COLUMBUS - The Ohio State University Research Foundation received nearly $13.5 million in research grants and contracts during the month of March, according to a report given Friday (5/5) to the university's Board of Trustees.

Among the 182 projects funded during March are studies on aging, eye infections, surface structure, and substance abuse.

The National Institute on Aging awarded a $322,220 grant to sociology professors John Mirowsky and Catherine E. Ross to study "Aging, Status and the Sense of Control." The researchers are exploring the relationship between age and changes in a person's sense of control. A decline in control can lead to depression and higher mortality rates, and the study hopes to help sociologists become aware of the causes of this decline.

Paul A. Fuerst, professor of molecular genetics, and Thomas J. Byers, emeritus professor of molecular genetics, received a $251,138 grant from the National Eye Institute to study the pathogen acanthamoeba, which can cause Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) -- a sight-threatening eye disease highly correlated with contact lens use. Delayed treatment can lead to pain and even blindness. Fuerst and Byers are researching whether there is a genetic relationship to the eye disease by examing DNA from human tear samples. Their goal is to develop a more accurate diagnostic test to detect the amoebae that cause AK.

Deterioration of the thermal barrier coating (TBC), which helps protect the surfaces of metallic and ceramic substances, can make materials less durable. A $210,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow Mark E. Walter, assistant professor of aeronautical engineering, to pursue his research on how damage to TBCs occurs over time. Improved understanding of the process could have significant consequences for the continued development of propulsion and energy conversion systems.

College of Social Work faculty members, Anna C. Burke and Thomas K. Gregoire, will use a $139,904 grant from the Ohio Department of Drug and Alcohol Addiction Services to conduct an outcome study that will address the need for publicly funded alcohol and drug treatment in Ohio. The results of their research will help state and local authorities design more accessible, effective treatment programs for substance abusers.

Since the start of the fiscal year in July 1999, Ohio State has been awarded 1,744 grants and contracts for a total of more than $156 million.

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(LO)