Sacred Heart University

SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY - CARES ACT INSTITUTIONAL AID GRANT

SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY - CARES ACT STUDENT AID GRANT

ADVANCED NURSING EDUCATION WORKFORCE

PROJECT {FUTURE} FUNDAMENTALS TEACHERS UNIT RESEARCH EXEMPLARS, INNOVATIONS IN EMBEDDED COMPUTER SCIENCE FOR ELEMENTARY CURRICULA EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AND RESEARCH PROGRAM - EARLY PHASE APPLICATION

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM

UPWARD BOUND PROJECT

PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM - ADDRESS: 5151 PARK AVE., FAIRFIELD, CT 06825 PROJECT DIRECTOR: JACQUELINE A. VERNARELLI, PH.D., PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH; DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH EDUCATION, COLLEGE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS CONTACT NUMBERS: VOICE: (203) 416-3955; FAX: (203) 966-6314 E-MAIL ADDRESS: VERNARELLIJ@SACREDHEART.EDU WEB SITE ADDRESS: HTTPS://WWW.SACREDHEART.EDU/MAJORS--PROGRAMS/PUBLIC-HEALTH---MPH/ GRANT PROGRAM FUNDS REQUESTED: $1,495,472 (3 YEARS) FUNDING PREFERENCE: REQUESTED FOR BOTH CRITERIA. SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY (SHU), A PRIVATE, COEDUCATIONAL UNIVERSITY LOCATED IN SUBURBAN FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT, REQUESTS A HRSA PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (PHSP) GRANT TO INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF THE REGIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM TO MEET CORE PUBLIC HEALTH FUNCTIONS, THE TEN ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES, AND DECREASE PUBLIC HEALTH INEQUITIES AND HEALTH DISPARITIES. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE PIONEERS OF PUBLIC HEALTH (POPH) PROJECT CORRESPONDS DIRECTLY WITH HRSA’S OVERARCHING GOAL OF THE PHSP GRANT PROGRAM. SHU HAS ESTABLISHED THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES TO REACH THIS GOAL DURING THE THREE-YEAR GRANT PERIOD: 1) ENHANCE THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE BY RECRUITING 24 BACHELOR’S-TRAINED PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS TO ENROLL IN AND COMPLETE THE SHU MPH PROGRAM. 2) FORMALIZE NEW, AND STRENGTHEN EXISTING, LINKAGES WITH STATE, REGIONAL, AND LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH ENTITIES (INCLUDING STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND NON-PROFITS) FOR BI-DIRECTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT BY PROVIDING 31 FIELD PLACEMENTS AND VARIOUS COURSE-BASED IMMERSIVE TRAINING EXPERIENCES LEADING TO POST-COMPLETION EMPLOYMENT. 