Sociologists Shed Light on the Environment

Research, scholarship and creative activity at Oklahoma State University 2006

Sociologists Shed Lighton the Environment

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

We have published a remarkable collection of eye-opening research stories in Vanguard

2006. We begin with an insightful Q&A session on commercialization with Michael Caro-lina, executive director of OCAST, and end with a story about the arts and Teresa Miller, executive director of OSU’s Center for Poets and Writers. There’s something for everyone—a wonderful blend of the arts and science—infusing society on one hand and the economy on the other.

Our cover story reveals how sociologists shed light on the environment through research. OSU research to predict whether or not a movie is a flop or a blockbuster got the attention of movie makers and news media around the world. OSU researchers are developing new technologies and processes to fight lung disease, turn sorghum into ethanol, and bring new products and treatments to market for arthritis and osteoarthritis sufferers. A new rural research initiative will encourage the growth of Native American-owned businesses in the region.

We continue to attract new students, faculty and research dollars to OSU. The Niblack Research Scholars Program gives students the opportunity to share in a research experience, possibly for the first time. Dr. Edward Shaw chose OSU to further his research on Coxi-

ella burnetti, in part, because of the university’s commitment to research. New research laboratories, facilities and initiatives support the state’s programs to expand research so that we are more competitive in the biosciences, nanotechnology, sensors and more.

We made great strides in research at OSU this past year, and we have even greater expectations for the coming year. Research has evolved into an enterprise that encour-ages entrepreneurship, technology innovation and commercialization—the sum of which translates into economic growth for our university, state and nation. We talk a lot about technology transfer and why it’s important, and truthfully, we cannot compete in today’s world without it.

We hope you enjoy Vanguard 2006. We appreciate your feedback and ask that you contact Jana Smith for more information or visit our newly redesigned website at www.vpr.okstate.edu/researchcentral.

Dr. Stephen W.S. McKeever

Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer

David J. Schmidly, President and CEO

Stephen W.S. McKeever, Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer

Vanguard is published annually by Oklahoma State University. It is produced by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer.

Editor/Writer: Jana Smith; Art Director/Designer: Torsten Kilschautzky; Photographer: Erika Contreras; Contributing Writers: Marla Schaefer, Dottie Witter, Jim Mitchell, Trish McBeath, Rex Daugherty, Randi Jacoby, Derinda Lowe and Sharon Smith.

For details about research work highlighted in this magazine or reproduction permission, contact the editor.

Jana Smith, Editor, Vanguard 316 PIO, Stillwater, OK 74078-6604 405.744.5827 | [email protected]

�Research at Oklahoma State University • www.vpr.okstate.edu

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VanguardResearch, scholarship and creative activity at Oklahoma State University 2006

2 Carolina on CommerciationOCAST’s executive director discusses the role the Center plays in commercializing new technologies developed at the state’s research universities and organizations.

5 New Venture Serves Stakeholders

A new electron microscopy laboratory relocated from OSU to Venture I at the Oklahoma Technology and Research Park will serve existing clients and a broader industrial clientele.

6 Super Flop or Super Blockbuster

Two OSU professors unveiled a “neural network” model to predict whether or not a movie is a flop or blockbuster.

8 Relief for Osteoarthritis Sufferers

An OSU professor designed the research method-ology for independent studies to test an Australian ointment used to manage osteoarthritis.

10Sociologists Shed Light on the Environment

A world-class environmental sociology program has emerged at OSU from recognition that “people problems” cause human actions that threaten human welfare, thus requiring social action for their solution.

12New Technologies Fight Lung Disease

OSU researchers in the Center for Veterinary Medicine’s Lung Biology and Toxicology Labora-tory are developing new technologies to cure and prevent pulmonary diseases.

14A Sweet Idea: Converting Sweet Sorghum into Ethanol

An OSU researcher in the Food & Agricultural Prod-ucts Center is investigating how best to process ethanol from sweet sorghum in the field.

16Neuroscientist’s Research Makes Gains on Pain

At OSU’s Center for Health Sciences, research on the behavior of glutamate and arthritic pain is based on knowledge that sensory nerves become more sensitive during inflammation from chronic disease.

18Native Americans Benefit from Rural Research Initiative

A new OSU research initiative will focus on devel-oping technology-based businesses in rural Okla-homa with special emphasis on Native American-owned businesses.

20The Smallest Line of DefenseAn OSU-Tulsa researcher will study the surviv-ability, security and reliability of military sensors over a three-year period.

22Getting in the ZoneAn OSU-Tulsa student will analyze and study data collected on Tulsa’s ozone to determine the effects on air quality.

23Cells Hold Clues to Q FeverThe specialized research of obligate intracellular pathogens will lead to a better understanding of the relationship between a pathogen and its host cell, and ultimately, guard against bioterrorism and improve public health.

24The John Niblack StoryThe retired Pfizer executive John Niblack credits his own OSU education as ‘first class’ and estab-lished an undergraduate-graduate student research program to develop and foster student interest in scholarly research in a science discipline.

Inside Back Cover Growing the Numbers: Research and Intellectual Property

Back CoverMiller Writing Own Legacy

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About the Cover

The Oklahoma Arbuckle Mountains provide an appropriate backdrop for OSU’s Environmental Soci-ology Group. The strength of OSU’s program lies in the diversity of its faculty’s interests and expertise. Photo/R.E. Lindsey\oklaphoto.com; ES Group Photo/ Erika Contreras

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director of the Oklahoma Center for the

Advancement of Science and Technology

(OCAST). His tenure at OCAST began

August 1, 2005; he is the agency’s third

executive director since its establishment

in 1987.

Carolina held management and executive

positions (operating, strategic and busi-

ness planning, new product development and engineering) with

the Western Electric Company, AT&T and Lucent Technologies,

where he worked for 25 years in the telecommunications

industry. He served in several of AT&T’s New Jersey-based

operations, including technology transfer of Bell Laboratories-

designed telecommunications products to AT&T’s and Lucent

Technologies’ joint ventures in Korea, Taiwan, The Netherlands,

Spain and Brazil. He was also engineering director for Lucent

Technologies’ Oklahoma City Global Provisioning Center.

After his retirement from Lucent Technologies in 2001, he

became an industry consultant with the OSU Center for

Innovation and Economic Development. He was also an adjunct

professor in the Engineering and Technology Management

program (OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and

Technology).

A native of Oklahoma, he received his B.S. in Biological

Science from Oklahoma State University in 1967 and his M.S.

in Environmental Science from the University of Oklahoma

in 1971. He was selected by AT&T to attend its Executive

Development Program in Princeton, NJ and completed the

program in 1986.

Carolina serves on the board of directors for the Oklahoma

Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), the National Memorial

Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT), i2E, the

Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence (OAME), as

well as the Governor’s International Team (GIT), the Oklahoma

Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

(EPSCoR) Advisory Committee and engineering advisory boards

at Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma.

He has also been named to the Southern Growth Policy Board’s

Science and Technology Advisory Committee.

Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology


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Q WhatisOCAST’sroleandhowdoesOCASTpromotetheresearchactivi-

tiesinthestate?

A The mission of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and

Technology (OCAST) is to foster innova-tion in existing and developing businesses by supporting basic and applied research. OCAST is Oklahoma’s only state agency charged with the development, transfer and commercialization of technology and its impact on the Oklahoma economy. OCAST advances entrepreneurship and innovation to create jobs and sustainable economic development for Oklahoma; it accomplishes this mission through coop-eration and collaboration of government, the private sector and academia. OCAST administers two major grant programs—health research and applied research—that tie directly to research efforts taking place at Oklahoma research institutions (OSU, OU and Tulsa University) and research entities such as the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation based in Ardmore, Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City.

