University of Arkansas notebook

Grants to be used for heart research

FAYETTEVILLE — Two University of Arkansas, Fayetteville researchers have each been awarded $154,000 grants by the American Heart Association to help treat or diagnose heart disease.

Morten Jensen, an associate professor of biomedical engineering, is studying blockages that can form in branches of coronary blood vessels. He is collaborating with Barry Uretsky, director of interventional cardiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, and Lucas Timmins, a researcher at the University of Utah.

Kartik Balachandran, also an associate professor of biomedical engineering, studies what’s known as calcific aortic valve disease, which currently has no treatment apart from heart valve surgery, according to the American Heart Association.

Balachandran is seeking to develop ways to treat or prevent the disease.

Homeland security program on roster

FAYETTEVILLE — A new online certificate program in homeland security will be offered this fall by the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

The graduate-level program aims to keep students up to date on security requirements, said Rich Ham, associate director of UA’s operations management master’s program.

“It’s critical for operations managers to recognize and integrate these changes into daily processes,” Ham said in a statement.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s website lists 41 U.S. colleges and universities offering similar homeland security programs, but none in Arkansas. The FEMA list does not include all homeland security programs advertised by colleges and universities.