3) TRAIN THE FUTURE PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE IN THE PRINCIPLES AND CHALLENGES OF PUBLIC HEALTH INEQUITIES AND HEALTH DISPARITIES THROUGH UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE TRAINING RELATED TO HEALTH EQUITY, SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, AND CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE HEALTH COMMUNICATION AS DEMONSTRATED BY A T LEAST 80% OF MPH AND 85% OF BS STUDENTS ACHIEVING COMPETENCY IN HEALTH COMMUNICATION ON COURSE-BASED ASSESSMENTS. 4) ADDRESS PUBLIC HEALTH INEQUITIES BY ESTABLISHING A PATHWAY PROGRAM FOR UNDERGRADUATE HEALTH SCIENCE STUDENTS FROM DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS TO ENGAGE IN A COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC HEALTH TRAINING PROGRAM (BS-MPH) WITH SUPPORTIVE RESOURCES AND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 24 STUDENTS. 5) PREPARE THE CURRENT AND FUTURE PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE THROUGH COURSEWORK AND FIELD EXPERIENCES FOR MPH AND BS STUDENTS AND FORMAL TRAINING IN CONTACT TRACING, EMERGENCY OPERATIONS, AND OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION FOR 34 MPH STUDENTS. WITHIN THE THREE-YEAR GRANT PERIOD, SHU WILL PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO 31 PIOSCHOLARS (24 BACHELOR’S TRAINED PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS AND SEVEN STUDENTS CURRENTLY COMPLETING SHU’S MPH PROGRAM), 10 PIOHEALTH SCHOLARS (STUDENTS CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN SHU’S 4+1 BS-MPH PROGRAM), AND 14 PIOPATHWAY SCHOLARS (STUDENTS CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN SHU’S BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (BS) IN HEALTH SCIENCE PROGRAM). SHU PLANS FOR 31 HRSA PHSP-FUNDED SCHOLARS TO GRADUATE WITH AN MPH AND 24 TO GRADUATE WITH A BS DURING THE GRANT PERIOD. ULTIMATELY, THIS PROJECT WILL INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM IN CONNECTICUT’S DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND HOMELAND SECURITY (DEMHS) REGION 1, PARTICULARLY THE GREATER BRIDGEPORT AREA, TO MEET THE CORE PUBLIC HEALTH FUNCTIONS AND 10 ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES. IT WILL ALSO ULTIMATELY DECREASE PUBLIC HEALTH DISPARITIES AND INCREASE HEALTH EQUITY IN CT DEMHS REGION 1/BRIDGEPORT AND INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE IN THE REGION. SHU REQUESTS A FUNDING PREFERENCE FOR DEMONSTRATING BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: (1) SERVING INDIVIDUALS FROM DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS; AND (2) GRADUATING LARGE PROPORTIONS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO SERVE IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.

