Funded Projects
| Project Title | Overview of the Project |
|---|---|
| Attendance at 2016 Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education Robin Fowler Engineering - Technical Communication $1659.00 |
I am requesting funds to support my participation in and travel to the 2016 annual conference of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) in New Orleans, Louisiana (June 26-29, 2016). This conference is held every June, and it's the largest national conference focused on engineering education. I am a member of special interest groups focused on liberal arts in engineering and first-year programs, and I would anticipate attending sessions that focus on teaching technical communication and on first-year problem-based learning (and related topics, such as forming/facilitating student teams, improving climate, etc.) I am planning to submit an abstract to present at the conference as well, and I anticipate that I will be presenting on my 2015-2016 ISL project (on optimal team formation), and maybe with colleagues on the UM technical communication curriculum. Because the deadline for abstracts is not until October, I will not know by this grant's deadline whether or not my abstract(s) and paper(s) have been accepted. |
| Attendance at academic conference to present research on workplace communication practices Elaine Wisniewski Engineering $1505.00 |
I am applying for funding to attend the 2016 College Composition and Communication Conference (CCCC) in Houston, Texas from April 6–9, 2016. My paper, "Looking back to look forward: Taking action to provide relevant communication instruction within the engineering curriculum," was recently accepted to the conference as part of a panel focused on bridging gaps between the academy and industry practices. Attending the 2016 conference will allow me to learn from and network with national scholars and bring their research and teaching practices to my colleagues at the University of Michigan to benefit our students' learning in our classroom. |
| Attendance at Academic Conference on Engineering Education Mike Umbriac Engineering $2000.00 |
I am requesting funding from the CRLT Lecturers' Professional Development Fund to attend the 2016 American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) conference from June 26-29, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In recent years, I have increased the amount of engaged learning in my ME250 and ME350 (Design and Manufacturing I and II) classes, and am particularly interested in exploring ways to increase the amount of peer-to-peer learning during lectures and labs, and also ways to provide students with immediate feedback on assessments about their understanding of each problem and their solution to it. The topics presented at the annual ASEE conference include these topics as well as information on successfully implementing flipped classrooms. I plan to incorporate these advanced pedagogies into my ME250 and ME350 classes, and the results of these improvements will benefit the 320 students each semester who are taking those classes. |
| Application for Grant to Attend the annual ASEE Conference and Exposition Amy Hortop Engineering - Integrative Systems & Design $2000.00 |
I am applying for professional development funding to be able to attend the annual ASEE Conference and Exposition June26-June29, 2016. The ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition is a conference dedicated to engineering education. Attending this conference will help me to stay current in engineering education, and spark lots of new ideas for teaching design methods and tools in the classroom, and give me an opportunity to network with faculty that teach similar classes from other schools and exchange ideas. As the course coordinator and an instructor of the capstone design course in mechanical engineering and a lecturer for the first-year course ENGR 100, I would be grateful for an opportunity to attend the annual conference to exchange ideas with peers. Specifically, I would hope to use the conference to (1) network with other faculty to look for opportunities to start multidisciplinary, distributed teams that could collaborate on engineering projects in first-year design courses and capstone engineering courses, (2) return to campus with more ideas on how to make larger lectures more interactive and engaging for students, (3) attend sessions specific to design in engineering curriculum and student safety while working on engineering projects. |
| Creating a More Accessible Classroom By Teaching About Accessibility $1870.00 |
Creating a More Accessible Classroom By Teaching About Accessibility This project is intended to improve the pedagogy of my courses by learning more about Accessible Design and then passing that knowledge on to students in my undergraduate and graduate Web Design courses. In the past few years I have placed a great deal of emphasis on the important of designing with accessibility in mind. Unfortunately, many people equate "flashy" with "employable." But in reality, this is not the case and what students should focus on is the basic tenants of design not trends. Still, some students find it hard to reconcile these competing ideas. This workshop will supply me with the additional knowledge I need to demonstrate to the students that accessibility is not only the right thing to do, but also professionally and legally advantageous. The Web Accessibility Training Workshop is offered by the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University. This two-day training seminar covers topics from basic web accessibility principles to advanced accessibility techniques. It also covers legal guidelines and standards for ensuring that websites are compliant. The information and techniques I will will enhance my own teaching, as well as better impress upon my students the importance of designing for wide audiences. |