OCAST leverages the strengths of Oklahoma’s industrial base (agriculture, energy, biotechnology, life sciences, infor-mation technology, telecommunications, aviation and aerospace and manufac-turing) with technology thrusts in areas such as advanced materials, nanotech-nology, sensor technology and meteoro-logical science. Since its inception in 1987, OCAST has awarded, on a competitive basis, $127 million to basic and applied research projects and those awards have attracted nearly $2 billion of NIH, NSF and private funds to our state. This is a return on investment of 15:1, an accom-plishment that has positioned OCAST as a national and international model for technology-based economic development. This recognition is not only good for the (OCAST) agency, but is also a compli-ment to the tremendous research capa-bilities that exist at our research institu-

tions and to the science and technology focus by the (Oklahoma) private sector. OCAST will continue—and even plans to increase—its awards for cutting-edge research at Oklahoma research institu-tions and entities.

Q Howdoyouseetheconnectionbetweenresearch commercialization and

economicdevelopment?

A OCAST focuses on the commercial-ization of science and technology to

create high-quality, high-paying jobs that advance sustainable economic develop-ment in our state. OCAST awards criteria are highly competitive and use a peer-review process to assure scientific and technical merit and economic development potential. Commercialization of techno-logy is the value that OCAST brings to the state. Using the concept-to-commercial-

ization approach, OCAST promotes inno-vation, entrepreneurship and a business climate that leads to positive economic impact for our state.

OCAST has been successful in win-ning three competitive grants from the U.S. Small Business Administration through its Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST) Program. University technology commercialization is a crit-ical component of these grants. Using these federal funds and the resources of OCAST’s Oklahoma Technology Commer-cialization Center program, 36 tech-nologies developed within Oklahoma’s research universities have received commercialization support. Ten of these technologies are OSU projects and cover the spectrum from Hay Bale Spike Weighing Apparatus to Direct Serum Lipids Assays for Evaluation of Disease. The commercialization-evalu-

Carolina on Commercialization

s OCASTfundedsensortechnologyledtoinnovativebridgerepair(WebbersFalls).StrategicSolu-tionsInternationalandNomadicsspinoffEngiusco-developedtheintelliRocksensor.

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dramatic benefits to economic develop-ment in our state.

OCAST has provided $27 million in research funding to Oklahoma State University. In terms of research and OSU projects receiving OCAST funding, we see the major research strengths in biochem-istry, nutrition, cell and molecular biology, sensor technologies, advanced materials and biotechnology.

Q InwhatwaycanOSUresearchpromotethefuturegrowthofOklahoma?

A OSU’s total research program including incubators, the Okla-

homa Technology Research Park, intel-lectual property management and tech-nology transfer are vital to Oklahoma’s

ation methodology included an analysis of the value of the technology, potential market share, market competition, assis-tance with development of a business plan for the technology and an introduc-tion of the technology to the investment community.

Q HowdoyouseetheEDGEprogramdeveloping?

A I commend Oklahoma’s leadership—the governor, legislature, common

and higher education, business and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce—for their vision and commitment to creating an environment for research excellence. As the result of media coverage of EDGE, tracking of EDGE actions on the (EDGE) Web site, and my own participation in seminars and planning sessions, I feel very positive about a more focused and committed collaboration of government, industry and academia to support research and development that will allow Oklahoma to better compete in the global environ-ment. As the EDGE initiative becomes more defined, OCAST can play a key role considering its experience and demon-strated capabilities in the science and technology areas that are being discussed under the (EDGE) umbrella. I believe the state is on track in terms of investing in the future of Oklahoma and supporting research capabilities, research infra-structure and a climate of innovation that will mean increasing Oklahoma’s ability to attract more research talent and keeping the best undergraduate and graduate talent in our state.

Q Inyourview,whatareOklahoma’sand, especially, Oklahoma State

University’smajorresearchstrengths?

A I think there is extraordinary research talent at our two state

research institutions (OSU and OU), at Tulsa University, and at (Oklahoma) regional colleges and universities. In addition, there are tremendous research capabilities and collaborative opportuni-ties with the Noble Foundation and the Oklahoma Medical Research Founda-tion. OSU’s focus on sensor technology, advanced materials, nanotechnology, agriculture and life sciences, and alter-native energy sources, are critical to a total research agenda that will have

progression toward becoming known for its commitment to science and technology development and commercialization. OSU has a good reputation for its strong research agenda and capabilities. Its National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal grants are testa-ments to OSU’s research strengths.

In summary, I think that OSU research is strategic, competitive and in a position of strength. Additional resource allocation to continue—and expand—its research agenda can bring both short-and-long-term value to Oklahoma. Can more funding make a dramatic difference to Oklahoma’s total research, development and commercializa-tion infrastructure? Absolutely!

s OCASTisstrategicallylocatedintheOklahomaHealthCenter.OCASTisinvolvedintechnologyareasthatincludebioscience,advancedmaterials,energy,sensors,aviation/aerospaceandagriculturalsciences.

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Charlotte Ownby retired from Oklahoma State University (OSU) in 2006 only to begin a challenging new venture as director of the Electron Microscopy (EM) Laboratory at Venture I located within the Oklahoma Technology and Research Park. She’ll continue the work that she began at OSU in 1977 and expand the services of the lab to new users outside the university.

Ownby says she’s excited about retirement because of the opportunity to pursue her own interests while setting up a state-of-the-art EM Laboratory at the Park. According to Ownby, “The transmission electron micro-scope purchased with a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant valued at $750,000 allows higher resolution for researchers who want to look inside cells or work in nanotechnology. Even though it sounds like a cliché, the microscope is truly state-of-the art.”

Ownby explains that the new state-of-the-art elec-tron microscope and associated cryoequipment will allow researchers to do work they have never been able to do before. She says, “The new cryoequipment freezes the samples and preserves them closer to their natural state. The techniques we’ve been using in the past alter the structure of the samples because they are preserved with chemicals. The technique of the future is the freezing technology.”

The equipment will be installed at Venture I and ready to use by April 2006. Because this lab is a service lab, it will be available to the university and to outside companies who need this service. At OSU, the EM lab served approximately 200 users from various colleges. The range of services varied from work on nano mate-rials, bacterial samples, viruses and bread dough to vegetables, rocks and animal tissue.

Ownby says the biggest difference in the new elec-tron microscope from other microscopes is the ability to look at the structure of a sample. You can look at very small samples and characterize the composition. There is an electron microscope at Venture I already, but it is geared more to determining the chemical

composition of a geological sample with less emphasis on fine structure.

The university EM lab offered a huge range of services. A person could bring samples to the lab and have lab personnel do the work or they could learn how to use the equipment and do the work themselves. Most labs don’t offer such a broad range of services. The university also had a confocal microscope which is a type of light micro-scope. The difference in the two microscopes is that the electron microscope uses electrons to make the image; the confocal uses lasers to make the image.

The resolution of the new microscope is sub-nano and can look at protein structure, molecules and DNA. There is only one microscope with a higher resolution and Ownby says she will apply for another NSF grant to acquire it. It is valued at $2M with a resolution that is almost atomic level. No one in the state has a microscope with this kind of resolution. According to Ownby, “If we are successful in obtaining NSF funds for this microscope, we will have the premier EM lab in the state.”

Ownby says Venture I is a great location for the new EM lab since Nomadics is already a client. The lab will offer the same services to companies moving to the Park and to companies outside the Park. Ownby believes the lab will meet the needs of so many more people by moving to the Park. And, since she says she likes change, this was a great opportunity.

JanaSmith

New Venture Serves Stakeholders

“The transmission electron micrscope purchased with a NSF grant valued at $ 750,000 allows higher resolution for researchers who want to look inside cells or work in nanotechology.” —CharlotteOwnby

s CharlotteOwnby

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If you have plans to invest in movie-making anytime soon, you’ll probably want to contact a couple of OSU professors first. Hollywood is already calling them now that they’ve unveiled a computer-based system that can tell people whether a movie is going to be a box

office hit or a flop long before the first frame is filmed.