INCREASING PERSEVERANCE AND RETENTION OF COMPUTING AND ENGINEERING STUDENTS THROUGH SERVICE -THIS PROJECT CONTRIBUTES TO MEETING THE NATIONAL NEED FOR WELL-EDUCATED SCIENTISTS, TECHNOLOGY EXPERTS, ENGINEERS AND MATHEMATICIANS BY SUPPORTING LOW-INCOME, ACADEMICALLY TALENTED TECHNOLOGY MAJORS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED. SUPPORT WILL BE IN THE FORM OF SCHOLARSHIPS AND EXTENSIVE SUPPORTS THAT ADDRESS THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS BY STRENGTHENING THEIR SOCIAL CAPITAL THROUGH STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR FACULTY AND FELLOW STUDENTS AND BY ENGAGING IN COMMUNITY SERVICE. OVER ITS SIX-YEAR DURATION, THIS PROJECT WILL FUND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 24 FULL-TIME STUDENTS WHO ARE PURSUING BACHELOR?S DEGREES IN MAJORS SUCH AS COMPUTER ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, GAME DESIGN DEVELOPMENT, AND CYBERSECURITY. SCHOLARS WILL BE SELECTED AS FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AND WILL RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR UP TO FOUR YEARS. SPECIFIC PROJECT ACTIVITIES INCLUDE A PRE-FALL PROGRAM THAT WILL FOCUS ON REFRESHING SCHOLARS? MATH FOUNDATION, MATH TUTORING, COHORT BUILDING, FACULTY MENTORING, LAB WORKSHOPS CENTERED AROUND GAME CONTROLLER DESIGN, ELECTRONIC PUZZLES, OR 3D PRINTING, CAREER GUIDANCE FOR SCHOLARS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH STEM ORGANIZATIONS. FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SCHOLARS WILL PARTICIPATE IN INTERNSHIPS TO WORK WITH SEVERAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT THAT OFFER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AFTER SCHOOL AND IN THE SUMMER TO LOW-INCOME K-12 STUDENTS. THIS PROJECT WILL EXAMINE HOW THE INTERNSHIPS WILL IMPACT SCHOLARS? STEM IDENTITY AND ATTITUDES REGARDING SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SERVICE-LEARNING OVER TIME, HOW THEY IMPACT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND HOW SCHOLARS? PERSONALITIES CHANGE OVER THE DURATION OF THE SIX-YEAR PROGRAM. THERE WILL BE THREE COHORTS OF EIGHT STUDENTS PER COHORT FOR A TOTAL OF 24 UNIQUE SCHOLARS AND 96 UNIQUE SCHOLARSHIPS. THROUGH THE AFOREMENTIONED SCHOLARSHIPS AND SUPPORTS, SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY WILL PROVIDE THE MEANS FOR LOW-INCOME, TALENTED SCHOLARS WITH FINANCIAL NEED TO PERSIST IN THEIR MAJOR TO GRADUATION AND SUPPORT ITS SCHOLARS IN THEIR PREPARATION TO PURSUE POSITIONS IN THE WORKFORCE OR TO SUCCESSFULLY ADVANCE TO GRADUATE SCHOOL. THE PROGRAM HAS THE FOLLOWING FOUR OBJECTIVES: (1) DECREASE THE DROP-FAIL-WITHDRAW RATES FOR FOUNDATIONAL MATHEMATICS COURSES AND INCREASE THE FIRST-YEAR RETENTION OF SCHOLARS RETAINED IN THEIR STEM MAJORS; (2) INCREASE THE FOUR-YEAR GRADUATION RATE FOR SCHOLARS IN ANY OF THE S-STEM TARGETED MAJORS; (3) INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SCHOLARS PLACED IN A PAID SUMMER INTERNSHIP AS A RISING SENIOR AT REGIONAL COMPANIES AND PLACE SCHOLARS IN A STEM POSITION IN THE WORKFORCE OR A GRADUATE SCHOOL PROGRAM WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF GRADUATION. SHU HAS A LONGSTANDING TRADITION OF SERVICE-LEARNING IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND THUS ADDED A FOURTH OBJECTIVE: (4) EXPLORE THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BY GIVING SCHOLARS THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY STEM CONCEPTS IN COMMUNITIES OF NEED. EACH STUDENT WILL REACH 200 HOURS PER SUMMER OR WINTER BREAK OF COMMUNITY-FOCUSED, PAID INTERNSHIP PER SCHOLAR IN THEIR FIRST AND SECOND YEARS IN THEIR PROGRAM. THIS PROJECT INCLUDES A RIGOROUS EVALUATION PLAN TO MEASURE FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE PROGRESS AND WILL DISSEMINATE ITS FINDINGS AT THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH ON SERVICE-LEARNING AND COMMUNITY-ENGAGEMENT, THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS, THE SOCIETY OF HISPANIC PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS, THE SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS, AND AT OTHER CONFERENCES. IT ALSO PLANS TO SUSTAIN SUCCESSFUL SUPPORTS BEYOND THE FUNDING PERIOD. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY NSF?S SCHOLARSHIPS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LOW-INCOME ACADEMICALLY TALENTED STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED WHO EARN DEGREES IN STEM FIELDS. THE PROGRAM ALSO AIMS TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION OF FUTURE STEM WORKERS, AND TO GENERATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ACADEMIC SUCCESS, RETENTION, TRANSFER, GRADUATION, AND ACADEMIC/CAREER PATHWAYS OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