| Attending the 38th Chamber Music America Annual Conference Amy Cheng Music, Theatre & Dance $2000.00 |
Chamber Music America is one of the leading organizations in the world for Chamber Music. The organization promotes Jazz, Classical Chamber Music and Contemporary Collaborative Arts through its commissioning and performing grant programs and provides critical information in the field of Chamber Music through its comprehensive website, Chamber Music Magazine and E-Newsletter. I believe that attending the Chamber Music America 38th Annual Conference will be an opportunity for me to observe and be in contact with what is at the forefront of the Chamber Music field. I believe that attending the conference will be a way to establish a presence as a representative for the U of M Piano Chamber Music area. Furthermore, the information I will gather will directly benefit our students in LP 588 (Piano Chamber Music Survey) and ENS 466-566 (Piano Chamber Music). In addition, I am hoping to develop a relationship with the New York Intercultural Music Society, Inc. (NYIMS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to performing, promoting, and commissioning musical works from intersections of Western and non-Western cultures. My vision is to develop a collaborative relation with the NYIMS and Confucius Institute either through a performing concert or lecture presentation on the U of M Campus, and perhaps also in New York City. |
| Attendance and paper presentation at an international academic conference (Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science) at MIT Ilya Volkovich Engineering $2000.00 |
I am requesting funds for travel to the 7th annual world-leading conference in Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science (ITCS) held at MIT in January of 2016, sponsored by ACM Special Interest Group on Algorithms and Computation Theory (SIGACT). ITCS is one of the largest and most cutting-edge meetings devoted to Theoretical Computer Science in the world where international experts meet and exchange ideas. Therefore, my attendance would provide me exposure to many new ideas and people that would positively influence my research and teaching. Because ITCS seeks to promote research that carries a strong conceptual message (e.g., introducing a new concept or model, opening a new line of inquiry within traditional or interdisciplinary areas, or introducing new techniques or new applications of known techniques), the presenters and papers discussed challenge common thinking and expand theoretical Computer Science thought. Upon selection of my own submission, I would also contribute to this ground-breaking conference of leaders in Theoretical Computer Science. In addition, the content of the conference is strongly aligned with the classes I am and will continue teaching this year (Foundations of Computer Science). Listening to the latest innovations in Theoretical Computer Science would ensure that I could relay these concepts to my students to increase students' interest and expand the department's strength at UM. My attendance would also further my contribution to an on-going project to increase awareness of Theoretical Computer Science education on campus. |
| Lithography Printmaking Workshop $2000.00 |
I am applying for this LPDF grant to attend a professional art workshop at the Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the topic of lithographic printmaking. I teach two printmaking classes at the Residential College every winter semester. I am interested in covering as wide a range of printmaking techniques as possible, while still maintaining the classroom as a non-toxic studio. I believe that, given current ecological and environmental concerns, it is important to shift towards processes that minimize use and exposure to hazardous substances. Lithography is the most versatile of all print media since it can replicate a wide variety of mark-making including both tonal and line information. However, when done via the traditional lithographic stones, it requires a special lithographic press and it is a rather involved process due to the cost and weight of the stones. On the other hand, lithographic plates can be printed with a regular etching press (already in existence and in use at the classroom where I teach), the plates are portable and low-cost, and the process requires a minimum amount of solvents (very low toxicity). The use of these plates would allow the students a unique opportunity to explore lithographic printing within the parameters of a non-toxic studio. I would like to attend this workshop to learn more about the process so that I may be able to incorporate it into the curriculum for future printmaking classes at the Residential College. |
| 2016 AWP Conference & Book Fair James Walker LSA $1640.00 |
