awards

By ARHU Staff

In support of programs, initiatives and projects designed to impact enduring and emerging societal issues, the University of Maryland’s Grand Challenges Grants Program has awarded $30 million in funding to 50 projects and 185 faculty members across every school and college on campus. Among them, ARHU faculty are the recipients of one Institutional Grant, three Impact Awards, four Team Project Grants and one Individual Project Grant.

ARHU faculty are partnering with colleagues across campus to focus on groundbreaking and impactful research on topics including racial and social justice, education, pandemic preparedness and ethical technologies. Their work will shape the future of our community, state, nation and world.

Grand Challenges Grants with ARHU faculty involvement are outlined below. Please visit each project page for comprehensive details and a full list of participating faculty.

INSTITUTIONAL GRANT (up to $1M per year for 3 years of funding): 

Maryland Initiative for Literacy & Equity (MILE): seeks to transform and integrate practices in education, speech pathology, library sciences, and parent/family engagement through streamlined and cutting-edge models of professional development and community outreach. (Colleges Represented: College of Education (EDUC), ARHU, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS), College of Information Studies (INFO), School of Public Policy (SPP))

Principal Investigator (PI): Donald Bolger (EDUC)

ARHU Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs): 

Kira Gor, Professor, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Colin Phillips, Professor, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, Department of Linguistics; Director, Language Science Center

Juan Uriagereka, Professor, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Department of Linguistics

Learn more: research.umd.edu/mile

IMPACT AWARDS (up to $250K per year for 2 years of funding): 

Urban Equity Collaborative: seeks to strengthen community-based institutions and the work of community activists around issues of urban inequality. (Colleges Represented: School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (ARCH), ARHU, School of Public Health (SPHL))

PI: Willow Lung-Amam (ARCH)

ARHU Co-PI: Nancy Raquel Mirabal, Associate Professor, Department of American Studies

Learn more: research.umd.edu/urbanequity

Pandemic Preparedness Institute (PPI): integrates a broad array of social and behavioral sciences to learn from COVID-19 and other disasters to better prepare for future public health emergencies. (Colleges Represented: SPHL, ARHU, BSOS, EDUC, INFO, Philip Merrill College of Journalism (JOUR))

Co-PI: Cynthia Bauer (SPHL) 

ARHU Co-PI and team members: 

Brooke Fisher Liu (Co-PI), Professor, Department of Communication

Anita Atwell Seate, Associate Professor, Department of Communication

Carina Zelaya, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication

Learn more: research.umd.edu/ppi

Values-Centered Artificial Intelligence: aims to promote the development of AI in a way that is not only ethical, but that advances human well-being more generally. (Colleges Represented: College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS), ARHU, Robert H. Smith School of Business (BMGT), BSOS, EDUC, INFO, JOUR, SPHL) 

PI: Hal Daumé III (CMNS)

ARHU Co-PI: John Horty, Professor, Department of Philosophy

Learn more: research.umd.edu/vcai

TEAM PROJECT GRANTS (up to $500K per year for 3 years of funding):

Africa Through Language and Area Studies (ATLAS): will establish a central focal point for the study of African languages, history and contemporary issues in the UMD community with the goal of increasing the understanding of the African continent and its growing global influence. (Colleges Represented: ARHU, BSOS) 

ARHU PI: Miranda Abadir, Second Language Acquisition, National Foreign Language Center

Learn more: research.umd.edu/atlas

Music Education for All: aims to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform, VAIolin, that will democratize music education. (Colleges Represented: ARHU, CMNS) 

ARHU PI: Irina Muresanu, Associate Professor, School of Music

Learn more: research.umd.edu/music-ai

Fostering Inclusivity Through Technology (FIT): will develop a video-calling platform that promotes mutual understanding by highlighting team sentiment, building rapport with strangers, connecting past and current topics in conversations, and unobtrusively identifying and resolving misunderstandings. (Colleges Represented: BSOS, ARHU, BGMT, CMNS, A. James Clark School of Engineering (ENGR), INFO) 

PI: Yi Ting Huang (BSOS)

ARHU Co-PI: Shevaun Lewis, Assistant Research Professor and Assistant Director, Language Science Center

Learn more: research.umd.edu/fit

Anti-Black Racism Initiative: seeks to build upon the state of Maryland’s legacy of racial equity and social justice and will position the University of Maryland as a leading anti-Black racist institution through three strategic and institutional initiatives that will amplify the new anti-Black racism (ABR) minor. (Colleges Represented: BSOS, ARHU, EDUC, SPHL)

PI: Jeanette Snider (BSOS)

ARHU Co-PIs: 

John Drabinski, Professor, African American Studies and English, Department of English

Psyche Williams-Forson, Professor and Chair, Department of American Studies

Learn more: research.umd.edu/abri

INDIVIDUAL PROJECT GRANT (up to $50,000 per year for 3 years): 

Human Rights Politics and Policies: Lessons from Latin America: two conferences, three articles and an edited volume that provides a definitive history of human rights in Latin America and corrects overly broad criticisms of human rights movements made by scholars who work on the United States and Europe. (College Represented: ARHU) 

Karin Rosemblatt, Professor and Director of the Center for Historical Studies, Department of History

Learn more: research.umd.edu/human-rights-latin-america

By Ted Knight

What links Romania’s music heritage, historical approaches to the Rwandan genocide and politics in the “canal colonies” of Eastern Pakistan? Studies of each of these diverse topics—and 13 others—by University of Maryland faculty researchers will be funded by the Office of the Provost and Office of the Vice President for Research as part of this year’s Independent Scholarship, Research and Creativity Awards.

