Research Office Awards Arts and Humanities Seed Funding to Faculty

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Office of Vice Provost for Research and Economic Development at the University of Arkansas has awarded four faculty research grants through its Arts and Humanities Seed Funding Program.

The $5,000 grants are intended to enrich the research and professional growth of the faculty member and the university and result in new opportunities for research or other creative endeavors. The money will be used on items that will further a project such as materials, supplies and travel.

“The proposals reflected a healthy diversity of interests in the arts and humanities on campus,” said Cynthia Sagers, interim associate vice provost for research and economic development. “This is the second year of the program, and evidence from the first year suggests that this investment has the potential to stimulate further creative endeavors and extramural support.”

Those selected for the grants are: Michael Hevel, College of Education and Health Professions; Frank Jacobus, Fay Jones School of Architecture; Han-Seok Seo, Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences; and Bethany Springer, J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Hevel, an assistant professor of higher education, studies the history of college students and alcohol from the early 19th century to the present. His research, which forms the foundation of a book proposal, reveals that the college campus was central to the societal debates about alcohol as the nation’s emerging leaders - college students - made decisions to drink or abstain and the nation’s establishment - including administrators, faculty members, and influential members of the public - worked to influence students’ decisions. He will primarily use his grant to complete archival research.

Jacobus, an associate professor of architecture, will work with two research assistants to create a comprehensive record of falling and crumbling barns in the Ozark region of Arkansas. They will document, through photographs, text, diagrams and maps, the socio-economic factors integral to their deterioration. Jacobus plans to produce scholarly publications based on the research, including at least one journal submission.

Seo, an assistant professor of food science, plans to use his funding to help people maintain or improve their mental health by presenting a music concert with aroma stimuli. Previous behavioral and neuroimaging studies provide sufficient clinical evidence that music and aroma not only increase positive mood, but also relieve stress, anxiety, depression and pain. In addition, this project focuses on the development of the method to deliver beneficial aroma stimuli to a concert audience.

Springer, an associate professor of art, will use her grant to conduct research on the eastern coast of Newfoundland. Through separate photography and film projects, she will investigate the idea of consumption in the 21st century as a defining sign of shifting identity and place.

The office of vice provost for research and economic development received 30 applications from three colleges, one school and the Division of Agriculture. A panel of six reviewers from across campus convened to evaluate proposals and each proposal received three independent reviews. The panel discussed the reviews and developed a recommendation for funding to the vice provost for research and economic development.