University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
AC-9: Academic Research

Anthropology:
Dr. Lynn Vincentnathan
Dr. Margaret Dorsey
Dr. Margaret Graham
Dr. Miguel Diaz-Barriga

Biology:
Dr. Alexis Racelis
Dr. Andrew McDonald
Dr. Christopher Vitek
Dr. Frank J Dirrigl
Dr. Frank W Judd
Dr. Fred Zaidan
Dr. Hudson R DeYoe
Dr. Jon Dale
Dr. Kenneth R. Summy
Dr. Kristine L. Lowe
Dr. Luis A Materon
Dr. Mohammed Farooqui
Dr. Robert Gilkerson
Dr. Robert J Edwards
Dr. Teresa P Feria
Dr. Timothy Brush
Dr. Zen Faulkes

Chemistry:
Dr. Aijie Han
Dr. Elamin E Ibrahim
Dr. Hassan Ahmad
Dr. Jason Parsons
Dr. Javier Macossay-Torres
Dr. Joanne Ramersad-Ammons
Dr. K. Christopher Smith
Dr. Phillip DeLassus
Dr. Thomas Whelan
Dr. Yuanbing Mao
Dr. James Bullard

Civil Engineering:
Dr. Jungseok Ho
Dr. Mohammad Azarbayejani

Communication:
Dr. Jing Liu
Dr. Yvonne Yanrong Chang

Computer Engineering:
Dr. Christine Reilly
Dr. Sanjeev Kumar
Dr. Xiang Lian
Dr. Yul Chu

Computer Science:
Dr. Andres Figueroa
Dr. Dongchul Kim
Dr. Richard Fowler
Dr. Sunyoung Cho

Criminal Justice:
Dr. Joseph Appiahene-Gyamfi
Mr. George Bowe
Mr. Stanley Gonzalez

Economics & Finance:
Dr. Alberto Davila
Dr. Alejandro Serrano
Dr. Andre Varella Mollick
Dr. Dave Jackson
Dr. Diego Escobari
Dr. Eduardo Saucedo
Dr. James W Boudreau
Dr. Marie T Mora
Dr. Salvador Contreras
Dr. Terrance Martin
Dr. Wanling Huang

Education:
Dr. John Lowdermilk

Educational Leadership:
Dr. Fransico Guajardo

Electrical Engineering:
Dr. Hasina Huq
Dr. Jaime Ramos
Dr. Jun Peng
Dr. Weidong Kuang

English:
Dr. Danika M Brown
Dr. David Anshen
Dr. Deborah L Cole
Dr. Marci R McMahon
Dr. Matthew J Christensen
Ms. Emmy Pérez
Ms. Marlene Galvan

Environmental Studies:
Dr. Amy Cummins
Dr. Aziza Zemrani
Dr. George Atisa
Dr. Olga Gerhart
Dr. Stefanie Herweck
Dr. Stephen Leach
Dr. William Donner
Mr. Erik Anderson
Mr. James Gleason
Ms. Marianita Escamilla

Health and Kinesiology:
Dr. Layne Winslow Jorgensen
Dr. Paul Villas
Dr. Soojin Yoo
Mr. Zasha Romero

History and Philosophy:
Dr. Amy Hay
Dr. Brent M.S. Campney
Dr. Cynthia Jones
Dr. Friederike Bruehoefener
Dr. Megan Birk
Dr. Olga Stadelmann Gerhart
Dr. Christopher L Miller
Dr. Dahlia Guerra
Dr. Nick Taylor
Dr. Russel Skowronek
Dr. Sonia Hernandez
Dr. Walter Diaz
Mr. John Milford
Ms. Bobbie Lovett
Ms. Roseann Bacha-Garza

Management:
Dr. Hale Kaynak
Dr. John Sargent
Dr. Jorge A Gonzalez

Manufacturing Engineering:
Dr. Alley Butler
Dr. Douglas Timmer
Dr. Hiram Moya
Dr. James Ignizio
Dr. Jianzhi Li
Dr. Kye Hwan Lee
Dr. Miguel Gonzalez
Dr. Rajiv Nambiar
Dr. Subhash Bose

Marketing:
Dr. Penny Simpson
Dr. Reto Felix
Dr. Sharon Schembri
Mr. Joe Garza

Mathematics:
Dr. Dambaru Bhatta
Dr. Daniel Riahi
Dr. Nam Nguyen
Dr. Olga M Ramirez
Dr. Virgil Pierce
Dr. Xiaohui Wang