Launched in 2019, the program supports the professional advancement of faculty engaged in scholarly and creative pursuits that use historical, humanistic, interpretive or ethnographic approaches; explore aesthetic, ethical and cultural values and their roles in society; conduct critical or rhetorical analysis; engage in archival or field research; and develop or produce creative works.

Awardees are selected based on peer review of the quality of the proposed project, the degree to which the project will lead to the applicant’s professional advancement and the likely academic and societal influence of the project.

“This important program supports a wide variety of scholarly work that demonstrates the creativity, versatility and expertise of our faculty,” said Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice. “We are particularly excited about this year’s awardees and the potential impact of these projects.”

In all, 51 proposals were submitted, representing eight schools and colleges across campus. The awards, worth up to $10,000 per project, support faculty and their research expenses.

“It is very exciting to see the high level of interest and engagement in this program from our faculty, as well as the diverse research topics represented in the applications that were submitted,” said Vice President for Research Gregory F. Ball.

This year’s award support the following work:

“Analyzing the Content of President Biden’s COVID-19 Twitter Communications,” a qualitative and narrative analysis by Hector Alcala, assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health

“Eternity Made Tangible,” the fourth and final play of the National Parks Cycle by Jennifer Barclay, associate professor in the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies

“Scoping Review of Interventions for African American Boys Who Experience Internalizing Symptoms,” a research study by Rabiatu Barrie, assistant professor in the Department of Family Science

“Sometimes the Light,” a hybrid work of fiction and nonfictional archival material by Maud Casey, professor in the Department of English

“The Marvelous Illusion: Morton Feldman's ‘The Viola in My Life 1-4,’” a book by Thomas DeLio, professor in the School of Music

“Punished in Plain Sight: Women’s Experiences on Probation in Maryland,” a qualitative research study by Rachel Ellis, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice

“Nile Nightshade: Tomatoes and the Making of Modern Egypt” a book by Anny Gaul, assistant professor in the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

“How Can Participatory Budgeting Enhance the Voice of Underrepresented Minorities?”—a research study by Juan Martinez Guzman, assistant professor in the School of Public Policy

“A New Kind of Progressive: How Poles, Venezuelans, and Germans Reimagined Latin America,” a book by Piotr Kosicki, associate professor in the Department of History

“Slash: M/M Fan Fiction and the Politics of Fantasy,” a book by Alexis Lothian, associate professor in the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

“The Future of Rwanda's Past: History and Historians After Genocide,” a book by Erin Mosely, assistant professor in the Department of History

“Romanian Roots - A Digital Platform to Promote Romanian Music,” a multimedia research project by Irina Muresanu, associate professor in the School of Music

“Political Centralization in Pakistan’s Canal Colonies,” a research study by Cory Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

“Visualizing the Royal Steward's Inscriptions: From Jerusalem to London,” a laser scanning and photography project by Matthew Suriano, associate professor in the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Studies

“Innovative Modeling to Preserve Architectural Heritage,” a restoration research project by Joseph Williams, assistant professor in the Architecture Program

ArtsAMP Collaborative Grants are designed to support collaboration between faculty in the arts and faculty in other disciplines as they move to advance the goals of Arts for All by creating new artistic work, new scholarship on the arts, and new classes that further the creative experience of students.

Three interdisciplinary teams received funding to support their projects and presented them at the first annual ArtsAMP Symposium. 

• “Dance2: Interactive Dance Performance through On-body Wearable Robot and Crowd Participation”

• “Rooting Our Shared Stories in Shared Places: Community-Centered African American Heritage Interpretation”

• “STEAM Rising: Exploring the Fusion of Art and Technology to Build a More Equitable Society”

From fighting emerging disease outbreaks to addressing gun violence and seeking solutions to opioid addiction, a slate of newly funded joint projects involving researchers from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) promises to tackle the grand challenges of our time.

The Joint Steering Council of the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower), a formal collaboration between UMB and UMCP to leverage the strengths of both institutions, announced seed funding ranging from $49,000 to $250,000 for 17 targeted, jointly led projects in six key research areas.

The council reviewed and ranked 52 submissions, awarding a total of $3 million to kick-start new research in areas of paramount importance to the state and the nation.

“These seed grant awards highlight the outstanding interdisciplinary and high-impact research faculty in Baltimore and College Park are conducting to address the most complex challenges society is facing,” said Gregory F. Ball, vice president for research at UMB and UMCP. “My hope is that these grants strengthen current collaborations, promote new ones and lead to future funding opportunities to support innovative and transformative research.”