The research by Drs. Ramesh Sharda and Dursun Delen shows their system can pinpoint exactly how much revenue a movie will generate 37 percent of the time. “Even when we don’t hit on an exact prediction on box-office revenues, our tests show we can maintain an accu-racy rate of 75 percent, which allows us

to classify the potential movie within the next closest financial performance category,”

said Delen.

They call the system, “Movie Forecast Guru.” It uses seven factors or variables that are integrated by a so-called “neural network” model to come up with a revenue range for classifying the potential movie in one of nine categories from ‘super flops’ that take in less than $1 million to ‘super blockbusters’ that gross more than $200 million. The neural network based computer model is designed to work much like a human brain in integrating all of the different fac-tors to make a prediction decision.

“All the variables we use are factors you would usually consider as you are deciding whether to make a movie, so we expect this to be a power-ful decision aide for potential investors,” said Sharda, an OSU regents professor. He and Delen are both with the Spears School of Business at OSU in the department of management sci-ence and information systems.

The seven factors or variables used to classify the potential movie include the star value of the cast, the movie’s age rating, the time of release against that of competitive movies, the film’s genre, the degree of spe-

cial effects used, whether it is a sequel or not, and the number of screens it is expected to appear on at its opening.

“The wonder of our system is that it takes each variable that can be either positive or negative alone and integrates them to build a model that can give you

solid financial expectations,” said Sharda.

Super Flop or Super Blockbuster?


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“Even when we don’t hit on an exact prediction on box-office revenues, our tests show we can maintain an accuracy rate of 75 percent, which allows us to classify the potential movie within the next closest financial performance category.”

—DursunDelen

He and Delen have been testing their neural network by using data from actual movies. The pair has input data from 834 movies released between 1998 and 2002 to ensure the system’s reliability.

“Comparison of our neural network to the models proposed in the recent research literature shows that the neural network does a much better job in this setting,” said Sharda, who adds that future plans include expanding the system for use through a website as well as on DVD.

Though poised for success, the proj-ect didn’t bear fruit overnight. Sharda began the research seven years ago and Delen teamed with him in 2001 to give the project a boost.

“Some of the few movie ‘misses’ we had in testing the system included “Water-world” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” said Delen. The system anticipated “Water-world” would be a box office hit while “Wedding” would fizzle. “You can’t get them all correct, since there will always be a few movies that behave dramatically different at the box office from their his-torical counterparts, but even in that case you should be close,” said Delen.

The neural network system should receive a welcome reception from the

movie industry when the prototype soft-ware is actually released sometime in 2006. The industry is hoping to recover from the slump it suffered in 2005.

The media itself registered its excite-ment with the idea of what some termed “a movie predicting machine” by contact-ing the professors for interviews from far and wide.

Sharda, who was quoted in one news-paper as saying he was “amused by the attention the research has generated” acknowledges that he’s heard from multiple radio stations and newspapers from Great Britain to Australia, the United States and even his native India. The pair was also interviewed for television news.

JimMitchell

Drs.RameshShardaandDursunDelens

Photo / Jim Mitchell


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An Australian ointment ready for clini-cal trials in three countries holds hope for people suffering from osteoarthritis, according to OSU researcher Bert Jacob-son, professor of Educational Studies.

The ointment, formulated decades ago in Australia to treat common joint and tendon ailments in racehorses and dogs, has been used for years in Australia and India to manage osteoarthritis.

Baby Boomers, Jacobson noted, may be living healthier lifestyles, but osteoarthritis is almost unavoidable. “If you live long enough you’re going to get osteoarthritis and cataracts, conditions that are strongly correlated with age.”

According to Jacobson, 40 million Americans are affected by osteoarthri-tis, a number expected to increase to 60 million by 2020. By age 65, potentially 80 percent of the population will show clini-cal signs of osteoarthritis, which include pain, stiffness, swelling and inflammation of joints. Other than the strong painkillers, only analgesics that mask the symptoms are currently on the market. “You start with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as aspirin or naproxen, then you go with an Aleve, then you go with the stronger Cox-II inhibi-tors, and all this does is reduce pain, not treat the arthritis,” he said. “If you take analgesics, you may have side effects, particularly with the Cox-II such as Vioxx or Bextra, which have recently been pulled from the market. In fact, nearly all prescrip-tion drugs for arthritis have

either been pulled or are being closely scrutinized.”

Jacobson is working with research-ers in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, whom he met through the International Research Consortium, to conduct clinical trials to obtain FDA approval for the ointment. Independent studies already conducted by Jacobson, who designed the research methodology, and his colleagues have been published in two internationally recognized journals.

A 35-day study conducted by the researchers showed a 77 percent decrease in pain in the group using the herbal oint-ment, compared to 16 percent decrease in pain for the placebo group, with stiffness reduced by 86 percent in the first group, compared to 18 percent in the placebo group.

The herbal ointment, which resem-bles tar with a strong herbal smell, is primarily for people whose osteoarthritis is severe. “It’s not meant to look or

smell good, it’s meant to be effective,” he said. It is applied at night, rubbed deeply into the skin, and wrapped so that it does not rub off. The wrap is removed in the morning, and the site washed. “You do this for 30 to 60 days.”

Jacobson expects people to ques-tion whether or not the ointment works. “I am probably the biggest skeptic in the world when it comes to unorthodox medicines.”

The FDA approval process is exten-sive, expensive and sometimes frustrat-ing, he said. The researchers responded to a list of FDA questions, then met for 45 minutes with 15 FDA experts in Washington, D.C.

Jacobson was concerned that the FDA wouldn’t be interested in working with a small group. “The FDA seemed to be genuinely interested in helping. They understand the need for a safe and effec-tive treatment for osteoarthritis, but they are highly concerned about user safety,” he said. “The FDA is especially careful after their sanction, and then well-publi-cized retraction, of Vioxx.”

For new drug applications, the FDA requires toxicology data on all

active ingredients, toxicology tests, animal studies, and

clinical trials, each with specific requirements.

Relief for Osteoarthritis Sufferers

Aremedyfrom‘downunder’holdshopeforpeoplewhoseosteoarthritisissevere.

s Jacobson(farright)withresearchteammembers(lefttoright)BradHays-Oklahoma,LarryMcKay-Washington,D.C.andHughGemmell-England.


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New drug applications are required to provide results from these areas in three phases. While most synthetic drugs have a botanical counterpart, little is known about pure botanicals and transdermals, which makes the process more difficult, he said.

Even though a product is all natural, it does not prevent it from being harmful, Jacobson said. A toxicology study checks all botanical ingredients, followed with an experimental study on animals before use on humans. “There are a lot of natural things out there that have toxins that are harmful to humans,” he said.

The product contains 10 ingredients, and the FDA suggested removing some inactive ingredients to make it easier and less expensive to formulate, and to have fewer assays. Most drugs have one active ingredient, with the remainder inactive. A generic drug’s active ingredient must be the same as the proprietary drug, but fillers may differ.

Pigs will be used to test skin reac-tion because pig skin is most like humans. Following these studies, which could cost more than $200,000, a small Phase II human toxicology study is needed, then a larger Phase III clinical study.

the market. “Vioxx, celebrex, arthritis medicines of choice, were taken off the market because of side effects. There is really nothing out there that is used for treatment of the most common chronic ailment in the world.”

Jacobson noted the FDA hasn’t been negative. “I think they are anxious to find a treatment for arthritis that doesn’t have the kind of side effects that we see with the Cox-II inhibitors.”

A reliable diagnosis must confirm that a patient has osteoarthritis, a condi-tion sometimes misdiagnosed. “If it’s osteo-arthritis, this drug will help in almost all instances and it will help significantly,” he said. “It won’t work for rheumatoid arthritis, but it could give some pain relief because occasionally rheumatoid arthri-tis is accompanied by osteoarthritis.”

