvement and accountability legislation. Results will be analyzed by school, by zone, by elementary schools as a whole, by middle schools as a whole, and by high schools as a whole. The report format will be appropriate for distribution to individual principals; containing overall analysis of the survey results as well as individual school results. Dr. Rick Harper will act as principal investigator for this project. He or other Haas Center staff will be available to explain and present these results to audiences as necessary. If you would like additional information on this project, please contact Dr. Harper at rharper@uwf.edu or by telephone at 850-474-2661.

The Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development (Haas Center) has been contracted by the Fort Walton Beach CRA in the amount of $19,200 to develop its market forecast and economic development projection components for an updated master plan. Dr. Rick Harper will act as principal investigator on this project. Dr. Harper and the Haas Center staff will revise the existing Section 4.10 with updated information on existing market conditions. This will include retail sales data with a breakout by major category (using NAICS categories) for several time periods and discussion of the economic drivers associated with major usage categories. Dr. Harper and the Haas Center staff will also update and expand the information provided in Section 4.11 regarding housing market conditions. They will use parcel-specific maps of the CRA area to illustrate different existing land uses for the separate neighborhoods/corridors identified within the CRA area. If you would like additional information on this project, please contact Dr. Harper at rharper@uwf.edu or by telephone at 850-474-2661.

Awards for the Week of November 3, 2006

Mr. John Bratten and Dr. Greg Cook, both of the UWF Archaeology Institute, have received an award of $203,368 from the Florida Division of Historic Preservation titled Emanuel Point Underwater Archaeology to conduct an underwater archaeological survey of the site of the Emanuel Point Shipwreck. Located in Pensacola Bay near Emanuel Point, this shipwreck is believed to be associated with Tristan de Luna's attempt to colonize Pensacola in 1559. The proposed survey will include a systematic remote sensing survey of the area, ground truth through visual inspection of all anomalies to determine their extent, and test excavations to document their nature. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Mr. Bratten at 850-474-3015 or via email at jbratten@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of October 23, 2006

Ms. Tulsa Morein, Director of the Educational Research Center for Child Development, has received an award of $62,547 from the US Department of Education for a program titled "Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS)." This project will assist UWF’s pell grant recipient students, with children enrolled in the Child Development Center, with sliding scale discount rates. This grant will also provide opportunities to support child care needs of students participating in the University’s TRIO/Student Success Program. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Ms. Morein at 850-474-2195 or via email at tmorein@uwf.edu.

Jerry Cartwright, State Director of the Florida Small Business Development Center, has been awarded $987,228 from the US Small Business Administration for his earmark project entitled "Business Continuity and Risk Management Center Program." The purpose of the program is to ensure statewide businesses have proper education in, training on and assistance in business continuity planning and risk management technical assistance to minimize losses and increase survivability when affected by natural and/or man-made disasters. According to the US Department of Labor, over 40% of all firms that experience a significant disaster never reopen, and over 25% of the remaining companies close within two years. The economic impact of the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 in Florida is and will continue to be significant in terms of salvaging and retaining impacted businesses, as well as dealing with new business and growth in firms that are responding to the economic boom associated with recovery and reconstruction. Risk management services and business continuity planning pre-disaster is as critical, if not more so, than providing coordinated services post-disaster. National independent economic research shows that SBDC assisted firms consistently out perform the average state business, thus supporting SBDC's positive impact on the state and national budget. For more information regarding this project please contact Mr. Jerry Cartwright at 473-7801 or via email at jcartwright@uwf.edu.

Drs. Sharon Simmons, Dennis Edwards, and Norman Wilde, Computer Science, have received an award of $25,000 from Software Engineering Research Consortium (based at Ball State University) for the third phase of work for the Motorola Corporation titled "Understanding Software Features by Integrating Dynamic and Static Analysis II." This project will develop a toolset for software feature location and understanding for potential use by Motorola and other SERC affiliates. The toolset will involve integration of existing commercial tools (CodeTEST, Klocwork) with an open source development environment (Eclipse) and the UWF's TraceGraph tool. To improve the usability of the toolset, the project will, in collaboration with Motorola, perform two to three cycles of an iterative development process including usability case studies, identification of areas for improvement, and implementation of the results. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Simmons at 850-474-7349 or via email at ssimmons@cs.uwf.edu.

Mr. John Phillips, Archaeology Institute, has received an award of $21,005 from City of Pensacola to conduct archaeological investigations for the proposed Alcaniz Streetscape project in the archaeologically sensitive areas in the Pensacola Historic District in downtown Pensacola. This project will provide archaeological monitoring of construction activities, mitigation of significant archaeological deposit and provide curation services for any artifacts discovered during construction. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Mr. Phillips at 850-474-3015 or via email at jphillips@uwf.edu.

