Lt. Col. Greg Hartman in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science submitted a proposal for the development of an electronic textbook for teaching Calculus I & II.  This project stems from the widespread dissatisfaction amongst college professors in the current college textbook system in which finding textbooks that match their instructional needs can be difficult, and the cost to the students for these textbooks is exorbitant.  The APEX calculus textbook will be collaboratively written and specifically tailored to meet the needs of the instructors, and it will be made electronically available to cadets free of charge; printed versions will be available at little or no cost.

The Committee recommended funding this proposal because it is an innovative blend of teaching and scholarship with the potential to impact a large number of cadets.  It also has the potential for much broader impact outside of the Institute as it could affect educational practices across the country.  The Committee has a great deal of confidence in Lt. Col. Hartman’s ability to successfully complete the project based on his previous experience in writing textbooks in this open format.  The project also has a high potential for follow on funding from the National Science Foundation.

Col. Mary Ann Dellinger, Director of the VMI ePortfolio Project, and Lt. Col. Elaine Humphrey, Director of the Miller Academic Center, submitted a proposal to develop a “First Year Experience” (FYE) program at VMI.  FYE programs are fairly common at colleges and universities across the country, and while VMI may present many unique challenges to new cadets, the struggles experienced by these cadets in meeting the challenge of performing academic work at the college level is not.  This potentially transformative program will proactively address the major disconnect between high school and college that challenges new students nationally.  A test group of 50 incoming Rats will enroll in two five-week courses named “College Success 101/102” that will prepare them for academic success in college.  These courses will strengthen the voice and presence of academics in cadets’ lives through the collaboration among academic departments and academic success programs.

The Committee recommended funding this proposal because it seeks to address a real need in our incoming students with the potential for broad impact amongst all first-year cadets.  It was decided to fund this proposal as a pilot study as opposed to the original proposal to make this program mandatory for all first-year cadets entering the Institute in fall 2012.  The committee felt that results from a pilot study would enable an informed discussion at the Academic Board as to whether or not the program should be implemented on a larger scale in the future.  The Committee has a great deal of confidence in both principal investigators involved in this project who have track records of success, and the PI’s, in consultation with Maj. Megan Newman, the Sponsored Programs Administrator, have identified several private and public sources for potential follow on funding.

Col. Charles Newhouse and Lt. Col. Mathew Swenty of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department submitted a proposal to establish a functional structures laboratory that uses full-size structural experiments for both research and demonstrations as they overlap with the structural engineering curriculum.  The funding provided by Jackson-Hope will support the design, construct and purchase of the steel testing frame, as well as associated safety and test equipment (the Institute Planning Officer recommended additional funds to move equipment currently occupying the lab space and an additional 18% for contingencies).  Additionally, the PIs have used other resources to acquire equipment that will complete the structures lab.  This project will enhance the teaching of structures classes by providing cadets with hands-on demonstrations currently not offered.  It will also support the research efforts of the structures faculty by enhancing their ability to collaborate with other institutions and compete for extramural research funds, which will also provide more undergraduate research opportunities for cadets.  Finally, it will support cadets’ ability to participate in student design competitions, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions. 

The Committee recommended funding this proposal because of its potential to impact a large number of cadets through both research and through the use of this equipment in experiential, classroom-based learning.  This laboratory supports the Vision 2039 goal of bolstering STEM programs and the percentage of STEM majors at the Institute by providing cadets with real-world, hands-on research experiences. 

Lt. Col. Joyce Blandino, a Jackson-Hope funded associate professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department, and Col. Michael Krackow, a professor in the Physical Education Department, submitted a proposal to acquire equipment to develop new interdisciplinary research in the area of Biomechanics.  Biomechanics is the application of the principles of mechanics (statics and dynamics) to explain how the human body moves.  The study of Biomechanics encompasses a wide range of disciplines: engineering, kinesiology, exercise science, anatomy, physiology, medicine, and rehabilitation.    The equipment to be purchased through this grant is the essential first step to establish a biomechanics measurement system for studying human motion.  The PIs plan to use the results from this work to apply for external funding to further expand their research goals.  In addition, the PIs plan to incorporate the system into the curricula in the Mechanical Engineering Department and in the Exercise Science Minor.  It will become an integral component in courses such as PE 380: Kinesiology and Functional Anatomy and ME 490: Biomechanics or a separate laboratory course.  The APRC recommended funding this proposal because of the interdisciplinary nature of the work and its potential for impact in both the teaching and research areas.

Col. Holly Richardson, a professor in the Physical Education Department, submitted a proposal to purchase laboratory equipment and related resources for the new Exercise Science Minor.  Fundamental to this proposal are:  1) establishing a new curriculum component that focuses on collection and analysis of specific physiologic biomarkers, and 2) actively engaging cadets with these state of the art procedures in the classroom and laboratory.  Funding will aid in the development of a long term, systematic line of inquiry to study the effects of physical and psychological challenges facing cadets using biomarkers in salivary fluids.  These biomarkers play a role in stress response, immune-competency, and resiliency.  The APRC recommended funding this proposal because the work supported through this grant will help in the development of the Exercise Science Minor.

Col. Stacey Vargas, a professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department, submitted a proposal to purchase equipment that will be used to support her research into the use if ultrashort pulse lasers as an alternative to costly fiber-optic networks in the telecommunications industry.  Col. Vargas has actively engaged cadets, as well as other faculty, in her research in this novel and rapidly progressing scientific field and will continue to do so, and has generated interest from companies within the telecommunications industry including Attochron, LLC, with which she is currently collaborating, as well as AT&T.  Additionally, both of the requested pieces of equipment have applications beyond the scope of this project and will be made available to other members of the faculty.  The APRC recommended funding this proposal based on the potential of the supported research for making significant advances is the telecommunications industry.