The original ointment contained capsaicin for heat and menthol for smell. When first marketed, it could not legally be called a “treatment” without FDA approval, so it was called a “temporary relief.” “It passes the FDA guidelines for temporary relief because those two ingredients have been shown to provide minor temporary relief. Since they’re not the primary ingredients, the new oint-ment probably will not contain them. It’s an industrial way of getting through the loopholes,” Jacobson said.

One concern is that another company may try to reverse engineer the formula, or that the product is purchased by a pharmaceutical company. “We were told that what a pharmaceutical company wants, a pharmaceutical company gets, and that could be problematic,” he said. “A pharmaceutical company may come in and sweep us off our feet and buy this and never put it on the market because it would compete with what they already have. If there is no competition, they’ll just stash it and never make it available to the public no matter how effective it is in treating arthritis.”

He pauses. “The key here is that I’m at a stage in my research where I’d like to do something on a bigger scale. I’d like to say, when I check out, that I helped humanity in some way. This could be that ticket as a researcher. We’re all looking for something that can significantly help people and society in the long run.”

DottieWitter

Jacobson and his colleagues are aiming for a new over-the-counter FDA drug application, followed by a slightly different and more concentrated formula for prescription use. By adding a thickening agent, the new product could be placed in a tube to comply with FDA dosage

requirements, then made available to the public over -the-counter within a year. One requirement for FDA approval is the general public must

be able to self-diagnose osteoarthritis, rather than joint soreness or other muscle soreness.

The ointment is approaching private clinical trials in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States to prove its effectiveness and safety, to comply with the FDA and TGA (Australia’s FDA), and to register it as a genuine arthritis treatment.

The ointment, actually a drug that is a botanical, has a transdermal agent that goes into the tissues, then into the system, becoming systemic as if it were injected. Being both botanical and transdermal has presented a challenge in complying with the FDA because even their experts are unfamiliar with this type of drug, he said.

The researchers believe it has little or no side effects, in contrast to the Cox-2 inhibitors that have been taken off

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“If it’s osteoarthritis, this drug will help in almost all instances and it will help significantly.” —BertJacobson


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Our nation has made progress in dealing with air and water pollution in recent decades. But new problems, ranging from toxic wastes to climate change, have continually emerged.

The difficulty in solving environmen-tal problems has led to the recognition that they are “people problems” caused by human actions that threaten human welfare, and require social action for their solution. One result of this growing recognition has been the emergence of the field of environmental sociology.

Environmental sociologists study the social aspects of environmental problems, and Oklahoma State University’s Depart-ment of Sociology has developed a strong program in the area with a critical mass of faculty who are actively involved in envi-ronmental research and teaching.

According to Dr. Tom Shriver, chair of OSU’s Environmental Sociology (ES) Group, “The program has grown rapidly and become highly visible. We have the largest critical mass of faculty in the coun-try.” Dr. Riley Dunlap, the newest member of the program, says he was attracted to OSU by “the opportunity to join a first-rate research group and by the strong administrative support for environmental research.” Administrators like Sociology Department Head Patricia Bell says she is encouraged by the establishment of a world-class environmental sociology program at OSU.

Environmental sociology by defi-nition is broad, and the strength of the OSU program lies in the diversity of its faculty’s interests and expertise. Their research projects encompass environ-mental conflicts, environmentalism as a social movement, environmental justice, public opinion on environmental issues, environmental policy and natural and technological disasters. “We are training students to apply sociological principles

to a variety of environmental issues,” says Shriver.

Environmental problems like chemi-cal contamination interest sociologists because of their impact on communities and how those communities respond. Soci-ologists want to know how communities react. Do they experience conflict among their residents? Are protest organizations formed? How do the communities deal with state and federal officials in their search for assistance?

In Oklahoma, Shriver is working with a graduate student to assess the environ-mental and health impacts of the Tar Creek Superfund site on the local community. Shriver and Dr. Gary Webb, another ES faculty member, are also studying citizen groups that have formed in response to environmental pollution in Ponca City. An important aspect of this project is exam-ining the particularly harmful effects of pollution on Native Americans.

Dr. Beth Caniglia points out that OSU’s program is important in the state because of the tremendous natural resources here. Oklahoma is the second most biologically diverse state in the country, but competition for water and other resources will inevitably generate controversy and conflict. Environmental sociologists can help shed light on such conflicts, and potentially contribute to their resolution.

Caniglia is working on a longitudinal study, funded partially by the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute, to examine the effects of science on the creation of Oklahoma water policy. This study focuses on recent controversy over the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer, which is located in the south central part of the state. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) conducts research in the area to assess the “maximum sustainable yield” of the aquifer.

Sociologists Shed Light on the Environment

Photo / Aerial Photography Oklahoma

Thegoalistobuildaninternationallyrecognizedcenterofexcellenceinthefieldsoastoattracthighlyqualifiedgraduatestudentsandcompetesuccessfullyforextramuralfunding.

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After collecting benchmark data during the project’s first stage, Caniglia is now collecting feedback to find out if information from the OWRB study has been helpful to people and whether the information has either supported or changed the opinions they held before the scientific findings were available. The final stage will follow the recommendations drawn from the OWRB study through the legislative process.

The devastation of Hurricane Katrina drew attention to the social impacts of

Dr. Tamara Mix specializes in environ-mental justice, or how environmental prob-lems differentially affect various racial and socioeconomic groups. Mix and Shriver are working together on environmental contamination concerns in Oak Ridge, Tennessee—home of the Manhattan proj-ect. Oak Ridge was exempt for years from environmental regulations, and residents are beginning to deal with the increasingly obvious effects of nuclear contamination. Mix, who moved from the University of Alaska--Fairbanks, is studying that state’s predator control program to understand how the response to wolves is influenced by broader environmental, social, politi-cal and economic contexts.

Dunlap helped establish environ-mental sociology in the late 1970s by co-authoring a series of articles that defined and codified the field, and continues to contribute to its theoretical development. For example, he co-edited the Handbook of Environmental Sociology, published in 2002.

A key focus of Dunlap’s empirical research is public opinion on environ-mental issues. He directed a 24-nation environmental survey for the Gallup International Institute in the 1990s and now advises Gallup on its annual Earth Day poll. The results of Gallup’s interna-tional survey were surprising because they showed that citizens of rich and poor nations were equally concerned about environmental problems and supportive of environmental protection. Dunlap is now comparing more recent multi-national surveys to the Gallup survey, and finding that they yield similar results.

The program at OSU was further strengthened last year when Dr. Tom Burns, professor of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma, was appointed an adjunct professor at OSU. A specialist in global environmental problems, Burns conducts research on cross-national patterns of environmental degradation such as deforestation.

Given that new environmental prob-lems constantly emerge, and old ones prove difficult to solve, OSU’s ES faculty will have plenty to study in the years to come. Their goal is to build an internationally recognized center of excellence in their field, one that will attract highly qualified graduate students and compete success-fully for extramural funding.

JanaSmith

natural disasters. Webb has received a National Science Foundation grant to study the government response to the storm. Working with colleagues from OSU’s Center for the Study of Disasters and Extreme Events, Webb has traveled to New Orleans to assess what worked and what did not work with the government’s use of the Incident Command System to manage the response effort. Webb has also studied communities impacted by numerous other disasters both in the United States and internationally.

HurricaneKatrinadrewattentiontothesocialimpactsofnaturaldisasters.WebbreceivedaNSFgranttostudythegovernmentresponsetothestorm.

s ESFacultyfromlefttoright(front):BethCaniglia,TomShriver,RileyDunlap; (back)GaryWebbandTamaraMix.


