UHV awards five faculty research grants
The University of Houston-Victoria has awarded five faculty members with internal grants to support their research endeavors during the upcoming academic year.
UHV has awarded two $10,000 Junior Faculty Summer Research Grants for summer 2024 and three Internal Research Grants of up to $6,000 for the 2024-2025 academic year. Jia Liu, assistant professor of graphic design, and Asahi Tomitaka, assistant professor of computer science, received the Junior Faculty Summer Research Grants. Haijing Ma, assistant professor of communication; Aleksandr Pikalov, assistant professor of chemistry; and Yun Wan, professor of computer information systems, received Internal Research Grants.
“We’re excited to be able to provide tangible support for faculty as they engage in research,” said Joann Olson, UHV interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The projects proposed by these faculty members can have a significant impact on their particular academic disciplines. In addition, as faculty engage in and talk about their research, they model the importance of well-crafted research, lifelong learning and ongoing curiosity. Our students get to see faculty actively engaged in the pursuit of knowledge.”
UHV has been awarding faculty members the Junior Faculty Summer Research Grants since 2009 and the Internal Research Grant since 2011 to bolster faculty research development. The Junior Faculty Summer Research Grant is available to faculty members during their first three years of UHV employment. Both tenured and untenured faculty are eligible for the Internal Research Grant. The grant recipients also will present their findings at a UHV Discovers event following the award year.
Liu’s research investigation, “Optimizing Prospective Student User Experience: An Evaluation of UHV’s Website Through User Experience Questionnaire and Usability Testing,” will focus on how the UHV website reaches students and helps them find the information they need. She plans to use two methods of data collection to evaluate the user experience: a questionnaire about the website’s user experience and direct feedback from students who are actively using the website.
“I appreciate that the university offers support and opportunities to start faculty members’ research,” Liu said. “I wanted to do something that could have a direct benefit for the university, and websites have become more and more important as people go to the internet to find information. I hope this research will create a positive impact for UHV.”
Tomitaka’s research is titled, “Machine learning-driven optimization of nanoparticles for image-guided cancer therapy,” and will focus on how machine learning can be used to treat cancer. For example, when a patient receives chemotherapy, the drugs are distributed throughout the patient’s body instead of just to the affected area. By using nanoparticles, doctors could target a specific area and not have a negative impact on the rest of the patient’s body. Her research will focus on creating a computer model to help predict which nanoparticles will work best for different treatments.
“Machine learning is a method that helps find hidden patterns or relationships in data, and it can be used to benefit patients by identifying the correct particles to use for their treatment,” Tomitaka said. “If we can combine the predictive algorithm with imaging technology, it will open up some exciting possibilities for treatments. This grant will allow me to spend time collecting data and building models to move my research forward.”
Ma’s project, “Impact of the Texas House Bill 114 on Vaping among Students in Victoria Public Schools,” is a timely investigation into students’ awareness and understanding of the policy and the consequences of vaping. It also delves into attitudes, perceived risks, schools’ communication about the policy, the existence of prevention and cessation programs, and intentions to vape and quit. This research will help to shape the understanding of the impact of such policies on student health.
Pikalov's research is titled “Analysis of Microplastics in Terrestrial Ecosystems using Raman Spectroscopy,” seeks to revolutionize understanding of microplastics pollution in soil and sediment environments. Pikalov plans to construct a library of microplastic spectra to predict the chemical identity and composition of the samples.
Wan’s study, “How we use AI tools: An exploration of copilot usage,” will lay the foundation for understanding the dynamics of human-AI collaboration in software development. It offers a detailed view of how programmers navigate and utilize AI assistance in real-time coding scenarios to develop a behavioral model of programmer interaction. This research has significant practical implications for many different areas and types of computer usage.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.