A diverse group of 11 Northwestern faculty were given grants to conduct research this past summer. From the humanities to the sciences, lots of research was conducted. Four of the 11 faculty members teamed up with students.
There were four professors of science given grants to conduct research in the areas of kinesiology, biology and ecology.
Dr. Rajat Emmanuel Singh, assistant professor of kinesiology, is researching relationships between metabolism and muscle activity. Senior Grace Van Namen is his research assistant. “Singh is focusing on the frequency of the EMG signal to discover how human locomotion can be optimized for rehabilitation purposes in order to help individuals suffering from gait-related disorders.”
Dr. Todd Tracy, department chair and professor of biology, is studying the structure of ant communities in “relict and restored prairies in northwest Iowa and southeast South Dakota” alongside students Princess Bola-Lawal and Kleyton De Groot. “Along with collecting information on ants, they are also performing vegetative surveys and collect soil samples.”
Two biology professors, Dr. Cody Rozenveld and Dr. Sara Sybesma Tolsma, were able gain grants to continue and contribute to their research. Rozenveld’s research includes “growing and preserving several pancreatic cancer cell lines in order to study how plasmids impact the breakdown of liquid droplets, which store fat in cells.” Tolsma’s research includes “analyzing the genomes of bacteriophages discovered by Northwestern students through the college’s partnership with the international SEA-PHAGES research program. She is also finalizing the data set her SEA-GENES students created as they performed a genetic screen on bacteriophage Island3 and is writing a paper reporting those results for publication.”
Six professors with disciplines in the humanities (English, education, biblical and theological studies, music and Spanish) were given grants.
Dr. Kali Jo Wacker, assistant professor of English, is creating an “active learning textbook on multimodal composition.” Junior art therapy major Jessica McCubbin is providing illustrations for this book.
Dr. Heather Hayes, assistant professor of education, with an expertise in special education, was given a grant to continue “an analysis of international peer-reviewed research into literacy instruction for students with extensive support needs.”
Dr. Cambria Kaltwasser, associate professor of biblical and theological studies, was given a grant to work on a book about “the Christian life as a friendship with God in the theology of Karl Barth.”
Another biblical and theological studies professor, Dr. Jason Leif, has was given a grant to write a book about Francis of Assisi.
Dr. Juyeong Kang, professor of music, prepared and performed a duo piano and vocal recital titled “The Beauty of Colors.” Kang accompanied opera singer Melody Wilson during their performance on Oct. 19.
Spanish and translation and interpreting professor Piet Koene received a grant for researching how NW can better “attract, retain and contribute” to the success of Hispanic students.
In the business department, Dr. Fan Fei, associate professor of business and economics, is working with senior Isaiah Gritters on an exploratory research project about if there are location specific factors for cancer. “From 2015 to 2019, Iowa ranked seventh in cancer incidence rates among people aged 50 and below. Fei is investigating whether Sioux County and similar nearby counties exhibit unusual patterns of cancer.”
For more information, you can visit NW’s news website or reach out the the faculty members!
