Nine Next Generation grants awarded to faculty

President Toro announced on Aug. 26 the recipients of Central’s fourth annual Next Generation of Student Success, Innovation, and Community Engagement grant competition. The Next Generation grant program supports faculty and staff in developing projects that foster connections with students, business and industry partners, and the communities the university serves.  

In this round of grant awards, the following proposals were funded, ranging between $6,718 and $43,000 per grant.

 •    Cultivating a Culture of Inclusion: Women Thriving in STEM by Bin (Brenda) Zhou, Luz Amaya, Sarah Maurer, Mahdieh Zabihimayvan, and Chad Williams

 •    Literacy Across the Disciplines: An Exploration of Students' Reading Attitudes and Skills by Martha Kruy, Julia Kara-Soteriou, and Martie Kaczmarek

 •    Measuring Students’ Experience in CAP and AIM utilizing the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Competencies by Dana Wilkie and Caleb Bragg

 •    Tackling Background Issues in Mathematics to Reduce DFW Rates and Support Academic Excellence by Oscar Perdomo

  •    DEEP STEM: Discover Enjoy Explore and Practice Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Year 4 by Luz Amaya, David Broderick, and Viktoria Savatorova

 •    Math Minds in Motion by Anna Duffin and Oscar Perdomo

 •    Moving from Empowerment to Action in the Voices Rising 3.0 Project: Using AI Tools to Advance Community Engagement by Antoinette Ryan, and Shannon Holder

 •    CT Youth Business Leadership Summer Program by Drew Harris, Mi Hoang Tran, and Dana Wilkie

 •    Beyond the Classroom Community Project: Fostering Social Justice and Community Engagement in Underserved Communities through Experiential Service-Learning by Laurie Walter, Tamara Holland, Jacqueline Cantor, and Rosalyn Bravo-Cavoli 

The president also announced a new grant competition for faculty titled Clusters of Excellence to encourage faculty and students to engage in innovative, interdisciplinary research and education to make positive impacts in addressing a societal challenge and to promote Central.