Past Funded Project Highlights

  • Elizabeth (“Mosey”) Hardin used Diversity, Equity and Inclusion funds to complete a U Mass DEI Certificate for Educators which enabled her to improve her syllabi and instruction for “Intro to Exceptional Learners” and “Inclusive Strategies for Classroom Organization.”
  • Kalli Decker used Professional Development funds to mimic what her students are required to do when they enter the Early Childhood Education workforce so that she could adjust her coursework to meet those expectations.  She also used the subsequent process of co-teaching in some early childhood classrooms to share professional development tips (based on current research) with the other teachers.
  • Fenqjen Luo deployed “Interdisciplinary Research Implementation” funds to visit multiple Reservation schools to cultivate partnerships and complete a $3M pending collaborative proposal to NSF/Noyce for Rural and American Indian School Educators as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Leaders.
  • Gilbert Kalonde used “Interdisciplinary Team Development” funds to visit high schools and community colleges in Los Angeles and generate strategies for recruitment and transfer of diverse students of color into MSU’s STEM teacher preparation programs.  In addition to building relationships, he was able to present the work at a professional conference.
  • Mary Miles used a “GRA Support” mini-grant to enable Master’s Exercise and Nutrition Sciences student, Lindsay Lee, to analyze tissue samples for inflammation, testing the utility of certain DNA primers; and to develop a manuscript on the pilot level analysis.
  • Karie Orendorff used a “Manuscript Completion” mini-grant to help her submit 4 papers about optimal physical activity approaches in schools and classrooms.  Karie also used a “Research Supplies” mini-grant to cover focus group transcription services to assist her manuscript development.
  • Marcie Reuer used an “Early Career Mentoring” mini-grant to create and make presentations on K-12 STEM education, and to collaborate with mentor Nick Lux to develop a case study of how rural STEM teachers use local community assets in their teaching.