Maj. Karen Bliss and Maj. Jessica Libertini, assistant professors in the Applied Mathematics Department, submitted a proposal to develop a new program to promote success in mathematics, particularly for Rats as they transition from high school to college.  The proposed program will include initial testing to provide cadets with skill-specific feedback and identify “gaps” in each individual cadet’s mathematical background.  The testing results will also be used to develop a mapping tool that will enable cadets to see how their skills “gaps” might hinder their performance in their major, and to develop individually targeted strategies to address these gaps (including the use of the Open Math Lab – a Jackson-Hope funded program).  This program will leverage multiple elements of programs that have been shown to be successful at other institutions, and will better support cadets for success in the Core Curriculum mathematics sequence to include the new course sequence being developed as part of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).  The APRC recommended funding this proposal due to the breadth of its potential impact on the Corps of Cadets, its direct support for the Vision 2039 goal of graduating over 50 percent of our majors in hard sciences and engineering, and its potential to directly support the QEP.

Lt. Col. Paul Moosman, '98, associate professor in the Biology Department, submitted a proposal to evaluate the feasibility of an environmental studies program at VMI (Attachment 1).  The proposed program will pilot core pedagogical approaches in the environmental studies model using a team-taught course that will allow assessment of both the manner of teaching and of cadet interest in a potential program at VMI.  Additionally, LTC Moosman and others will visit environmental studies programs at other schools to fully understand alternative models and their feasibility.  Results of this investigation will be shared with the VMI community to facilitate broader discussion and achieve consensus around the need for an environmental studies program.  The APRC recommended funding this proposal due to the innovative pedagogical approach to the pilot course and its use of experiential learning and service work.  A program in environmental studies also has the potential to strengthen the ties between the sciences, engineering and the humanities.

Maj. Dekuwmini “Dee” Mornah, assistant professor in the Economics and Business Department, submitted a proposal to develop a new study abroad program to Africa that will be focused on entrepreneurship (Attachment 2).  Under the proposed program, MAJ Mornah will develop an interdisciplinary course in international entrepreneurship, and he will conduct the planning and arrange for the logistical support needed to implement an entrepreneurship study abroad program in Ghana starting in summer 2018.  The APRC recommended funding this proposal due to the program’s interdisciplinary nature, it's potential for increasing internship opportunities for cadets, and for the cultural opportunities, it presents for cadets in an area of the world that is currently not well represented in VMI’s study abroad program.

Lt. Col. Anne Alerding, associate professor in the Biology Department, submitted a proposal to use image analysis in order to obtain a better understanding the underlying resource trade-offs between soybean seed production and construction of vascular tissues that transport water and sugar in stems (Attachment 1).  The proposed research has the potential to improve soybean production in the State of Virginia (currently valued at nearly $260 million annually) while developing the expertise in image analysis that will support the development of a Quantitative Microscopy and Image Analysis Research Laboratory in the Biology Department.  The Laboratory will serve both as an image acquisition location (microscopic techniques) and as an image analysis training site for faculty and cadets.  The APRC recommended funding this proposal due to the strength of LTC Alerding’s research program and her collaboration with Virginia Tech, the interdisciplinary nature of the image analysis field, and the potential benefits to both STEM and non-STEM departments in using the Laboratory.

Col. Gerald "Jay" Sullivan, professor in the Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department, and Maj. Julie Brown, assistant professor in the English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies (ERHS) Department submitted a proposal to purchase of portable 3D scanning equipment and software (Attachment 2). The proposed 3D scanning equipment and software will complement existing 3D printing assets and machining equipment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as well as graphic design and computational software within CyberPost, thereby fostering truly unique interdisciplinary teaching and research opportunities between the cadets and faculty of ERHS and ME.  The APRC recommended funding this proposal due to the program’s interdisciplinary nature, its potential pedagogical impact on teaching both STEM and humanities courses, and its potential to benefit from and enhance the capabilities of equipment assets already in place.

Lt. Col. Wakeel I. Idewu (Civil & Environmental Engineering), Col. David Livingston (Electrical & Computer Engineering), and Dr. Hongbo Zhang (Computer & Information Sciences) submitted a proposal (Attachment 1) for an interdisciplinary project to build two autonomous, golf cart-sized vehicles, which will provide cadet researchers with first-hand experiences with artificial intelligence and sensing technologies and how these technologies affect the fields of engineering, information sciences, economics, and others.  Additionally, the project will provide cadets with experience that will enhance their competitiveness for future employment opportunities, and it will serve as a bridge project for faculty seeking to become more competitive for national grants, and to be more involved with cadets through research and hands-on instruction.  The APRC recommended funding this proposal based on its interdisciplinary nature and its introduction of cutting-edge technology to cadets.  The APRC also felt the project has great potential for expansion to include additional academic disciplines, and for follow-on funding support through external grants.

Col. Joseph Blandino, professor in the Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department, submitted a proposal (Attachment 2) to develop a CubeSat Research and Development Laboratory. CubeSats are small spacecraft, which are a low cost platform for developing and then flight qualifying spacecraft and sensor technology.  ME cadets will design, simulate, construct, and test CubeSats, which will serve as technology test platforms for evaluating deployable spacecraft structures.  Additionally, the commercial space industry generates an estimated $100 billion in revenue in the U.S. and approximately $320 billion globally, and the industry is growing.  The current ME Aerospace Concentration is focused on atmospheric flight, and it includes no courses that deal with spaceflight or spacecraft design.  This project will develop a spacecraft design course as a technical elective within the Concentration, which will address this gap in the curriculum.  The APRC recommended funding this proposal based on Col. Blandino’s strong track record for obtaining external research support funding and the resulting research opportunities for cadets.  The APRC also believed the resulting course would enhance the ME Aerospace Concentration.