Mr. John Phillips, Archaeology Institute, has received an award of $13,616 from the City of Pensacola to conduct archaeological investigations for the proposed Romana Street storm water drainage improvement project in the archaeologically sensitive areas in the Pensacola Historic District. This project will provide archaeological monitoring of construction activities, mitigation of significant archaeological deposit and provide curation services for any artifacts discovered during construction. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Mr. Phillips at 850-474-3015 or via email at jphillips@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of October 9, 2006

Dr. Janet Pilcher, Institute for Innovative Community Learning, and Dr. Joe Peters, Teacher Education, have received an award of $189,000 from the Florida Department of Education to provide for additional scholarships for students in two non-traditional programs (TeacherReady and Spouse-to-Teachers). The project provides for curriculum development, recruitment, and scholarships to students to prepare students in four high need areas: Exceptional Student Education, English as a Second Language, math, and science through an on-line program leading to teacher certification. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Pilcher at 850-473-7842 or via email at jpilcher@uwf.edu.

Dr. Janet Pilcher, Institute for Innovative Community Learning, and Dr. Joe Peters, Teacher Education, have received an award of $67,526 from the Florida Department of Education to provide for additional scholarships for students in two non-traditional programs (TeacherReady and Sponse-to-Teachers). The project provides for scholarships to students to enroll in an on-line program leading to teacher certification. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Pilcher at 850-473-7842 or via email at jpilcher@uwf.edu.

Dr. Pam Northrup, Academic Technology Center, has received an award of $1,000,000 from the US Naval Education and Training Command for a project titled "Anytime...Anywhere Mobile Learning Partnership." This project will provide for development of an end-to-end mobile learning system for military personnel to participate in educational curriculum where-ever they may be . Specifically, this project will support continued development on mobile learning degree programs for military personnel pursuing education opportunities while ashore, at sea or deployed. In cooperation with the Services and other educational institutions, the project will allow for development of a continuum of education between lower divisions to upper division and graduate education using mobile learning technologies. The focus of the development in two areas: Technology Systems Support and Human Performance Technology. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Northrup at 850-473-3255 or via email at pnorthru@uwf.edu.

Mr. John Phillips, Archaeology Institute, has received an award of $13,616 from Emerald Coast Utilities Authority to provide archaeological services for the proposed replacement/ rehabilitation of the sewer lines in the area of Alcaniz and Intendencia Streets in downtown Pensacola. This project will provide archaeological monitoring of construction activities, mitigation of significant archaeological deposit and provide curation services for any artifacts discovered during construction. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Phillips at 850-474-3015 or via email at jphillips@uwf.edu.

Mr. John Phillips, Archaeology Institute, has received an award of $9,986 from Pensacola Christian College to conduct a Phase I archaeological survey of approximately 261 acre tract for proposed recreational improvements. This survey has two objectives: (1) conduct a Phase I cultural resource assessment survey of the project area to locate and assess the significance of any cultural properties; and (2) provide cultural resource management recommendations for all archaeological or historical resources encountered during the field work. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Phillips at 850-474-3015 or via email at jphillips@uwf.edu.

Mr. John Phillips, Archaeology Institute, has received an award of $4,184 from Baskerville-Donovan, Inc. to conduct an archaeological and historical background research of 9 parcels and a wastewater transmission route in Escambia County, Florida. This project is designed to identify previously recorded cultural resources, including properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and potential cultural resources not yet identified within the parcels in order to develop a preliminary cultural resource management plan for proposed Wastewater Treatment Facility that wil replace the Main Street Sewer Plant. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Phillips at 850-474-3015 or via email at jphillips@uwf.edu.

Dr. Elizabeth Benchley, Archaeology Institute, has received an award of $24,921 from the Florida Department of State Division of Historical Resources for the second year of a public archaeology project in the historic core of Old Pensacola. This project will examine a cluster of wells and wet storage facilities revealed furing the 2005 excavations at the Commanding Officer's Compound located inside the British Fort of Pensacola originally constructed as part of the First Spanish Fort San Miguel (1757-1763). If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Benchley at 850-474-3015or via email at ebenchle@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of October 2, 2006

Escambia County Health Department has awarded $41,000 to Dr. Joe Eugene Lepo and Ms. Janet Macauley for a project titled, “Bathing Places Water Quality Monitoring FY 2006-07”. The University of West Florida, under the direction of Dr. Lepo and Ms. Macauley, will perform the microbiological analyses of surface water quality samples collected by the Escambia County Health Department’s Environmental Analysis Program. Water samples from nineteen (19) surface water sites throughout Escambia County, Fl will be collected and submitted for analysis in accordance with Florida Administrative Code 64E-9. Within six (6) hours of the collection of the surface water samples, the Wetlands Research Laboratory will initiate the determination of population densities for enterococci and also fecal coliform (on selected samples), in addition to determining salinity and pH parameters for each sample submitted. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Lepo at 857-6098 or via email at jlepo@uwf.edu.