PREPARING BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICS, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS WITH SKILLS IN CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING

UPWARD BOUND

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

DEVELOPING ELEMENTARY STEM TEACHERS THROUGH MENTORSHIPS, INTERDISCIPLINARY INSTRUCTION, AND CULTURAL COMPETENCIES -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL NEED OF PRODUCING HIGH-QUALITY STEM-PREPARED TEACHERS WHO WILL TEACH IN LOW-INCOME, MULTICULTURAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO RECRUIT AND PREPARE 18 NEW STEM TEACHERS OVER FIVE YEARS WHO WILL COMMIT TO TEACHING IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY AND HOUSATONIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE WILL HELP COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS ENTER THE ELEMENTARY EDUCATION FIELD. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THIS WILL INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OF PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS, AS MANY COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE FROM ETHNICALLY OR RACIALLY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS, ARE OFTEN FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS, OR ARE FROM FINANCIALLY UNDER-RESOURCED FAMILIES. TO BE EFFECTIVE IN HIGH-NEED CLASSROOMS, PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS NEED TO BE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE WHILE TEACHING STUDENTS HOW TO BE A SCIENTIST. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL PROVIDE MENTORING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE STEM TEACHING, AND IT IS EXPECTED THE TEACHERS WILL DEVELOP A STRONG STEM IDENTITY AND UNDERSTAND THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT STEM FIELDS. THIS PROJECT AT SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH HOUSATONIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND ANSONIA, BRIDGEPORT, AND STRATFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE FOCUSED ON THE BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND A MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION. THE PROJECT IS BASED ON THE NEED FOR CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE AND TRAUMA-INFORMED PEDAGOGY TO EFFECTIVELY TEACH CHILDREN IN HIGH-NEED CLASSROOMS. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STEM IDENTITY IN PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS WILL HELP THEM FOSTER THE SAME SENSE OF IDENTITY IN THEIR FUTURE STUDENTS. THE PROJECT WILL RESEARCH HOW PROJECT ACTIVITIES SUPPORT PROSPECTIVE TEACHER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CULTURE INFLUENCES STEM LEARNING AND TEACHING. IT WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE SCHOLAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF DIFFERENT STEM DISCIPLINES AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT OF A STEM IDENTITY. PROJECT EVALUATION WILL GENERATE FURTHER EVIDENCE TO DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE TEACHING EFFICACY. JOINT PROGRAMMING WITH SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY AND HOUSATONIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE WILL CREATE A PATHWAY FROM COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO ELEMENTARY STEM EDUCATION. BROADER IMPACTS INCLUDE IMPROVED STEM EDUCATION IN HIGH-NEED AREAS AND A TEACHER PREPARATION MODEL THAT MAY BE REPLICATED. DISSEMINATION WILL OCCUR REGIONALLY IN CONNECTICUT AND NATIONALLY. THIS TRACK 1: SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROGRAM SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE K-12 STEM TEACHERS AND EXPERIENCED, EXEMPLARY K-12 TEACHERS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTIVENESS AND RETENTION OF K-12 STEM TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

INTERDISCIPLINARY PREPARATION OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS TO IMPROVE LITERACY OUTCOMES IN STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

PREPARING TEACHERS TO INTEGRATE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH IN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS

THE BIOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATOR SCHOLARSHIP PROJECT TO PREPARE FUTURE SECONDARY EDUCATION STEM TEACHERS

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING TRAINEESHIP

THE BIOLOGY, COASTAL AND MARINE SCIENCE, MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, AND NEUROSCIENCE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY INITIATIVE TO REDUCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DATING VIOLENCE SEXUAL ASSAULT AND STALKING ON CAMPUS