I'm requesting a grant to help fund my trip to the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference in Los Angeles. The conference, which runs from March 30 to April 3, 2016, will further my professional development in several key ways. First, I plan to attend a number of panels (e.g., "Writing and ‘The Racial Imaginary'," "Delmore Schwartz: The Life and Work of an American Writer," "Nature's Nature: Eco-Poetry at Kenyon Review," "Why We Innovate: The Case for Hybrid Genres") that will encourage me to investigate both my practice (as a poet) and my pedagogy (as a Lecturer). Second, I'm scheduled to read from my forthcoming poetry collection, The Self-Styled No-Child (Waywiser Press, 2016), at one of the conference's off-site events and to sign copies of the book at the Conference Book Fair. Third, I'll have the opportunity to meet with editors from the Waywiser Press (based in London) and Ooligan Press (based in Portland, and publisher of Alive at the Center: Contemporary Poems from the Pacific Northwest, an anthology I coedited). Fourth, I'll have the chance to re-establish (or strengthen) ties with many poets and educators with whom I maintain professional relationships. I've attended the AWP Conference for the past seven years; I always feel recharged by the experience. A Lecturers' Professional Development Fund Grant would help to counterbalance the conference's one downside: the financial toll it takes on faculty who lack department-sponsored travel support. |
| Attending 2016 AWP Writers Conference and Bookfair $1880.00 |
I am requesting a grant to fund my trip to the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference in Los Angeles. The conference, which runs from March 30 – April 2, 2016, will further my professional development in two key ways: through presentation of my recently published novel Mesilla, and attendance at four key panels that will facilitate both my pedagogical and creative endeavors. The primary objective for my pedagogical endeavors will be to gain training and insight in inclusivity practices in publishing. Attendance at the AWP conference will further my creative endeavors by allowing me to network with authors and publishers, take part in craft lectures, and attend panels that will deeply broaden my own knowledge of themes and arguments present in my work. |
| Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2016 Conference: Enhancing Antimicrobial Stewardship Education Payal Patel Medical School $2000.00 |
This proposed grant seeks funding to support attendance to The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Annual Meeting in May 2016. The SHEA meeting is a national meeting dedicated to infectious disease physicians, pharmacists and infection preventionists that focuses on infection control, hospital epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship. The Centers for Disease Control and SHEA co-direct a course during this meeting that is used as unique training for new hospital epidemiologists and also an antimicrobial stewardship track. SHEA is the only national meeting in which this kind of course is offered. As a junior faculty interested in antimicrobial stewardship and infection control, I intend to attend this course to reinforce the principles of building a robust antimicrobial stewardship program. I would also plan to use the daily poster abstract sessions and networking sessions to meet other leaders in the field to foster network growth and also possible future collaborations. Attending this course will benefit my research and clinical career as a young investigator at the University of Michigan. The stewardship principles I learn will be shared with my colleagues in the Infectious Disease division at University of Michigan with the intent of reducing health care costs, limiting the emergence and transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and improving quality of patient care. |
| Writing Strategies for Action: The 2016 Annual Convention of the Conference on College Composition and Communication Julie Steiff Architecture and Urban Planning $1337.00 |
I am requesting funds to attend the 2016 Convention of the Conference on College Composition and Communication in Houston, Texas, from April 6-9. Having spent the last nine years as the only writing instructor in the Urban and Regional Planning program at Taubman College, I have received a rich education in the interdisciplinary field of planning and learned a great deal about the many kinds of writing planners do; however, I have become fairly isolated from my fellow teachers of writing. If I am to keep improving my teaching in the MUP program, I need to seek out opportunities to remain engaged with composition studies and keep abreast of developments in writing pedagogy and theory. That is why I would like to attend the 2016 CCCC Annual Convention, the most important national conference in the field. This year's theme, "Writing Strategies for Action," is especially relevant to writing instruction for planners, who write to make something happen in the world. I propose to renew, enrich, and reflect upon my teaching by attending sessions in the following areas: writing pedagogy and processes, professional and technical writing, second language writing/writers, and theories of pedagogy and writing in society. |
| Humanize the Numbers Isaac Wingfield LSA - Residential College $1996.18 |