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According to the American Lung Associa-tion, approximately 342,000 Americans die of lung disease every year. Lung disease is America’s number three killer, respon-sible for one in seven deaths. Investiga-tors in the Lung Biology and Toxicology Laboratory (LBTL) at Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences (CVHS) try to understand the basic mechanisms of lung cell function in order to fight these diseases.

“We are developing new technolo-gies including gene silencing for curing and preventing pulmonary diseases,” says Dr. Lin Liu, professor of Physiologi-cal Sciences at the CVHS and director of the LBTL.

Under the direction of Liu, an inter-disciplinary team of researchers focus on its mission to conduct basic research broadly related to the pulmonary system and to train the next generation of lung biologists. LBTL’s interdisciplinary team explores pulmonary functions, diseases, and the interaction of the environment with the lung. Research projects primarily focus on three major functions of alveolar epithelial cells:

• Cell differentiation in tissue repair and fetal lung development

• Lung surfactant production and release

• Ion channels in pulmonary edema

Investigators conduct multi-ple level research from gene to whole animal. They employ various state-of-the-art technologies includ-ing DNA microarray (DNA chips), RNA interference (gene knock-down), real time PCR, cloning, FPLC, electro-phoresis (1D, 2D), western and northern blot, immunoprecipitation, immunocyto-chemistry, antisense techniques, in situ hybridization, cell isolation and culture, spectrophotometric and fluormetric techniques, RT-PCR, recombinant DNA, organ perfusion, and various molecular and cellular techniques.

The LBTL is divided into three groups. One investigates molecular mechanisms of lung surfactant secretion. Another explores gene expression and regulatory pathways of cell differentia-tion during fetal lung development and lung injury and repair. The third studies Cl-channels and their roles in alveolar fluid transport. The investigators in the LBTL also study the interaction of envi-ronmental insults, e.g. oxidative/nitrosa-tive stress, with alveolar cells.

New Technologies Fight Lung Disease

LungSurfactantProject

The Lung Surfactant Project investi-gates how lung surfactant is released from lung cells. Lung Surfactant is critical in reducing surface tension and maintaining normal functions of lungs. Secretion of lung surfactant occurs via exocytosis of lamellar bodies in alveolar epithelial cells. It is one of the most important aspects in lung surfactant homeostasis. Until now, the distal steps of the secretory process have not been studied extensively in type II cells. Previous LBTL studies demon-strated an essential role of annexin II and SNAREs in the fusion of lamellar bodies with the plasma membrane.

“We are developing new technologiesincluding gene silencing for curing and preventing pulmonary diseases.” —LinLiu


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normal alveolar epithelium. However, the molecular mechanisms for this process are poorly understood.

Previous studies have focused on several particular genes such as surfactant proteins or T1 alpha during phenotypical change of lung cells. Global gene expression profiles during this process have not been examined. The LBTL’s long-term goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms of the differen-tiation of alveolar epithelial cells.

Researchers will examine gene expres-sion profiles during the differentiation of alveolar epithelial cells using the DNA microarray technique. Model systems that will be used include alveolar epithelial cell culture, animal model for hyperoxia-induced rat lung injury and repair, and fetal lung development.

The results from this study will not only advance the understanding of cell differentiation, but will also provide valu-able directions toward therapeutic interven-tion of pulmonary diseases such as acute lung injury.

FluidTransportProjectThe Fluid Transport Project targets ion

channels on alveolar cells. The fluid trans-port in the lung is driven by active ion trans-port across cell membrane. This process is essential for fetal lung development and fluid homeostasis in the lung. Researchers in the LBTL have discovered a novel Cl-channel GABA receptor in the lung cells, which may have important roles in lung development and lung fluid clearance. They will determine physiological and functional significance of this channel and study its regulatory mechanisms using molecular, cellular and physiological approaches.

Defects of ion transport leads to pulmo-nary edema and other lung diseases. The findings from this project will help others develop drugs for treating these diseases.

In the past five years, the LBTL has received 14 grants. With the addition of a new National Institutes of Health R01 grant, the LBTL grant money will total more than $6.2 million.

DerindaLowe

The broad, long-term objective of this project is to elucidate the molecular mech-anisms of lung surfactant secretion from alveolar epithelial type II cells. Deficiency of lung surfactant is the cause of respi-ratory distress syndrome in premature infants. Accomplishing project goals will provide a valuable direction to the therapy of pulmonary diseases such as neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.

CellDifferentiationProject

The Cell Differentiation Project examines lung epithelial cell injury, repair and regeneration. The two phenotypi-cally different lung cells line the alveolar

epithelium. Type I cells are the most susceptible to injury due to endogenous and exogenous insults. The injured alveolar epithelium can be repaired by the proliferation and differentiation of type II cells into type I cells. The same process occurs in turnover and devel-opment of

s Dr.LinLiuisdirectoroftheLungBiologyandToxicologyLaboratory,withthemissiontoconductbasicresearchbroadlyrelatedtothepulmonarysystemandtrainthenextgenerationoflungbiologists.

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Between dependence on foreign oil and the need to become more environmentally conscious, the United States is looking at domestic agri-culture products for energy alternatives.

The production of ethanol as an additive to petroleum-

based fuel is a popular solu-tion, and sweet sorghum is a crop that is currently under research as a source of etha-nol at the Food & Agricultural Products Center located on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater, Okla.

“Sweet sorghum has the potential to be used as a renewable energy crop and has become a viable candidate for ethanol production,” said Dr. Danielle Bellmer, FAPC food processing engineer.

Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel pro-duced by fermenting and distil-ling simple sugars, mostly derived from starch crops, such as corn, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Unfortunately, an issue with using starch crops is the requirement to use heat pro-cessing to convert the starch into simple sugars. Sweet sor-ghum, however, is exempt from

complex processing because the simple sugars are directly “juiced” from the stalks, thus eliminating the starch conver-sion step.

The idea of using sweet sorghum for commercial eth-anol production is not new; in fact Brazil is cultivating a

similar crop, sugar cane, for the same purpose, said Bellmer.

The benefits of using sweet sorghum are numerous. Advan-tageous properties of this crop are that it is a low input, high carbohydrate producer and can be cultivated in nearly all temperate climates.

PastConcernsThe reason sweet sorghum

is not as popular as corn as a source of ethanol is due to the high costs associated with constructing and operating a central processing plant.

While starch can be stored for long periods of time, the simple sugars directly derived from sweet sorghum have to be fermented immediately.

The harvest season for sweet sorghum is only a few months, Bellmer said.

“Since the sorghum juice cannot be easily stored, the processing plant would only be in production for a few months out of the year, making it economically unfeasible,” Bellmer said.

Lee McClune, president of Sorganol Production Co. Inc. in Knoxville, Iowa, initially approached the FAPC for assis-tance with studying a solution to this problem.

Bellmer, the principal investigator of the project, is investigating the process of in-field ethanol production in which sweet sorghum juice will be collected, fermented and distilled in the field. Her goal is to determine the validity and efficacy of this hypotheti-cal solution.

HarvestingSweetSorghum

McClune built and tested a piece of equipment to harvest and press sweet sorghum. It uses a standard forage chop-per/header and feed rollers to both harvest and “juice” in a single pass through the field.

With this harvester a potential 4,000 to 6,000 gal-lons of juice can be harvested per acre, McClune said.

FermentationImmediately after harve-

sting, the fermentation process must begin.

A Sweet Idea: Converting Sweet

Sorghum into Ethanol

The FAPC is researching the hypothesis that fermen-tation can take place in large storage containers in the envi-ronment without temperature control.

Most yeast used for fer-mentation operates within a finite optimum temperature range, thus posing a prob-lem for the large temperature range of the open environment, Bellmer said.

“Fortunately, many new yeast strains have recently been developed with high tem-perature tolerance,” Bellmer said.

Initial experiments inves-tigated the use of temperature-tolerant yeast strains with results indicating that fer-mentation is possible and that little or no pretreatment of the “juice” is necessary, Bellmer said. More research is being performed for validation on fermentation efficiency.