A TEMPOROSPATIAL ANALYSIS OF EPITHELIAL INTEGRITY FOLLOWING VOCAL FOLD INJURY

IRES: BEE HEALTH AND ECOLOGY RESEARCH OBJECTIVE (BEE-HERO): AN INCLUSIVE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES -THE GLOBAL DECLINE OF BEE POPULATIONS IMPACTS THE SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURE AND BIODIVERSITY, WITH SUBSTANTIAL ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC RAMIFICATIONS. THE CAUSES OF THESE COLLAPSES ARE MULTIFACETED, INCLUDING PARASITES AND VIRUSES. THE BEE HEALTH AND ECOLOGY RESEARCH OBJECTIVE (BEE-HERO) PROVIDES 18 U.S. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM HISTORICALLY-MARGINALIZED GROUPS WITH AN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE STUDYING BEE PARASITES AND VIRUSES AT THE CENTRE FOR HONEY BEE RESEARCH AT THE SWEDISH UNIVERSITY FOR AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES IN ACCESS TO RESEARCH EXPERIENCES, WHICH ACT AS A BARRIER TO RETENTION AND SUCCESS OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM HISTORICALLY UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUPS IN ACADEMIC SCIENCE, BY CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO ENGAGE IN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXPLORING HEALTH THREATS TO BEE POPULATIONS. TO FOSTER THE DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESS OF EVERY PARTICIPANT, EACH BEE-HERO STUDENT COHORT ENGAGES IN FIVE PROGRAM COMPONENTS AS PART OF THEIR IRES EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE PERSONALIZED MENTORSHIP, RESEARCH TRAINING, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. BEE-HERO STUDENTS ALSO GAIN VALUABLE EXPERIENCE IN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION BY PRESENTING THEIR FINDINGS TO THE PUBLIC AND TO THEIR ACADEMIC PEERS AT A SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE. THEY WILL ALSO DEVELOP LASTING PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS TO SUPPORT THEIR ONGOING SUCCESS AND DEVELOPMENT VIA EXTENDED PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS. THE CENTRE FOR HONEY BEE RESEARCH AT THE SWEDISH UNIVERSITY FOR AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES IS A PREMIER BEE RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN SWEDEN. NOTABLY, THE CENTER IS HOME TO A UNIQUE POPULATION OF HONEY BEES (APIS MELLIFERA) THAT ARE RESISTANT TO THE ECTOPARASITIC MITE (VARROA DESTRUCTOR) - ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT GLOBAL THREATS TO HONEY BEE HEALTH AND BEEKEEPING. BEE-HERO STUDENTS CONDUCT RESEARCH IN THE LABORATORIES OF DRS. BARBARA LOCKE GRAND?R AND JOACHIM DE MIRANDA. EXPERIMENTS WITHIN THE LOCKE GRAND?R LAB FOCUS ON RESISTANCE MECHANISMS AND HOST CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MITE-RESISTANT HONEY BEE POPULATION. EXPERIMENTS IN THE DE MIRANDA LAB FOCUS ON BROADER ASPECTS OF DISEASE ECOLOGY ACROSS BEE SPECIES BY INVESTIGATING WHAT DRIVES PATHOGEN TRANSMISSION AMONG BEES AND THE EFFECTS DOMESTIC BEES HAVE ON WILD BEE POPULATIONS. BEE-HERO PROJECTS HAVE BROAD IMPLICATIONS FOR BEE HEALTH, INCLUDING PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR MANAGING DOMESTIC BEE POPULATIONS AND UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF DOMESTIC BEES ON WILD BEE POPULATIONS. AS BEES ARE A KEY POLLINATOR, RESULTS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR AGRICULTURE AND ECOLOGY, AS WELL AS THEORETICAL VALUE FOR DISEASE ECOLOGY AND PATHOGEN EVOLUTION. THIS PROGRAM ALSO CONTRIBUTES KNOWLEDGE ON THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM HISTORICALLY-MARGINALIZED GROUPS ON THEIR INTEREST AND CONFIDENCE IN, AND PREPAREDNESS FOR, CAREERS IN STEM. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING TRAINEESHIP

