Recent Faculty Research Projects
The Gerontology Institute administers the Institute Faculty Grant Program which provides monetary support to any full time College faculty member for course development and research/scholarship that has a focus on aging or older adults. The program has two funding priorities:
- Course Development—for courses or course modules, especially those that focus on international/global aspects of aging. We particularly encourage multi-interdisciplinary activities.
- Research and Scholarship—for projects related to any aspect of aging, especially those focusing on older adults.
Listed below are summaries of a few of the projects that the Institute has funded. If you are interested in applying, download the Faculty Grant application forms.
Professor Katherine
Beissne
Institute
Fellow
The Institute approved Professor Beissner’s Faculty Grant in
December 2004 to fund her project, “Home Environments and Everyday
Competence; Pilot Study.” Professor Beissner’s project studies
how physical ability and the home environment interact to affect every
day abilities of older adults. Data analysis will identify relationships
among physical abilities, social support, housing environments, and
the every day competence in older adults.
Professor Kal Telage
Institute
Affiliate
In 2004 professor Kal Telage, Speech Language Pathology and
Audiology, continued his ambitious project to further develop and simplify
a digitized teaching methodology for students and teachers. This involved
obtaining upgraded software, innovative video and graphics screening hardware,
and incorporating them in a more simplified process for creating dynamic
PowerPoint slides. The audience for this equipment is primarily health
care professionals and students training in the field, many of whom
will be working with older adults.
Professor T. H. Reynolds
In December 2003 assistant professor T.H. Reynolds, Exercise and Sport
Sciences was awarded a Faculty Grant to help fund preliminary research
for a major grant proposal titled, The Effects of Aging on the Mammalian
Target of Rapamycin (mTOR): Potential Role in Age-related Muscle Atrophy. As
aging occurs, there is a progressive decline in skeletal muscle mass
that not only results in a decrease in muscle strength, but also is
a primary contributor to the declines in functional mobility and independent
living.
Professor Srijana Bajracharya
Associate professor
Srijana Bajracharya, Health Promotion and Physical Education, was awarded
a Faculty Grant in November 2003 to help fund a project titled “An Assessment of the Barriers to the Early Detection
of Colorectal Cancer in Tompkins County.” The purpose of the study
was to gather information about the barriers to the early screening
for colorectal cancer among the Tompkins County residents.
Carol John
Institute Fellow
Former IC assistant professor Carol John, Occupational
Therapy, was awarded a Faculty Grant in to supplement the cost of her
attendance at a two-day seminar designed to help therapists develop
a comprehensive understanding of how vision changes associated with
aging can impact occupational performance and the therapy process.