Dr. Joe Eugene Lepo, Associate Professor of Microbiology, within the University of West Florida’s Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Biorediation has been awarded $315,978 for a project titled “Early Detection and Diagnosis of Phytopathogens as Bioterrorism Agents, Year 5”. Funding is from the Department of Defense (U.S. Army Research Development Engineering Command) via the Center for Biological Defense at the University of South Florida. The project will develop sentinel diagnostics for plant agroterrorism, preharvest food biosecurity and for the expression of plant stress genes. Molecular biological DNA technologies will form the core of a comprehensive framework for detecting and diagnosing intentionally introduced plant diseases caused by fungi and bacteria in model crops such as soybean, cotton, peanut, wheat and maize. If you would like further information on this project, please contact at Dr. Joe Eugene Lepo at 850-857-6098 or via email at jlepo@uwf.edu.

Escambia County Health Department has awarded $76,500 to Drs. Joe Eugene Lepo and Richard A. Snyder for a project titled “Tracking Source of Fecal Contamination in Environmental Waters FY2006-07”. The University of West Florida’s Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremdiation, under the direction of Drs. Lepo and Snyder the CEDB, will conduct research on the basic science and practical application of approaches to fecal source tracking using molecular methods. If you would like further information on this project, please contact Dr. Lepo at 857-6098 or via email at jlepo@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of September 18, 2006

Ms. Tammie Bryant Nadeau has received the option for a second year of funding for the Student Support Services Program (TRIO) from the US Department of Education in the amount of $278,155. The TRIO programs provide opportunities for low-income, first generation, and disabled students to complete higher education. The goal of SSS is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants and assist students with making the transition from undergraduate to graduate and professional programs in higher education. If you would like further information please contact Ms. Tammie Bryant Nadeau at (850) 474-2395 or email her at tbryant@uwf.edu.

Dr. Chris Houser has received a two-year award from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund in the amount of $35,000 for a project titled "Sediment Transport Processes on the Continental Shelf of Northwest Florida." The proposed research will support a developing bank of oceanographic equipment to measure wave and current forcing on the continental shelf and the resulting pattern of sediment transport and bed response. The proposed study is unique given the lack of previous studies of shelf processes in northwest Florida over a range of forcing conditions including extreme storms. If you would like further information please contact Dr. Houser at (850) 474- 6121 or email him at chouser@uwf.edu.

Dr. Phillip Darby has been award $42,844 from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) for a project titled "Monitoring Native and Exotic Apple Snail Populations in Central Florida Lakes" to continue monitoring populations of native and exotic apple snail populations and to test a variety basic hypothesis regarding wetland fauna inhabiting central Florida lakes. This is the 6th consecutive year (and 9th year overall) that Dr. Darby has been funded to provide scientifically based management recommendations for improving water management and habitat management plans for fisheries and wildlife habitats developed by FFWCC. If you would like further information please contact Dr. Darby at (850) 474- 2647 or email him at pdarby@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of September 11, 2006

The Mikkeli Polytechnic University of Finland has engaged Dr. Ed Rodgers of the Computer Science Department as a lecturer from September 18 through 22, 2006 for a seminar titled “Project Management”.  The purpose of the Project Management seminar is for students to organize and effectively control a project in order to complete it on time, within budget, and with expected outcomes.  Students will be exposed to a variety of techniques to manage the budget, schedule, and quality of projects for which they are responsible. If you would like further information on this seminar, please contact Dr. Rodgers at 474-2581 or via e-mail at erodgers@uwf.edu.

Awards for the Week of September 4, 2006

Dr. Don Chu and Dr. William Maloy have been awarded a two year contract totaling $256,726 from Workforce Escarosa, Inc. for their project entitled "Hometown Heroes Teach." This project invites our wounded or injured military personnel to continue their public service through careers in critically needed teaching fields. The initial focus will be to identify twenty-five men and women who have returned to, or are willing to relocate in, the Florida Panhandle. With the assistance of local Workforce Board, UWF will recruit the first group and provide for their entry level training and the certification required for employment in Florida's schools. For more details please contact Dr. Don Chu at ext. 2770 or dchu@uwf.edu.

Jerry Cartwright, FSBDC State Director, has been awarded $425,000 from the US Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency as continuation funding for the Procurement Technical Assistance Center Program for 2006-2007. This is the third option year funding of a 5 year program. This statewide program provides specialized technical assistance to individuals and businesses seeking to learn about opportunities with and securing contracts and subcontracts from the Department of Defense, other federal agencies or state and local governments. For more information about this program please contact Ms. Laura Subel PTAC Program Manager at 473-7800 or lsubel@uwf.edu.