INTEGRATING METHODS FOR UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING IN INTRODUCTORY UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS COURSES -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES IN INTRODUCTORY LEVEL COLLEGE MATHEMATICS COURSES BY PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR FACULTY IN THE USE OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING (UDL). THROUGH UDL-FOCUSED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COLLEGE FACULTY WILL LEARN HOW TO IMPLEMENT MULTIPLE EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH STUDENTS? DIVERSE LEARNING NEEDS. COLLEGE STUDENTS OFTEN FIND INTRODUCTORY LEVEL MATHEMATICS COURSES TO BE VERY CHALLENGING, AND THESE COURSES CAN CREATE BARRIERS THAT SLOW DOWN THE PROGRESS OF STEM MAJORS IN THEIR DEGREE PROGRAMS. MATHEMATICS EDUCATION RESEARCHERS HAVE ARGUED FOR SIGNIFICANT REVISIONS TO UNDERGRADUATE COURSE STRUCTURE AND FACULTY DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES IN THESE FOUNDATIONAL COURSES. THIS PROJECT WILL CREATE AND ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A NEW FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT WILL HELP MATHEMATICS FACULTY IMPLEMENT UDL IN INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICS COURSES. UDL PROVIDES GUIDELINES FOR USING TEACHING STRATEGIES THAT ACCOUNT FOR THE DIVERSITY OF LEARNERS AND SEEK TO IMPROVE STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY TO COURSE CONTENT. THE RESEARCH TEAM AIMS TO DEVELOP AND TEST A NEW INSTRUMENT TO ASSESS THE DEGREE TO WHICH UDL IS BEING USED IN COURSES. THE PROJECT WILL CREATE TWO FACULTY WORKSHOPS TO PREPARE MATHEMATICS FACULTY TO IMPLEMENT UDL IN THEIR COURSES. IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES IN FOUNDATIONAL MATHEMATICS COURSES SHOULD HELP STUDENTS IMPROVE THEIR PROGRESS TOWARDS GRADUATION IN STEM MAJORS. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO TRAIN MATHEMATICS FACULTY SO THAT THEY CAN IMPLEMENT TEACHING STRATEGIES THAT LEAD TO IMPROVEMENTS IN STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES. THE SPECIFIC GOALS OF THE PROJECT ARE: (1) TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE AN ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT THAT CAN BE USED TO ASSESS THE EXTENT TO WHICH UDL IS BEING USED IN A COURSE; (2) TO TRAIN MATHEMATICS FACULTY TO USE UDL GUIDELINES TO RE-DESIGN THEIR COURSES; AND (3) TO USE UDL TO IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING IN INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICS COURSES. THE RESEARCH PLAN ADDRESSES RESEARCH GAPS IN UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN INCREASING THE USE OF UDL IN UNDERGRADUATE COURSES, HOW UDL IMPLEMENTATIONS ARE ASSESSED, AND HOW VARIABILITY IN FACULTY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UDL FRAMEWORK IMPACTS INSTRUCTION. THE NEW ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT, FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, AND RESEARCH RESULTS WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO THE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION COMMUNITY THROUGH NATIONAL CONFERENCES AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS SO THAT OTHER MATHEMATICS EDUCATORS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADAPT THIS APPROACH TO THEIR INSTITUTIONS. THE NSF IUSE: EHR PROGRAM SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STEM EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS. THROUGH THE ENGAGED STUDENT LEARNING TRACK, THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE CREATION, EXPLORATION, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PROMISING PRACTICES AND TOOLS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