DistillationAfter fermenting, concen-

tration of the ethanol through distillation is the next step. Fasttech, a company located in Ferris, Okla., has developed a small-scale distillation unit. David McDowell, owner of the company, started designing the unit nearly seven years ago.

Currently, the distillation unit uses diluted blackstrap molasses, combined with yeast and enzymes, to produce 21 percent ethanol, which is then distilled to about 99 percent

“Sweet sorghum has the potential to be used as a renewable energy crop and has become a viable candidate for ethanol production.” —DanielleBellmer


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ethanol. This same distil-lation unit can be used for the ethanol produced from sorghum.

Fasttech is presently taking the necessary steps to make the distillation unit mobile.

Both Bel lmer and McDowell agree that a coop-erative group of farmers could potentially own one distillation unit.

TheFutureofSorganol

By obtaining university data through research by the FAPC, McClune hopes the entire process of con-verting sweet sorghum into ethanol will become more marketable.

“[Bellmer] has been very helpful, very encourag-ing, and I certainly appreci-ate all the efforts and every-thing she’s done,” McClune said.

The FAPC is dedicated to helping Oklahoma agri-culturalists develop value-added enterprises in order to keep the products, jobs and dollars in Oklahoma.

Through research and combining the efforts of agricultural entrepreneurs, like McClune and McDow-ell, it is hoped a system will be developed that can allow farmers to produce their own alternative fuel, Bellmer said.

“Rural agricultural producers will then have the ability to fuel their own machinery, as well as a means of generating addi-tional income,” Bellmer said.

RandiJacoby

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As a child, OSU neuroscientist Kenneth Miller, Ph.D., asked one question over and over: “Is that really true?” Growing up in Meade, Kansas, he eagerly devoured the latest volumes of the encyclopedia series his mom got at the supermarket every week. “I loved to learn, read and explore,” says this natural-born scientist.

Today, Miller rolls up his sleeves in a lab and puts his abiding curiosity to work to someday help ease the pain of arthritis suffers. His research at OSU Center for Health Sciences is funded by a five-year, $1.2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) Prin-cipal Investigator grant. He is studying chronic inflammation and its treatment.

Miller probes the behavior of glutamate and arthritic pain. His research is based on knowl-edge that sensory nerves become more sensitive during inflammation from chronic disease. “We found that one of the neurotransmitters is altered in the sensory nerves. We are evaluating how they make more glutamate and what happens in the cells. Some cells increase glutaminase production,” he says.

Miller identified an inhibitor for the process and found that injecting it directly into the painful site appears to alleviate pain. A response curve shows that an increased dose shows increased pain relief.

“We are using this inhibitor (5-oxo-6-diazo-L-norleucine [DON]) in a new way. As we increase the dose, we see increasing pain relief. It is working.” His next step is to try to understand molecular mechanisms that cause glutaminase to increase and look for ways to curb it. That step involves studying the gene and RNA for gluta-minase. Results of his current research

Neuroscientist’s Research Makes Gains on Pain

will be published in Brain Research and Neuroscience within the next year.

Miller says NIH funding means more than just an opportunity to conduct meaningful research. “When we go out and talk at various universities about our research, they see that we are from OSU. It brings prestige to OSU, highlights its quality scientists and results in increased national exposure.”

He also is an assistant professor of anatomy and cell biology and OSU students benefit from his research work. Those who assisted Miller in the lab during the summer months were able to learn and use laboratory and experiment techniques.

“We found that one of the neurotransmitters is altered in the sensory nerves. We are evaluating how they make more glutamate and what happens in the cells. Some cells increase glutaminase production.” —KennethMiller

One of them even earned top honors at a campus research day for his project.

Being a neuroscientist who can research and teach is the best of both worlds for Miller. “When I think about research I think about teaching, and vice versa. They go hand-in-hand. I get to teach what I do. I’m one of the fortu-nate ones.”

MarlaSchaefer

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OSU’sCenterforHealthSciencesAmongtheNation’sBestOklahoma State University Center for Health

Sciences, and its nationally ranked medical

school, is a long-recognized leader in the

delivery of health care for Oklahomans.

Since 1972, the OSU College of Osteopathic

Medicine has prepared more than 2000

physicians and specialists, who have practices

in small towns and cities, serving literally

hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans.

US News and World Report has ranked OSU

among the best in the nation the last five

consecutive years in family medicine and

rural medicine.

With the medical school as its cornerstone,

the campus includes graduate programs in

biomedical sciences and forensics. The OSU

Rural Health Policy and Research Center

serves as a “think tank” for rural health

issues, and the OSU Telemedicine Center

is a much needed medical lifeline for rural

physicians and their patients. Currently, OSU

is connected to 24 communities where rural

doctors consult with urban specialists using

a specially designed computer and Internet

connection.

The OSU health sciences campus is located

in Tulsa and employs more than 300 people,

with 69 full-time faculty in basic and clinical

sciences. There are four OSU Physician

clinics in Tulsa serving more than 100,000

patients. Clinical and biomedical research is

ongoing and community prevention programs

are offered to address the dangers of tobacco,

drugs, alcohol and gang violence.

Approximately fifty percent of OSU doctors

remain in Oklahoma to practice medicine, with

an annual economic impact of roughly one

million dollars per physician per community.

For more information, please visit:

www.healthsciences.okstate.edus Lefttoright:DontaeBowie,RyanSullivanandStacyDahl.

s KennethMiller,Ph.D.,usesacryostattocutfrozensectionsofarthritictissueforanalysis.Hiswork,fundedthroughafive-yearNationalInstitutesofHealthgrant,focusesoneasingthepainofarthritis.

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OSU’s Research Commercialization and Technology Transfer initiative is devel-oping technology-based businesses in rural communities throughout Oklahoma, with a special focus on Native American Tribal-owned businesses. The goals of the initia-tive include increasing the amount of intel-lectual property in the state, increasing the number of businesses owned by Okla-homans, and retaining quality workers in the Oklahoma workforce.

Native Americans Benefit from Rural Research Initiative


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Dr. Stephen McKeever, vice president for research and technology transfer at OSU, and Roy Cail, executive director of OSU-Okmulgee’s Economic Development and Training Center, are spearheading the initiative which was implemented in July 2005 through an Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education Economic Develop-ment grant. “Oklahoma State University is an ideal fit for this initiative because its work in sensors and sensor technology research will be developed into products for commercial businesses,” says Cail. “In addition, the fact that the university attracts students from all counties in Oklahoma and has the largest popula-tion of Native American students of any university in the region makes this initia-tive very appropriate for OSU.”

“The Creek Nation has a strong interest in applying new technology that supports development of our economy and workforce, especially if the emphasis is on rural Oklahoma, where the majority of our citizens reside.” —PrincipalChiefA.D.Ellis,Muscogee(Creek)Nation

McKeever and Cail note that sustain-able businesses must focus on manufac-turing original equipment and be tech-nology-based. “Injecting intellectual capital into the businesses of rural Oklahoma helps ensure the participation of these communities in the knowledge economy of the 21st century,” says McKeever. “It prompts the creation of high-tech, well-paying jobs in rural communities.”

Currently, the majority of Oklahoma’s small rural businesses are commodity-oriented, manufacturing and service busi-nesses. Many do not involve technology-driven products.

Fewer than 20% of small to mid-sized businesses in Oklahoma own intellectual property, defined as a product of the intel-lect that has commercial value, including copyrighted property such as literary or artistic works, and ideational property, such as patents, business methods, and industrial processes.

Principal Chief A. D. Ellis, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, says, “The Creek Nation has a strong interest in applying new tech-nology that supports development of our economy and workforce, especially if the emphasis is on rural Oklahoma, where the majority of our citizens reside.”