This project supports creative endeavors in a collaborative prison arts project I am leading with incarcerated individuals at Thumb Correctional Facility. A series of photographs will be made with these incarcerated collaborators as part of a larger cross-disciplinary collaboration I am co-organizing titled Humanize the Numbers. I am seeking funding to support alternative programming and public displays to accompany an exhibition of this work in the Residential College Art Gallery, planned for Winter 2016. Support from the Lecturers' Professional Development Fund will allow me to produce alternative exhibition materials for these public spaces and provide curatorial support for the alternative exhibition and programming. This material for alternative venues—large scale banners with images and information— will become the core of a traveling public exhibition, building partnerships with community organizations, public schools, and other universities in the region for my current and future research. |
| The Energy Turn, Ecology and Sustainability - The Green City of Future,Freiburg (Goethe Institute Seminar) $2000.00 |
The specific seminar that I am applying for is called "Energy Turn, Ecology and Sustainability - The Green City of Future", which is a new seminar offered by the Goethe Institute this year. In this two-week seminar I will learn about Germany's politically supervised shift in direction from nuclear and fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. Germany is in the process of completely transforming its energy sector at a pace unmatched by other industrialized nations. Nuclear power is being phased out as renewables are gradually taking over. This seminar will inform us about the specific aspects of the German "Energiewende". This topic is of enormous current interest and relevance, both for understanding German politics, culture and society, and for teaching about these issues in the United States. Indeed, our next German Day (an outreach event that brings around 1,000 high school students to UM in April) will be dedicated to precisely this topic. We hope to be teaching regularly in this field in the coming years as a way of underlining the relevance of learning about German language and culture more generally. |
| The Seeds of Power: Cereal Crops and Exchange Networks. Paper to be presented at the Society for American Archaeology Meeting Laura Motta LSA $1369.00 |
I am requesting conference registration fee, travel and accommodation funding from the CRLT Lecturers' Development Fund to attend The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) annual meeting in Orlando, FL, in April 2016. At the conference I will present a paper illustrating preliminary results on new cutting-edge methodological developments in isotopic analysis applied to archaeobotanical material. The conference will provide an ideal opportunity to gain international exposure for this innovative research, an U of M collaborative effort between classical archaeology and geochemistry. Participation at the annual meeting will allow me to obtain important feedback and information on possible other experimental research that can be used to improve the course material for two classes that I currently teach on archaeological field methods and paleoethnobothany. |
| Paper Presentation at a Professional Conference (SCS) Donka Markus LSA $1100.00 |
Travel to the annual convention of the Society for Classical Studies (aka APA) held in New Orleans, LA Jan 8-11, 2015 to give a paper entitled "Dialectic as autopsia: a lesson in Neoplatonic rationality" as part of a panel on The Greeks and the Irrational. In the paper, I discuss a fragment from Damascius' Philosophical history which captures a unique teaching moment from Late Antiquity (5AD). The philosopher Isidore triggered a life-changing transformation in the mind of the obscure Dorus from Arabia, who was a learned Aristotelian. Isidore revealed to him aspects of dialectic, which were until then unknown to Dorus. I will argue that despite the fact that Neoplatonism since the work of Dodds (The Greeks and the Irrational) had become heavily associated with the ‘irrational', late antique Neoplatonist philosophers themselves viewed their teaching activity as the pinnacle of rationality both in content and approach. The term describing Isidore's teaching of dialectic in this fragment is autopsia, a scientific term for disinterested objectivity that researchers since Herodotus had used to distinguish their empirical and data-based methodology from hearsay and myth. |
| Teaching, technology, and the building of professional communities of support Jeffrey Stanzler Education $1285.00 |