Here’s look at the winning projects:

Artificial Intelligence and Medicine

• “AI Discovery and Sensing for Biomarkers of Chronic Pain,” Robert Ernst, professor, School of Dentistry, UMB; and Pamela Abshire, professor, A. James Clark School of Engineering, UMCP
   
• “Applying Natural Language Processing to Electronic Health Records to Prevent Infections with Highly Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria,” Katherine Goodman, assistant professor, School of Medicine, UMB; and Phillip Resnik, professor, College of Arts and Humanities, UMCP
   
• “AI to Determine Alterations of 4-Dimensional Erythrocyte Flow in the Retina,” Osamah Saeedi, associate professor, School of Medicine, UMB; and Yang Tao, professor, A. James Clark School of Engineering, UMCP
   
• “Precision Therapy for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS),” Amber Beitelshees, associate professor, School of Medicine, UMB; and Ritu Agarwal, Distinguished University Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business, UMCP
   
• “Exploring the Hidden Links Between Cannabis and Cardiovascular Health Using Deep Learning,” Jean Jeudy, professor, and Timm-Michael Dickfeld, professor, both from the School of Medicine, UMB; and Eleonora Tubaldi, assistant professor, A. James Clark School of Engineering, UMCP
   
• “Blended Reality Immersion for Geriatric Head Trauma: The BRIGHT Study,” Mira Ghneim, assistant professor, School of Medicine, UMB; and Donald Bolger, associate professor, College of Education, UMCP

Cybersecurity and Homeland Security

• “Tackling Terror in the Homeland: An Empirical and Legal Analysis of the Debate Over a New Domestic Terrorism Law,” Michael Vesely, senior research associate, Francis King Carey School of Law, UMB; and Michael Jensen, senior researcher, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), UMCP

Neuroscience and Aging

• “Predicting Clinical Features of Parkinson Disease Using Machine Learning Analysis of Mobility Data from a Wearable Sensor,” F. Rainer von Coelln, assistant professor, School of Medicine, UMB; and Michael P. Cummings, professor, College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, UMCP
   
• “A Patient Data-Driven Approach to Improve Counseling and Hearing Health”, Ronna Hertzano, professor, School of Medicine, UMB; and Matthew Goupell, professor, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, UMCP
   
• “Ubiquitin-Proteasome System Mechanisms Underlying Abstinence-Dependent Methamphetamine Craving,” Marco Venniro, assistant professor, School of Medicine, UMB; and Xuan (Anna) Li, assistant professor, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, UMCP
   
• “Noradrenergic Dysfunction Impairs Olfaction-Mediated Social Interaction in Alzheimer’s Models,” Joseph Kao, professor, and Adam Puche, professor, both from the School of Medicine, UMB; and Ricardo Araneda, professor, College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, UMCP

Pandemic Readiness, Resilience and Mitigation

• “Development of Vaccines Against Emerging Avian Influenza Viruses for Use in Humans and Poultry: A One-Health Approach to Prevent Zoonotic Virus Spillover Events and Support Pandemic Preparedness,” Lynda Coughlan, assistant professor, School of Medicine, UMB; and Andrew Broadbent, assistant professor, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, UMCP
   
• “Viral and Host Determinants of SARS-CoV-2 Variant Replication,” Matthew Frieman, associate professor, School of Medicine, UMB; and Margaret Scull, assistant professor, College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, UMCP
   
• “Scalable Manufacture of mRNA Vaccines for Agile Pandemic Response,” Peter Swaan, professor, School of Pharmacy, UMB; and Don DeVoe, professor, A. James Clark School of Engineering, UMCP

Racial and Social Justice

• “Investigating Racial and Social Disparities in Health Outcomes Among Maryland Youth in Foster Care Exposed to Cross-State Air Pollution,” Roderick Rose, assistant professor, School of Social Work, UMB, and James Archsmith, assistant professor, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
   
• “Disproportionality in Communication Impairments: Leveraging Technology to Provide Individualized Language Assessments of Bilingual Children,” Michael Woolley, professor, School of Social Work, UMB, and Yi Ting Huang, associate professor, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, UMCP

Violence and Crime Reduction

• “Comparing Firearm Violence from Trauma Units and Police,” Kyla Liggett-Creel, clinical assistant professor, School of Social Work, UMB, and Gary LaFree, professor, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, UMCP

PRIDE Awards – Outstanding Book/Monograph:

Aldoory, L, & Toth, E. (2021). The Future of Feminism in Public Relations and Strategic Communication: A Socio-Ecological Model of Influences. Rowman & Littlefield.

The PRIDE awards are given by the PR Division of the National Communication Association, which is comprised primarily of faculty in the area of communication. Winners have proven to be some of the seminal works in the field.

The awards date back to at least 1989 and are designed to recognize achievement in public relations research. The number of categories has varied over the years, but some version of the best book/monograph and best research article have existed since the start. Some years include a best PR textbook category.

The winners are determined by a committee of three NCA PR Division members. Two are elected at the business meeting the preceding year. The third member, and chair, is the immediate past chair of the division. The committee automatically reviews all articles in Public Relations Review and Journal of Public Relations Journal, but accepts nominations from other journals.