The Creek Nation will directly partici-pate in the entrepreneurship development program as a member of the Technology and Business Assessment Group (TBAG) related to sensors and sensor technolo-gies. The newly-created TBAG is identi-fying new university-based research and making assessments about the needs for business and technology commercial-ization. TBAG is comprised of private sector partners who are experienced in new product identification and new technology evaluation, capital investors, representatives from Native American Tribes, and personnel from OSU who are experts in research and technology transfer procedures.

In 2002, the Oklahoma manufacturing sector experienced an 11% decline in jobs compared to 7% nationally. Based on an informal survey in Northeast Oklahoma, the state lost 47,000 jobs in 2002 and 2003, with the Tulsa area alone losing 27,000 of those jobs. However, since 2005, Oklaho-ma’s economy has been showing signs of improvement.

“In order to implement the research commercialization process, activity will occur on two OSU campuses, Okmulgee and Stillwater, as well as in Native American Tribal complexes or business locations and private enterprises that participate in strategic alliances and joint ventures,” says Cail. “The technology inno-vation – sensors and sensor technology -- is from the basic research laboratories at OSU-Stillwater. OSU-Stillwater and OSU-Okmulgee will develop the steps for technology transfer, then advance to the stages of prototype and commercializa-tion of the product.”

OSU-Okmulgee will collaborate with the Office of Intellectual Property Manage-ment at OSU-Stillwater throughout the commercialization process and provide business incubator facilities, training in commercial development and consultation services. OSU-Okmulgee recently opened the OSU-Okmulgee/MidAmerica Small Business Innovation & Incubation Center, adjacent to the OSU-Okmulgee technical education facility located in the MidAm-erica Industrial Park between Pryor and Chouteau, and a Commerce Innovation Center on the OSU-Okmulgee campus.

OSU’s Center for Innovation and Economic Development (CIED), under its legal capacity as a non-profit 501 (c) (3), will initially hold equity in the joint venture/emerging company or licensing on behalf of the university. When the start-up company or licensing agent reaches a level of maturity, OSU’s CIED will sell its share of the company and reinvest the money in new commercialization oppor-tunities. This research commercialization model is expandable to a wide technology sector serving the Oklahoma business community.

For more information about how to become involved in the project, contact Roy Cail at OSU-Okmulgee at 918-293-5130.

RexDaughertyandSharonSmith

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Photo / Erika Contreras

2�Research at Oklahoma State University • www.vpr.okstate.edu

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The Smallest Line of Defense

A military device no larger than a pencil eraser will be the focus of Oklahoma State University-Tulsa assistant professor Johnson Thomas’ research for the next three years.

Thomas is one of 27 academic researchers in the country who recently received grants from the United States Department of Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) to perform research in science and engineering fields impor-tant to national defense.

This year, 22 states competed for about $11.5 million in funding through the program. OSU will receive more than $500,000 over a three-year period for Thomas to research ways to improve the survivability, security and reliability of military sensors.

Thomas said sensors are often deployed in enemy territory to collect observational data on the environment, detect chemical agents or track the move-ment of troops. The information is then relayed to military personnel stationed in a safer area.

“Currently, the sensors are problem-atic because they are very fragile with limited power, memory and battery life,

and they are vulnerable to enemy intru-sion,” Thomas said. “We’re working to make the sensors more resilient to enemy attacks so that, if they are captured, we can detect intruders and determine if the sensors have been tampered with and contain false information.”

Thomas said similar sensors are used in everyday applications where informa-tion needs to be gathered, such as on bridges or nuclear power plants. However, Thomas’ research will focus specifically on military applications.

“The implications for this project are tremendous,” said OSU-Tulsa Presi-dent Gary Trennepohl. “Dr. Thomas has a unique opportunity with this grant to develop new technologies that could prove beneficial to our military and the Depart-ment of Homeland Security.”

Thomas is working on the project with Le Gruenwald from the University of Oklahoma, Sandip Sen from the University of Tulsa and Pierre Tiako from Langston University.

Thomas said representatives from the Department of Defense (DoD) will occasionally visit campus to monitor the group’s progress. When the research is complete, the group will present their findings to DoD officials.

“After the demonstration, three things could happen,” Thomas said. “They could extend our funding for additional research, put our sensors into production or recom-mend us to Homeland Security to see how they could put our research to use.”

DEPSCoR is designed to expand research opportunities in states that have traditionally received the least funding in federal support for university research. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Office and the Office of Naval Research solicited proposals for review. In response, 22 state proposal packages consisting of 108 projects were submitted, requesting more than $56.4 million. Only 27 projects from 20 institu-tions were selected to receive funding.

TrishMcBeath

OSUwillreceivemorethan$500,000overathree-yearperiodforThomastoresearchwaystoimprovethesurvivability,securityandreliabilityofmilitarysensors.


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22

With summertime ozone alerts a distant memory and winter weather upon us, one Oklahoma State University-Tulsa student’s research on the ozone is heating up.

David Williams, a civil engineering doctoral student at OSU-Tulsa, has been collecting data on Tulsa’s ozone since May. Now Williams will begin to analyze that data and study the effects of the ozone on Tulsa’s air quality. Williams was awarded a fellowship of $37,000 by the Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA) to complete the study.

“OSU is committed to research efforts that will make beneficial impacts in our community and nationally,” said OSU-Tulsa President Gary Trennepohl. “David Williams’ research is a great example of combining rigorous academic research with practical application to real-world issues.”

The EPA’s Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Graduate Fellowship Program will fund Williams’ research for a period of three years. The GRO program sponsors master’s and doctoral level students in environmentally related fields of study. More than 1,300 applicants compete each year for approximately 100 fellowships through a rigorous merit review process.

Williams said he is honored to receive a prestigious fellow-ship for his research that could benefit state and national envi-ronmental agencies.

“When choosing a Ph.D. project, I wanted to focus on an issue that was relevant to the local area,” Williams said. “I think it is important for state universities to research topics that affect the local population.”

Williams said the purpose of his research is to get a measurement of how much ozone is locally produced during an entire ozone season, which typically begins in May and ends in October.

“In this project, I’ll be trying to determine if the ozone is solely locally generated or if transported ozone is significantly affecting the air quality in Tulsa,” Williams said. “Tulsa’s amount of ground-level ozone is one of the pollutants that determine the EPA’s designation of our city.”

According to the EPA, a city or area may be designated as “attainment” or “nonattainment” based on the number of violations of the national 8-hour ozone standard over a three-year period.

“The outcome of this research could ultimately impact Tulsa’s status on attainment,” Williams said. “It could certainly assist the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) when it considers and implements strategies on tack-ling ozone problems.”

ODEQ donated two analyzing instruments to OSU for the purpose of this study. Williams said the units, which are the

same instruments used to measure data to determine “ozone alerts,” were placed on the roof of the Bank of Oklahoma Tower in downtown Tulsa in May to collect data. The City of Tulsa provided the space and power for the instrumentation.

Williams also launched an ozone analyzer-equipped research balloon, known as an “ozonesonde,” for additional data collec-tion. He plans to present his research at the EPA’s national conference in September 2006.

“While at OSU-Tulsa, I’ve had the opportunity to study with world-class faculty,” Williams said. “I’m excited about applying that knowledge as emphasis continues to be placed on protec-tion of the environment.”

TrishMcBeath

Getting in the Zone

OSU-TulsaresearcherDavidWilliamschecksozoneanalyzinginstrumentsatoptheBOKTowerindowntownTulsa.

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Thepurposeoftheresearchistomeasurehowmuchozoneisproducedlocallyduringanentireozoneseason,whichtypicallybeginsinMayandendsinOctober.


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Dr. Edward Shaw first became interested in research as an undergraduate at Georgia Southwestern—a small college where he had the opportunity to participate in research on disinfectants. This experi-ence opened his eyes to research and the possibility of a career in science.

