Come ‘N’ Go Seed Grant Program calls for 2017 applications

The Come 'N' Go Domestic Research Collaboration Seed Grant Program calls for applications for the 2017 term. The College of Human Sciences (COHS) saw many successful applicants in 2016 and the program hopes to continue this tradition of success in years to come.

Come 'N' Go Domestic Research Collaboration Seed Grants are given to COHS faculty members and their collaborators chosen from other United States institutions. The funds allow the co-contributors to visit each other's campuses and provide financial support to design and implement joint research projects.

Once collaborators have their research project details confirmed, they are required to submit for federal grant funding. In the past, collaborators have joined the Texas Tech University campus for networking opportunities and to present their research.

The primary goal of the Come 'N' Go program is to support COHS faculty by providing opportunities for networking and expanding research interests. The program does so by increasing the number of federally funded proposals and providing members with cutting-edge research presentations to COHS faculty and students.

Last year's program saw 14 application. The COHS Research Committee Members and the Associate Dean for Research Michael O'Boyle, Ph.D, selected the top six.

2016 Come 'N' Go Grant Top Six

Shu Wang, Ph.D., Department of Nutritional Sciences
Inhibition of inflammation and atherosclerosis development in adults.

Naima Moustaid-Moussa, Ph.D., Department of Nutritional Sciences
Bioactive compounds to reduce polygenic obesity and diabetes.

Shaikh Rahman, Ph.D., Department of Nutritional Sciences
Activating transcription factor 4(ATF4) regulates inflammation and cholesterol metabolism in atherosclerosis.

Debajyoti Pati, Ph.D., Department of Design
A comparative effectiveness study of hypothesized physical design interventions to reduce patient falls in hospital rooms.

Dana Weiser, Ph.D., Human Development and Family Studies
Exploring the intersections of the "Dark Triad and Socialization".

Dr. Sylvia Niehuis, Ph.D., Human Development and Family Studies
Implications of early dating on marital relationship well-being and health.

Last year's applicant Dr. Weiser, says her project focused on parental and peer norms in personalities.

"I collaborated with Dan Jones, Ph.D., who is an assistant professor in psychology at University of Texas, El Paso. We have previously worked together on research related to dark personalities and infidelity. For this project, we are looking at how perceived parental and peer norms interact with dark personality traits such as narcissism, psychopathy, and machiavellianism, and how these traits are associated with individuals' attitudes towards condoms."

When selecting applicants, Dr. O'Boyle describes the evaluation process as a three-dimensional process of scientific merit or novelty, feasibility, and the likelihood of receiving a federal grant in support of the research.

"Federal grants are a top priority at Texas Tech University and in the College of Human Sciences. The Come 'N' Go recipients' hard work is helping to meet that goal."  

Moving into the 2017 program, Dr. O'Boyle says that he hopes to increase the funding provided for the Come 'N' Go program.

"The Research Office was very satisfied with the positive response to the program last year. In the future, we are hoping to expand the amount of funding devoted to the Come 'N' Go program to afford more faculty the opportunity to have this collaborative research experience."