WMU earns $6 million in new grantsFeb. 23, 2010 KALAMAZOO--Grants to Western Michigan University reached nearly $6.4 million from October 2009 through January 2010, WMU trustees learned at their Feb. 18 meeting. The $6,372,830 total brought the year-to-date total of externally funded awards to more than $20.7 million for the fiscal year, which began July 1. Research grants raked in more than $4.1 million, with the largest, a new grant of $865,404, coming from Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. and awarded to Dr. Ekkehard Sinn, chairman of the Department of Chemistry, to develop improved sensing technology to detect nerve and toxic industrial chemical agents. Grants for instruction came in at $328,668 and were led by four supplemental grants to Dr. Xiaojun Wang, professor of foreign languages and head of the University's Chinese language program, and Dr. Donald G. McCloud, dean of WMU's Haenicke Institute for Global Education. The grants, totaling $228,727, will go toward operations, teaching, cultural activities, research, academic exchanges, exhibitions and educational cooperation as part of the new WMU Confucius Institute. Public service grants combined for a little more than $1 million, with the largest award a $451,906 supplemental grant from Kalamazoo Community Mental Health Services to Dr. Carol Sundberg, director of the Center for Disability Services, to provide daily living, communication, behavior control and social skill services to adults with developmental disabilities. Grants for student services reached $158,000, while funding for scholarships and fellowships totaled $770,666. Among the latter category, an award of $593,159 from the National Science Foundation to Dr. Andrew Kline, associate professor of paper engineering, chemical engineering and imaging, Dr. Ikhlas Abdel-Qader, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Dr. Betsy Aller, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, will provide scholarships, mentoring and support activities for engineering students. Media contact: Cheryl Roland, (269) 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu WMU News |