Mechanical Engineering:
Dr. Constantine M Tarawneh
Dr. Ernur Karadogan
Dr. Isaac Choutapalli
Dr. Kamal Sarkar
Dr. Karen Lozano
Dr. Mataz Alcoutlabi
Dr. Waseem Haider

Mexican American Studies:
Dr. Cathryn Josefina Merla-Watson
Dr. Jessica Lavariega Monforti

Nursing:
Dr. Sandra Sanchez

Pharmacy:
Dr. Adrian Sandoval
Dr. Lydia Aguilera

Physics and Geology:
Dr. Juan Gonzalez
Dr. Mohammad Hannan

Political Science:
Dr. Angel Saavedra Cisneros
Dr. Delina Barrera
Dr. James P. Wenzel
Dr. Owen F Temby
Dr. Paul D Jorgensen
Dr. Sergio Bejar Lopez
Ms. Kay Ford

Psychology:
Dr. Grant Benham
Dr. James Aldridge
Dr. Jason Popan
Dr. Joseph Hovey
Dr. Maureen Flynn
Ms. Liza Talavera-Garza

Public Affairs:
Dr. Aziz Zemrani

Rehabilitation:
Dr. Roy Chen

Social Work:
Dr. Catherine Faver

Sociology:
Dr. Igor Ryabov
Dr. Steven Foy

STX Border Health Disparities Center:
Dr. Damian Damianov
Dr. Glenn Martinez
Dr. Grant Benham
Dr. Jose A Pagan
Dr. Liza Talavera-Garza
Dr. Suad Ghaddar

Accounting & Business Law:
Dr. Andres Bello

In order to complete the research inventory, we accessed our universities FARS (faculty activity reporting system) database, contacted department chairpersons, and Engagement Survey data.

Each university faculty member was contacted and their respective vitae were reviewed for sustainability content.

FiberRio Technology Corporation
Forcespinning™, a process of creating nanofibers, is a technology created by Dr. Karen Lozano and Dr. Kamalaksha Sarkar, both faculty members in UTPA’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. In this process, fibers spin at the nano level, increasing its strength and efficiency. Forcespinning is significant for sustainability in that the technology can be used in many manufacturing applications including medical and filtration materials, textiles, personal care products including diapers and cosmetics, insulation, and energy storage, making these products more cost effective. UTPA's first regional technology start-up company FibeRio, has manufactured the machines using Forcespinning™ technology to produce nanofibers in greater quantities and materials at a lower cost. This technology is an example of how effectively transferring and leveraging the knowledge and expertise from UTPA can enhance sustainable economic development in the region.

Coastal Studies Lab
The University of Texas-Pan American Coastal Studies Laboratory is part of the UTPA campus and studies and exhibits marine life such as crustaceans, marine vertebrates and plant life. There are several aquariums and touch tables. This lab is located on South Padre Island, Texas within easy reach of a variety of marine, estuarine and terrestrial habits. Programs at the laboratory focus on understanding the interrelationships that govern the structure and functioning of inshore coastal ecosystems and impact of human activities on coastal resources. Research focuses on the coastal ecosystems of southern Texas and northern Mexico.
CSL researchers are conducting a hydrographic survey at critical locations in the Laguna Madre to predict where an oil or chemical spill would travel if it entered the Laguna Madre through the Brazos Santiago Pass from the Gulf of Mexico.
The Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, founded in 1980, is a nonprofit volunteer-based organization dedicated to the understanding and conservation of marine mammals. The Network rescues and rehabilitates marine mammals that strand along the Texas Coast, providing food, medical treatment and 24-hour-a-day observation. Network volunteers in six regions along the coast respond immediately when a stranding is reported.
The UTPA Coastal Studies Laboratory is an active member of the South Padre Island Sea Turtle Salvage and Stranding Network. The Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) was formally established in 1980 to collect information on and document strandings of marine turtles along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts. The network encompasses the coastal areas of the eighteen state region from Maine through Texas, and includes portions of the U.S. Caribbean. Data are compiled through the efforts of network participants who document marine turtle strandings in their respective areas and contribute those data to the centralized STSSN data base.
Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) is an environmental education program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment. The B-WET program aims to promote environmental literacy in society, supporting individuals to understand, protect and restore watersheds and related ocean and coastal ecosystems. NOAA recognizes that knowledge and commitment built from firsthand experience, especially in the context of one's community and culture, is essential for achieving environmental stewardship.
Carefully selected experiences driven by rigorous academic learning standards, engendering discovery and wonder, and nurturing a sense of community will further connect students with their watershed, help reinforce an ethic of responsible citizenship, and promote academic achievement. B-WET maintains relevance by responding to regional education and environmental priorities through local implementation
Dr. Thomas Whelan is the Coordinator for the American Chemical Society-National Chemistry Olympiad for the South Texas Division. He serves as the Chair of Freshwater and Marine section of the Texas Academy of Science and is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Texas Pan American. As director of the UTPA Coastal Studies Lab, his current research includes investigating the chemical interaction between seagrasses and coastal sediments in the Lower Laguna Madre. The results of his study will help determine highest possible toxicity levels for this unique and environmentally valuable salt water estuary.
http://www.gulfbase.org/organization/view.php?oid=coastallab
http://portal.utpa.edu/utpa_main/daa_home/cosm_home/csl_home/research