But it was his work on a Ph.D. at the University of South Alabama, College of Medicine, that led him to choose the rather specialized research area of obli-gate intracellular pathogens. These are bacterial pathogens that replicate exclu-sively within a host cell. While working with Dr. David Wood on Epidemic Typhus agent, Rickettsia prowazekii, Shaw decided to do his post doctoral work on Chlamydia trachomatis, another obli-gate pathogen, at the National Institutes of Health’s Rocky Mountain laboratories in Hamilton, Montana.

In the late 1990s, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had begun to expand its capacity to deal with bioterror threats. Shaw joined the staff at the CDC in 2000 to help develop a program studying another obligate pathogen, Coxiella burnetti. Coxiella appears on the select agent list of possible bioterror weapons because it is acquired through aerosols, is environmentally stable, and was weap-onized by a number of countries in the past. While it has a low mortality rate, the morbidity rate is quite high given that it is very infectious for those exposed.

The CDC is the premier public health, diagnostic and epidemiological facility in the country. But, Shaw’s interest in the more basic aspects of how intracel-lular pathogens interact with their hosts led him to seek a career in an academic setting. So, after four years at the CDC,

Cells Hold Clues to Q Feverhe moved to OSU where he joined the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. He says the university provides an academic setting where he can focus his research efforts on Coxiella molecular pathogenesis.

The research infrastructure and variety of research conducted at OSU attracted Shaw. Plus, he could continue his work on intracellular pathogens while interacting with other scientists interested in basic science questions. “A better under-standing of the relationship between a pathogen and its host cell will contribute to faster diagnostic, treatment and inter-vention strategies to guard against bioter-rorism and provide the basis for better public health in general,” says Shaw.

Coxiella causes an acute disease called Q Fever. Most people who are infected with it work around livestock, such as sheep, goats and cattle. Because the symptoms are similar to the flu, it is often misdiagnosed. A small percentage of exposed people develop chronic diseases, the most common being an infection in heart valves (valvular endocarditis) which often takes years to detect. This disease often results in heart valve replacement and/or extended antibiotic treatments (18 to 24 months).

Given the technical difficulty of working with these types of organisms, there are not many scientists in the country doing research on this topic. Few academic and government labs are doing this kind of work, and some of these only recently because of bioterrorism initiatives.

While some scientists follow research trends, Shaw has remained interested in the basic science of obligate intracellular pathogens throughout his career. He hopes his research will lead to a better under-standing of Coxiella and that the knowl-edge will help to diagnose, prevent and/or treat the diseases that result from it.

JanaSmith

Dr.EdwardShaw

Giventhetechnicaldifficultyofworkingwiththesetypesoforganisms,therearenotmanyscientistsinthecountrydoingresearchonthistopic.

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Tulsa native John Niblack found science interesting as a child, but it was an oppor-tunity to work as a laboratory assistant for former OSU Biochemistry Professor Bob Sirny that changed the course of his life. Niblack credits his OSU education, saying “I have worked with people with degrees from the finest universities in the world during my professional career; I have found the quality of the chemistry degree I took at OSU was absolutely first class.”

In 1988, Niblack and his wife, Heidi, funded the Robert Sirny Memorial Endowed Professorship in Biochemistry to honor the man who made a difference in his future. A chemistry major, Niblack thought about becoming a university professor like his mentor, but the new focus on molecular biology proved a crossroads in his life and showed him the effect his occupation could have on improving the lives of millions.

And, no doubt it has.

After earning his B.S. degree in chem-istry at OSU in 1960, Niblack went on to the University of Illinois, earning his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry. He joined Pfizer in 1967 as a molecular biologist. As his early career progressed, he directed

“If we had better ways to expose students to science and scientists, I’m certain more of them would decide to pursue research as a profession. Our state and country could certainly use them.” —JohnNiblack

The John Niblack Storyresearch into drugs for viral diseases, cancer, and autoimmune disorders.

In 1980, Niblack was named director of research for Pfizer’s U.S. drug discovery operations, and, in 1986, he was promoted to executive vice president of the Central Research Division, responsible for world-wide drug development activities. In this position, Niblack managed the develop-ment and regulatory filings for a number of Pfizer’s major pharmaceutical products, including Diflucan, Cardura, Norvasc, Zoloft, and Zithromax.

Niblack received the Mayor of New York’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology in 1999, and he was named Research Director of the Year by the Financial Times of London. Niblack was recognized as an OSU College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Alumnus in 1997, and named an OSU Leadership Legacy in 2000.

Niblack retired in 2002 as vice chairman of the board of directors at Pfizer, Inc. and president of Pfizer Global Research and Development. As president of Pfizer’s Global Research and Develop-ment Division, as its principal scientific officer, he managed the largest pharma-ceutical research force in the industry,

with 12,000 researchers operating on a research budget in 2001 of $5 billion.

The Niblack Research Scholars Program is an undergraduate-graduate student research partnership with primary objective to develop and foster student interest in scholarly research in a science discipline at OSU. Second year under-graduate students team with graduate students to perform research in laborato-ries selected from the science disciplines under the guidance and leadership of a faculty advisor. The Niblack Research Scholars receive a $2,000 scholarship in the spring and fall and a $4,000 scholarship in the summer. Mentors receive a summer stipend for their participation.

The program consists of 12 under-graduate-graduate student partnerships in chemistry, physics, microbiology, biochem-istry, nutritional science, and veterinary biomedical sciences. Students who partici-pate in the program demonstrate how the research experience enlarges their view of the world. As part of a research team, they learn quickly how performing research in a laboratory setting can change their lives and the lives of others.

JanaSmith

200�-2006NiblackScholarsfromlefttoright(backrow):ClaytonSmith,MaryK.Whiteneck,FatimaPina,TaherehHajimirzaei,ErinLatham,RyanGeisert;fromlefttoright(frontrow):ElizabethEaston,AliciaDavis,BeckyBailey,JessicaEvans,JennyLessley.Notpictured:ShanaWatkins

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Office of the Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer 203 Whitehurst Stillwater, OK 74078-1020

Non-ProfitU.S.PostagePAIDStillwater, OKPermit #191

Teresa Miller wrote her first novel, Remnants of Glory, when she was still in her twenties. Her latest novel is Family Correspondence. Miller’s biog-raphy can be found in Contemporary Authors and The International Who’s Who of Authors. An author, teacher and executive director of the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers, Miller is writing her own legacy.

In 1994, Miller founded the Okla-homa Center for Poets and Writers at OSU-Tulsa. “The Center filled a need,” says Miller. The Center, in coopera-tion with the OSU-Tulsa library, main-tains literary archives of original manuscripts by Oklahoma authors. The most extensive holdings are the Michael Wallis collection, the William Bernhardt collection, and the Carolyn G. Hart collection. The Center also features the works of authors Genell Dellin and Daniel Marder.

Miller says, “The Center fosters the ongoing research of art and science.” Events like the Celebration of Books held every two years, bring over seventy nationally known writers, artists, and musicians to one of the largest gath-erings of writers in the southwest. Acclaimed authors Amy Tan and S.E.

“I have heard of a land where the imagination has no fences.” —JoyceCarolThomas

Hinton were featured at the 2004 festival. The Center is also the perma-nent sponsor of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame which inducted novelist and NewsHour anchor Jim Lehrer as an honorary member in 2005.

Besides directing the Center, Miller teaches literature classes on Okla-homa Authors, Southern Women Writers and Advanced Fiction. Students submit a creative non-fiction piece each semester and benefit from the Center’s resources which serve as a research tool for aspiring writers.

Miller is also the execu-tive producer and host for the television interview program Writing Out Loud on OETA. She has conducted over 300 interviews which are saved and available to her students.

L ea r n more about the Center for Poets and Writers at http://poetsand-writers.okstate.edu.

JanaSmith

Miller Writing Own Legacy

Sociologists Shed Light on the Environment

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