New S. H. Ho Foundation grants propel pioneering faculty research

Binghamton University announces the inaugural faculty recipients of new seed grants made by possible by The S. H. Ho Foundation Ltd.

Out of 41 “very strong” proposals submitted, three rose to the top to receive an S. H. Ho Foundation Research Grant for Health Sciences and Technology, according to the University’s Advisory Committee for Scholarship and Research (ACSR).

The faculty and their proposed research projects, ranked by the screening committee, are:

1. Jeffrey Mativetsky (physics) and Ahyeon Koh (biomedical engineering), “Facilitating Access to Respiratory Healthcare through Wearable, AI-Powered Monitoring,” $66,375.
2. Pong-Yu Huang (mechanical engineering) and Paul Chiarot (mechanical engineering), “Non-invasive Flow Sensor for Shunt Failure Detection,” $54,160.
3. Wei Qiang (chemistry) and Minfei Su (chemistry), “Structural Polymorphisms in Beta-Amyloid Aggregates and Their Impact on Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology,” $57,843.

In August 2023, the University announced the Ho Foundation made a $5.6 million gift to advance current or emerging faculty research at the intersection of health sciences and technology. Founded by the Ho family, the foundation includes Binghamton alumna Martha Ho, MA ’78, and her husband, David.

The endowment gift will provide, in perpetuity, roughly $200,000 annually in vital seed grants for faculty University-wide, who are selected based on an application process that began for the first time this past fall. The recipients were screened by a University committee, with final awards determined by President Harvey Stenger, Provost Donald Hall and Vice President for Research Bahgat Sammakia.

All of the selected proposals demonstrate strong potential to attract external funding beyond this initial support and a clear path forward with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Founadtion (NSF), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and other major funders, the ACSR said.

“Binghamton faculty are embarking on lifechanging breakthroughs in technology, health sciences and more,” Stenger said. “This investment enhances Binghamton’s reputation for excellence and ensures faculty have crucial resources to develop research that makes a meaningful impact on the world.”

The Ho Foundation gift was made as part of the EXCELERATE campaign for Binghamton that ends June 30. Learn more at excelerate.binghamton.edu.