UTPA Center for Subtropical Studies
The Center for Subtropical Studies is a multidisciplinary research component of the College of Science and Mathematics at The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA). The Center for Subtropical Studies supports the research, education, and community service missions of the university by: focusing on the environmental concerns of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, providing infrastructure and a forum for discussions of, collaboration in, and implementation of research and educational programs and initiatives involving UTPA and non-UTPA entities, enhancing institutional effectiveness by fostering organized interaction with area civic, business, and political leaders and with regional, national and international organizations with an interest in subtropical studies or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and providing opportunities for students in the natural sciences through an organized framework of research excellence.
http://faculty.utpa.edu/orgs/css/

Faculty and staff submitted 224 proposals seeking $126.7million dollars and this resulted in 141 awards for $23.3 million dollars during FY 2014. This activity in combination with teaching efforts by our faculty is an indicator that our faculty want to not only advance the knowledge in their respective disciplines but they also want to create opportunities for our students to be engaged in hands-on experience.

Dr. John Lowdermilk, the chair of the College of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology, and the former Director of UTPA’s Education Technology Resource Center, won a $50,000 grant from the Sid W. Richardson Foundation of Ft. Worth, Texas. Dr. Lowdermilk wrote an iPad app which demonstrates how it might feel for a special education student with a visual impairment, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a low level autism, or dyslexia who has been assigned to a mainstream classroom. Apple has accepted the app in the iOS App store, and is being distributed by the newly-formed business, L. Lowdermilk Industries.

Dr. Marie Mora won the National Science Foundation award for over $492,000 and became the national director of the Economics Mentoring Program. Working with other universities such as the University of Chicago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Colorado and the University of New Mexico, Dr. Mora will match up experienced economists, most of whom are members of the American Economic Association and/or the black minority-oriented National Economic Association, with minority doctoral students across the country.

Dr. Yuanbing Mao is a chemist developing small man-packed devices intended to detect low level radiation which might be a threat to American soldiers on the battlefield. With a four-year grant from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Dr. Mao has been able to hire Dr. Madhab Pokhrel and Dr. Bhupendra Srivastava, both post-doctoral fellows, to work on the project, as well as two graduate students, one of whom has published two papers on the research. While the over-arching goal of the research is to develop a small device that can detect low levels of radiation that might harm American soldiers, the wider results will build the body of knowledge about luminescent core-shell nanostructures.

Dr. James Bullard is another chemistry faculty member engaged in biomedical research. Over the years, he’s brought in many grants, including the current one from the U. S. Department of Health & Human Graduate student Lawrence Cano at work on UTPA’s X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer Services and the National Institutes of Health. The four year funding totals $430,800 to examine "A Protein Synthesis from Pseudomones aeruginosa for Screening Antibacterials.” Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common disease-causing bacterium, and Bullard’s goal is to identify compounds that are potential drug candidates intended to fight bacteria that have become increasingly resistant to the usual treatments and to reduce the side effects of those treatments. His work is important in two ways: first to find other ways to combat hospital-borne bacteria that have become drug resistant, and second, to help with basic research in combatting bioterrorism. Dr. Bullard’s other grants include one from the prestigious Robert A. Welch Foundation, which funds research by chemists. His work has direct local impact, such as a grant from the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center for "Development of a Minimum Bacterial Protein Synthesis System for Discovery of New Antibiotics Beneficial to South Texas Inhabitants." Bullard is also organizing his research to include students. At present, he has two graduate students, six undergraduate students and one Master’s level assistant scientist. “It’s our hope that eventually, we will be able to bring new anti-bacterial compounds to market through a new company that will provide jobs and expand the economy of the Valley” says Bullard. “We also want to create an environment of student research.