ʹڲַ campus (ʹڲַ/Matt Burkhartt)
An interdisciplinary team at ʹڲַ has been awarded a $366,670 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program.
The three-year project is called Collaborative Research: EPIIC: Scaling Partnerships and External Collaborations through Industry-Aligned Learning (SPECIAL). The project will be led at ʹڲַ by Jeffrey Peterson, associate professor and chair in chemistry; Amy Sheldon, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs and professor of geological sciences; and Mark Rider, VanArsdale chair in entrepreneurship in the School of Business. Senior personnel will include Joanna Santos-Smith, assistant dean for strategic initiatives in the Office of the Provost.
Project collaborators include lead institution SUNY Polytechnic Institute (Utica, NY); Estrella Mountain Community College (Avondale, AZ); Houston Community College (Houston, TX); and the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse (La Crosse, WI).
ʹڲַ’s portion of the project, Project EXPAND (External Partnership Development), will establish a sustainable infrastructure dedicated to external partnerships that are mutually beneficial for ʹڲַ students and faculty and technology-focused industry partners. This includes the establishment of a Project EXPAND team within ʹڲַ’s Office of Strategic Initiatives as well as the creation of a faculty fellows program dedicated to collaborations with external partners.
“ʹڲַ’s role through Project EXPAND is especially exciting,” says Mary C. Toale, ʹڲַ officer-in-charge. “Our efforts to build a sustainable infrastructure for external partnerships, launch a faculty fellows program, and engage students and industry partners will have a lasting impact on our campus and community. This initiative positions ʹڲַ to be a key contributor to regional innovation and national workforce readiness.”
The program aims to engage 45 external partners and directly serve six faculty fellows and 12 students during the three-year grant period. Funds will support summer salaries, travel and meeting expenses, faculty fellow externship costs, and an external program evaluation.