In the graduate course that I teach for the MAC (secondary teacher certification) Program on teaching with technology, my goals are to help my students think creatively about using web-based technology to enhance student learning, and to provide them with meaningful professional experiences that connect them with the larger community of educators. My application for funding is linked to a plan designed to work purposefully towards reaching these goals. In previous years, my students have attended Michigan's annual conference on teaching with technology, the MACUL (Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning) Conference. This year, I am applying to have my students actually present at the conference, with their presentations based on work they do in class in which they teach their peers how specific new technology tools can enhance student learning across the disciplines. In a day when both teachers and school funding are under siege, new teachers must be able to speak articulately and publicly about their practice, so the other part of my plan is to invite graduates of our program, who themselves do professional development work, to attend a "dress rehearsal" of the presentation and to offer feedback to my students. I want my students to participate in rich professional conversations, and I also want to strengthen ties with our alumni community, and I believe that my plan, at a very modest cost, will accomplish all of this, while providing my students with a valuable personal and professional experience. |
| Participation in IX ICCEES World Congress in August 2015 and revision of the Russian for heritage speakers course content $2000.00 |
To support my participation in IX ICCEES (International Council for Central and East European Studies) World Congress in August of 2015, where I will be chairing a panel titled "The Importance of Context and Specificity When Teaching Heritage Learners of Russian" and revision of the Russian for Heritage Speakers course content at The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. |
| Study abroad and internships abroad: Second language research and practice $2000.00 |
This project focuses on the linguistic and cultural development of University of Michigan undergraduates who participated in "traditional" study abroad programs and newly-designed internship abroad programs during summer 2014. For students of both programs I collected data (via surveys, online blogs, and grammar tests) on language use and cultural awareness in order to analyze linguistic and cultural development. I am seeking funds to attend two international conferences to present my research, attend other colleagues' talks, and participate in discussions that will enhance my knowledge of Spanish second language acquisition and study abroad. The first conference is the American Association of Applied Linguistics, to be held in Toronto, Canada in March 2015. The second conference is the Second Language Research Forum, to be held in Atlanta, Georgia in October 2015. My attendance at both conferences will grant me the opportunity to interact with peers in the field and discuss my research findings. For example, are online blogs more useful than daily diary entries? Do internships abroad foster greater linguistic development even though students never step into a classroom? Do traditional study abroad programs benefit cultural awareness in the sense that students live with host families rather than on their own? The feedback that I receive will help to shape the curricular changes that I implement in two courses that I teach for students who travel abroad: in the abroad context (in Salamanca, summer 2015) and in the Internship Abroad context (through the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, summer 2015). |
| Impact of age and comorbidity on thyroid cancer decision making $2000.00 |
The incidence of thyroid cancer is rising and its aggressiveness increases with age. There is a recognized association between older age and worse outcomes. Surgical intervention remains the standard of care, in accordance with recent management guidelines. However, although age is not a contraindication to thyroid surgery, recent studies found that older patients with thyroid cancer are less likely to receive guideline concordant care, despite proven benefits. In addition, post-operative thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppressive therapy is now considered standard of care for high-risk patients with differentiated thyroid cancer and results in improved clinical outcomes. Nevertheless, due to its adverse effects especially in older adults, the degree of TSH suppressive therapy may need to be adjusted accordingly in this population. In summary, although surgery and post-operative TSH suppressive therapy are considered standard of care for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, the factors involved in thyroid cancer management decision-making in older adults remain unclear. Our project aims to determine whether patients with thyroid cancer aged ≥65 years receive optimal surgical treatment, including referral to experienced high volume surgeons, through the use of provider surveys. We expect to find unique barriers in the referral of patients ≥65 years versus younger adults. We will also determine the providers' role in post-operative thyroid hormone replacement in older adults with thyroid cancer. We expect to find that providers will not factor age, comorbidities, functional status, and risks for complications in their treatment algorithm regarding post-operative TSH suppressive therapy in older thyroid cancer patients. |
| Enhancing scholarship and collaboration through attendance at a scientific meeting Aki Morikawa Medical School $2000.00 |
I am requesting funds for travel to a scientific meeting (San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium) in December of 2014. This is one of the largest scientific meetings devoted only to breast cancer research and is attended by breast cancer researchers from around the world. Attendance at this meeting will highly impact my development as a breast cancer researcher. Practice changing study results are often presented at this meeting. In addition, there are seminars and lectures providing a general review of basic science, translational science, and clinical topics. Moreover, there is always an opportunity to foster collaborations with academic researchers and industry. Since my outside collaborators will be attending the meeting, it would provide me with a face-to-face time to follow-up on various scientific collaborative projects with others from outside institutions. Attendance at this meeting will not only enhance my breast cancer research endeavor and career but also will allow for professional networking in the field. |
| 68th American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting $2000.00 |
The 68th American Epilepsy Society Annual Conference is an opportunity to renew the global commitment to epilepsy treatment and prevention. This year's conference is an opportunity for the international community, and all clinicians, researchers and social worker, to join efforts in committing to achieving a seizure-free world. The world's leading scientists, clinician, activists, people living with epilepsy, government will be joining the work force on how to achieve this vision. I am planning to: 1) identify new trends and cutting-edge research that will move the field of epilepsy forward for years to come; 2) present the research on Dravet syndrome conducted at the University of Michigan; 3) exchange the knowledge, skills and best practices in epilepsy with the leading scientists from around the globe; 4) scale up my knowledge in evidence-based practice of surgical intervention in refractory epilepsy; 5) participate in committee meetings to define priorities and set policy and program agendas to sustain the support for epilepsy research and education. |
| Gross Loss/Net Gain $2000.00 |
This proposal seeks a grant from the Professional Development Fund in the amount of $2,000 to research and develop a project exploring tactics of preservation as they intersect with health services in Detroit. Given the city's shifting structure, it is apparent that planned downsizing might be the best strategy to accommodate its changes. I would like to research how we might use "shrinking" as a preservation strategy on a building-by-building basis: looking at how a range of building scales, from single-family homes to factories, might be strategically preserved through restricted occupation. The project begins with research—reviewing sites of potential preservation and understanding precedents of "shrinking" and re-use—to begin experiments in architectural form and methods of transposing new organizations onto old structures. Such formal inquiries begin to make demands on the value of preservation itself: what does closing down existing architecture in turn open up? Concurrent and related to this project of preservation is an investigation into public health issues in the city. As the infrastructures of the city transform, so too might its public services. This project produces two strands of inquiry: interpreting historical character while understanding new modes of collective and transient occupation with a focus on healthcare facilities. Development funds would go primarily towards research, documentation, and material production—the project begins with analysis but results in a novel design strategy. It is conceived as a teaching tool: a methodology of experimental preservation that will be used as a studio model and pedagogical approach. |
| Bottom-Up Detroit Ana Morcillo Pallares Architecture and Urban Planning $2000.00 |
"Bottom-up Detroit" is a proposal which seeks support for research on small-scale, small-budget, and light-infrastructure urban projects in Detroit. The project evolved to the idea of "Placeholders" and the exploration of alternative uses of Detroit's available space through interventions that hold, denote or reserve a space for public use. The work has been developed in an exhibition titled "Place-holders" which have brought a different reading of Detroit's urban density through the analysis of eleven initiatives in the city which negotiate the unique spatial condition between the citizen demands and municipal regulations. The funding have provided an opportunity to visit, document, and analyze projects which are based on the urgency of solving the continual problem of open space in Detroit. The study is of importance to my own research and pedagogical ambitions. |
| Soccer: New Goals for the German Curriculum $1200.00 |
Sports has been a major theme on our campus: not simply because of the University's past and present athletic achievement but also because of the integration of what seems extracurricular (sports) into the curricular mainstream (LSA theme semester) this term. Last Fall, I proposed a session at this year's ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Convention in San Antonio (November 21-23, 2014.) This panel, which is titled "Soccer: New Goals for the German Curriculum" and in which I will serve as chair, was approved: other participants include Professor Stephan Schindler (University of South Florida) and the Goethe Institut Chicago. My funding application is to cover expenses to attend the conference. |
