Baker funds awarded

By Kelee Riesbeck

The Baker Fund Awards Committee recommended funding of $81,577 to eight faculty research projects in April, in areas ranging from plant biology and chemistry to telecommunications and film.

The committee, made up of seven Ohio University faculty members from a variety of disciplines, reviews proposals from faculty and staff seeking funding for research, scholarship and creative projects that are close to completion. The committee sends its recommendations to Ohio University President Robert Glidden, who makes the final award selections. The funds are provided by the Ohio University Foundation.

Complete list of 2003 Baker Fund recipients: Lawrence Witmer, associate professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, $11,719. Harvey Ballard, assistant professor of environmental and plant biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, $9,992. Arthur Cromwell, assistant professor of telecommunications in the College of Communication, $7,730. T. David Curp, assistant professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences, $7,136. Frederick R. Lemke, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, $12,000. David Kidder, associate professor of geological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, $11,000. Frederick Lewis, assistant professor of telecommunications in the College of Communications, $12,000. Rajko Grlic, Ohio Eminent Scholar of film in the College of Fine Arts, $10,000.

"Ohio University researchers produce a wealth of creative ideas that increases the knowledge and understanding of the world around us. Some of those creative studies wind up being more important than initially expected or they lead to other innovative concepts. Both of these cases demand additional work and finances to complete. It is precisely these types of already successful projects for which the Baker Fund is designed," said Richard Hazler, chair of the Baker Fund Awards Committee and professor of counseling and higher education. This year the committee received 18 proposals, eight of which were funded.

Examples of the projects funded include an effort by Harvey Ballard, assistant professor of environmental and plant biology, to photograph violet family specimens from museums around the United States. The project seeks to complete three Web databases on Mesoamerican violets that will serve as a model for recording the remaining 800 violet species worldwide. Ballard received $9,992 to fund an undergraduate assistant position, travel and equipment.

Arthur Cromwell, assistant professor of telecommunications, received $7,730 to archive a collection of interviews from prominent jazz artists and to complete up to 15 more interviews. The work highlights the personal histories of the artists and how their music evolved with the changing social, economic and cultural climates in 20th century America. The project will result in a book and accompanying CD.

For more information about the Baker Fund, visit www.ohiou.edu/research/baker.htm on the Web.

Kelee Riesbeck is a freelance writer.