BEHAVIORAL AND NEURAL MEASURES OF SPOKEN WORD RECOGNITION IN LATE LANGUAGE EMERGENCE - ABSTRACT TODDLERS WITH LATE LANGUAGE EMERGENCE (LLE), OR LATE TALKERS (LTS), ARE 18-35 MONTH-OLDS WITH A LIMITED SPOKEN VOCABULARY, BUT AVERAGE NON-LINGUISTIC ABILITIES AND NO OVERT SENSORY IMPAIRMENTS OR OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS SUCH AS AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (COLLISSON, 2016; PAUL & JENNINGS, 1992). APPROXIMATELY 15% OF TODDLERS MEET LLE CRITERIA (SINGLETON, 2018; PAUL, 1992) AND ARE AT ELEVATED RISK FOR PERSISTENT, LIFELONG LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEFICITS THAT RESULT IN POOR SOCIAL, ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL OUTCOMES (PAUL, 1993; RESCORLA, 2009; SINGLETON, 2018). UPWARDS OF 16% OF LTS WILL PROSPECTIVELY BE DIAGNOSED WITH A SPOKEN AND/OR WRITTEN LANGUAGE DISORDER AT AGE 9 (PAUL, MURRAY, CLANCY, & ANDREWS, 1997) WHILE THE MAJORITY OF LTS RETAIN SUBOPTIMAL LANGUAGE FUNCTIONING THROUGH EARLY ADULTHOOD (RESCORLA, 2002; SINGLETON, 2018). THE PROPOSED RESEARCH SEEKS TO (1) IDENTIFY EARLY BEHAVIORAL AND NEURAL MARKERS OF CHRONIC IMPACT IN ORDER TO OPTIMALLY ALLOCATE SCARCE EARLY INTERVENTION RESOURCES, AND (2) EXAMINE THE VARIATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF BEHAVIORAL PHENOTYPES WHICH WILL PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION FOR MORE FOCUSED AND TARGETED FORMS OF INTERVENTIONS FOR LTS WITH A RANGE OF CLINICAL AND SUBCLINICAL LANGUAGE OUTCOMES. THE PROJECT WILL COMPLEMENT PRIOR WORK ON LLE FOCUSED ON LANGUAGE PRODUCTION BY EVALUATING THE FINE- GRAINED TIMECOURSE OF SPOKEN WORD RECOGNITION (SWR) IN LTS AND TWO CONTROL GROUPS (TYPICALLY DEVELOPING AGE- MATCHED AND LANGUAGE-MATCHED PEERS) USING BEHAVIORAL (EYE TRACKING) AND NEURAL (ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY) MEASUREMENTS. ALL PARTICIPANTS WILL COMPLETE COMPREHENSIVE CLINICAL CHARACTERIZATION INCLUDING ASSESSMENTS OF LANGUAGE AND NON-LINGUISTIC FUNCTIONING. IN EXPERIMENT 1, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE TRAINED ON A SIMPLE SELECTION TASK USING EIGHT FAMILIAR WORDS THAT OVERLAP PHONOLOGICALLY (E.G., AT ONSET, BUNNY-BUBBLES, AT OFFSET, KITTEN- MITTEN) AND SEMANTICALLY (E.G., BUNNY-KITTEN). EYE TRACKING WILL BE USED TO ESTIMATE GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN LEXICAL ACTIVATION AND COMPETITION OVER TIME IN THE SELECTION TASK. IN EXPERIMENT 2, NEURAL RESPONSES WILL BE RECORDED IN A PASSIVE LISTENING PARADIGM, USING EEG, AS PARTICIPANTS VIEW A SILENT MOVIE WHILE THE FAMILIAR WORDS FROM EXPERIMENT 1 ARE REPEATED MANY TIMES. WE WILL TRAIN A MACHINE-LEARNING ALGORITHM (SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE, OR SVM) TO DECODE THE FULL EEG RESPONSE TO SPECIFIC WORDS FOR EACH TODDLER. GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN THE RELATIVE SUCCESS OF THE SVM MAY REFLECT THE CONSISTENCY AND FIDELITY OF NEURAL RESPONSES. ERP (EVENT-RELATED POTENTIAL) ANALYSIS WILL ALSO BE USED TO EXAMINE GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN MEAN RESPONSES TO THE SPOKEN WORDS. GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN EYE TRACKING, EEG AND/OR ERP MEASURES WILL YIELD NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE LANGUAGE PROCESSING ABILITIES OF LTS AND WILL PROVIDE A BASIS FOR FUTURE WORK AIMED AT IDENTIFYING THOSE LTS AT GREATEST RISK FOR POOR OUTCOMES.

QUANTIFYING THE EFFECT OF SURFACE HEATING AND AEROSOLS ON SEA-BREEZE FORCED DEEP CONVECTION

CYBERTRAINING: IMPLEMENTATION: SMALL: USING PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING FOR VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: FAT METABOLISM AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN EXERCISING MIGRATORY BIRDS.

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING TRAINEESHIP

TEACHERS AT HEART: TEACHER RESIDENCY PROGRAM AT SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY