2026-2027 Award Cycle
Request for Proposals, Guidelines and Application for 2026-27 Award Cycle
We are pleased to announce that proposals are now welcome for submission for the 2026-2027 CSU-AAUP Faculty Research Grant Competition.
Please be advised that there is a different submission process unique to our campus. Rather than submit in the manner described in Item #6 under “Proposal Components and Rules for Submission” (p.4 of the Guidelines posted above), you are asked to submit via the Kuali Build portal. Please read the instructions on how to submit via Kuali carefully and should you have any questions on submitting through Kuali or need troubleshooting, please contact Sponsored Programs and Research at spar@southernct.edu.
Deadline is Friday, January 23, 2026, no later than 5:00 p.m.
Please note that spending AAUP funds in any way that goes against state, university, or solicitation-specific guidelines may jeopardize a faculty member's eligibility for future funding.
As of 2018, Southern Connecticut State University is a subscriber to the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program. CITI offers free educational training to all SCSU faculty, staff and students in the areas of best practices for responsible conduct of research, ethics, conflict of interest and regulatory oversight.
The Office of the Provost, in conjunction with the Office of Research Integrity and in light of our institution’s continued adherence to the Federal Research Misconduct Policy, highly recommends that all institutional members conducting any type of research establish an account with CITI and complete the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course(s) that are best suited to their discipline.
The options currently available are:
- Biomedical Responsible Conduct of Research
- Responsible Conduct of Research for Engineers
- Humanities Responsible Conduct of Research
- Physical Science Responsible Conduct of Research
- Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research
All educational courses in RCR contain modules on authorship, collaboration, conflicts of interest, data management, mentoring, peer review, research misconduct and plagiarism. CITI Certifications are valid for three years. Faculty are also encouraged to use CITI training materials with students in relevant classroom instruction and for mentoring.
It is required that all faculty members with research funding from both external and internal sources will maintain RCR training (including AAUP-CSU Research and Creative Activity Grants). We strongly encourage faculty members to familiarize themselves with CITI and the SCSU ORI Policies and Procedures and to contact the SCSU Office of Research Integrity at ORI@southernct.edu or 392-5243 with any questions or concerns. Information on these policies can be found here: https://inside.southernct.edu/rpp/educational-resource
Information on the SPAR website (including information on the CITI login procedures) is located here: https://inside.southernct.edu/spar/citi
Researchers engaged in activities involving human subjects, vertebrate animals, or bio-hazardous materials are required to complete additional CITI training per requirements established by the IRB, IACUC or IBC Committees, respectively.
Submission of Grant Reports
A final report describing the results of the research along with a detailed account of fund expenditures must be filed with Faculty Development no later than June 30, 2026, for the 2025-26 award cycle. The Project Report Form should be used as the template for all final reports. The Request for an Extension Form should be used as the template in the event extenuating circumstances hinder progress on the project. All extensions are subject to administrative approval. Please Note: Any funds unaccounted for shall be returned to the university and be added to the allocation for the competition in the following year.
The following projects have been recommended and approved by the BOR-ASA for funding for the 2026-27 award cycle.
Please Note: The CSCU BOR approved funding recommendations on May 28, 2026. We ask for your patience as award letters are being prepared. Work on these projects may not begin until July 1, 2026.
(If any information is incorrect, please notify Faculty Development at facultydevel@southernct.edu.)
Arnold, Tracey. Nursing. Experiences of Secondary Traumatic Stress in Emergency Nurses
Badr, Kauther and Robert Smith, Management & International Business, and Mark Pisano, Business Information Systems. Generative AI In Healthcare Systems and Patient Privacy
Brady, Steven & Mikolaj Sulkowski. Biology. Mechanistic Tests of Candidate Genes Underlying Pollution-Driven Divergence in Amphibians
Brownell, Mia. Art & Design. Symbiotic Table: Reimagined still life painting through the lens of our cultural and biological partnerships with food.
Chen, Qu. Counselor Education. Development and Psychometric Validation of A New Scale for Assessing Counselor Readiness to Work with Older Adults
Chung, Hanyong. Accounting. Boomerang CEOs and Dividend Payout Policy
Cooper Boemmels, Jennifer. Earth Science. Exploring the Structural Geology of Crosscutting Structures at the Jurassic Belknap Igneous Complex, New Hampshire
Crawford, Sarah. Biology. Drosophila Model for Embryonic Development in Cancer and Autism
Cross, Emma. Environment, Geography & Marine Sciences. Assessing marine biodiversity of Icelandic fjords amid the growth of finfish farming in Iceland
Edgington, Nicholas. Biology. Determination of virulence of a natural bacterial pathogen of the nematode C. elegans
Eilderts, Luke. World Languages & Literature. Pride Off the Beaten Path: Documenting LGBTQ+ Visibility in Rural France
Fedorchuk, Nicholas. Earth Science. Reconstructing Late Paleozoic Ice Age Climate Dynamics in Western Argentina
Ferraro, Marisa. Curriculum & Learning. Weaving interdisciplinary themes into philanthropic action: Spaces that anchor linguistic development and environmental stewardship among multilingual students
Finch, Evan. Physics. Probing Quantum Chromodynamics using data from Brookhaven National Lab
Furey, Rachel. English. Neuroqueer Ecologies of Play: Reclaiming Playscapes and Sensory Joy
Ginicola, Misty, Cheri Smith, and Uchenna Nwachuku, Mental Health Sciences. AI-Assisted Roleplay and Reflection in Counselor Education: Impacts on Counselor Preparation
Graves, Scott. Environment, Geography & Marine Sciences. Seyðisfjörður Coastal Resilience Proximal-Sensing Project.
Gregory, Jess. Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. Psychometric Validation of the DOMP V3 Instrument for Measuring Educator Demoralization, Outward Mindset, and Coactive Power
Heidkamp, Christian. Environment, Geography & Marine Sciences. Marine Bio-Resource Valorization in Aotearoa New Zealand: An Inquiry into Just Transition Pathways
Hernandez, Rafael. World Languages & Literature. Power and Representation in Contemporary Mexico: Cultural Production under the Morena Administrations
Hong, Jooyoun. Mathematics. Normality of Ideals
Hossain, MD S. Computer Science. A Novel Smartphone-Based User Identification Approach for Improved Performance, Cost-Effectiveness, and Efficiency
Huerta Buitrago, Belinda. Chemistry & Biochemistry. Cost-Effective Photocatalytic Approaches for PFAS Remediation and Mineralization
Islam, Mohammad. Computer Science. Interpretable Deep Learning for Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Edema Screening Using Public Retinal Image Data
Jeffrey Rachel, Biology, and Kelly Bordner, Psychology. Effects of early prenatal THC exposure on subsequent addiction, anxiety and social behaviors in the rat model
Judd, Steven. History. Umayyad Legacies in Islamic Spain
Kalbfleisch, Elizabeth. English. Practical Strategies for Teaching Reading to College Writers
Kearns, James. Chemistry & Biochemistry. Can Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry be used to identify new natural products/antibiotic molecules for the treatment of Borrelia Burgdorferi (the Lyme Infection)?
Kelly, Miriah. Environment, Geography & Marine Sciences. Advancing ocean identity research impact through typological and mental model research
Kim, Young. Marketing. Privacy at Risk in the Age of AI: How Perceived AI Competence Shapes Trust, Disclosure, and Reliance in E-Commerce
Kim, Hyoseok. Marketing. Managing Consumer Perceptions in Digital Marketplaces
Kim, Younjun and Sang Yoon. Economics. Does Foreign Aid Foster Innovation? Evidence from Energy Patents in Developing Countries
Larkin, Erin. World Languages & Literature. La Colonia Digital Archive: Preserving New Haven's Italian American Community History Through Interactive Mapping and Community Engagement
Lavin, Terrence. Art & Design. Electro-etching, titanium anodizing & 3D printed armatures in contemporary Jewelry & Metalsmithing
Lesley, Melvin. Chemistry & Biochemistry. The Synthesis and Reactivity of a Novel Mono-Boryl Precursor for Petasis Reactions
Milone , Joseph, Recreation, Tourism & Sport Management, and Debra Risisky, Public Health. Trail Mix for Health: Blending Community Insight, Equity, and Implementation Science
Neverow, Vara. English. Ambivalent Social Justice: Women’s Suffrage and Class in Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day”
Nguyen, Khoa. Finance & Real Estate. Spillover Effects of Bankruptcy Filing in the U.S. Oil and Gas Industry
Njoku, Anuli. Public Health. Environmental and Reproductive Justice: Challenges and Solutions
Palma, Giuseppina. World Languages & Literature. Pontano and the Renaissance at the Court of Aragon
Pang, Yulei and Andrew Bartlett. Mathematics. Data-Driven Assessment of the Body Roundness Index for Cardiovascular Risk in NHANES and CHARLS
Pang, Jiong Dong. Chemistry & Biochemistry. The Selectivity of Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors through Molecular Dynamics, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning Models in anti-Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery
Patalinghug, Jason. Economics. Assessing the Technical Efficiency of the Agricultural Sector in the Asia-Pacific Region
Pinciu, Valeriu. Mathematics. The Combinatorics of Unfolding Polyhedra
Ryder, Todd. Chemistry & Biochemistry. Petasis Reactions of Salicylaldehyde with Chiral Amines
Schmitt, Elena. World Languages & Literature. Language Attrition as Poetic Form: Embodiment and Transgenerational Loss
Serchuk, Camille. Art & Design. Maps and Magnificence in Early Modernity: Luxury Materials and Instruments of Knowledge
Sherwood, Carrie. Curriculum & Learning. Examining the Feasibility of Generative AI Use in Science Teacher Education: Comparing Programmed “Sandbox” and “In-The-Wild” AI “Classrooms”
Skoczen, Kathleen. Anthropology. Recycling Plastic Trash in Dharavi: The life of recyclers in the shadow of prosperity
Slomba, Jeffrey. Art & Design. Oceanic Omens: Sculptural Translations
Smith, Carmela. Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. Exploring Educators’ Conceptualizations and Practices of Self-Care: Perceived Benefits, Barriers, and Institutional Supports among Connecticut Educators
Smith, Julian, Communication Disorders, and Brianna Garrison, Social Work. Examining Patient, Caregiver, and Student Outcomes of an Embedded Interprofessional Social Work–Speech-Language Pathology Model in a University Communication Disorders Clinic
Sorokina, Anastasia. World Languages & Literature. First Language Loss in Trilingual Speakers: Insights from Simultaneous Ukrainian-Russian Bilinguals Acquiring English as a Third Language
Stiver, Kelly. Psychology. Local-scale species monitoring – a key tool in tracking the impact of climate change
Terpstra, Judith, Yan Wei, and Joan Weir. Inclusive Education and Behavior Science. Study of the Student Support System in a Teacher Education Program, Phase 3
Thompson, C. M. History. Monks, Nuns, and Medicine: Engaged Buddhism, the Legacy of Tuệ Tĩnh, and Health Care in Vietnam, c1930-2024.
Uribe, Melanie. Art & Design. Augmented Memory: Immersive Visual Storytelling of Migration, Memory, and Belonging
Vu, Thuan. Art & Design. Translating Vietnamese Travel Imagery
Wang, Mengchuan. Finance & Real Estate. Corporate Social Responsibility in the Age of AI
Wang, Peiwen. Curriculum & Learning. Examining Faculty Members’ Perceptions, Self-efficacy, and Willingness to Integrate Generative Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
Wang, Junhong. Marketing. Advancing Value Co-Creation in Human–AI Services: Developing and Validating the Refined Interaction Value Framework (R-IVF)
Wang, Zheni, Management & International Business, and Hao Wu, Computer Science. From Assessment to Action: Modular Experiential Learning for Entrepreneurship Competence in Business and STEM Undergraduates
Warner, Heather. Communication Disorders. Using Volunteer Experiences to Enhance Clinical Learning in the Medical Setting: Student Outcomes and Benefits
Wasiuk, Peter. Communication Disorders. Auditory Processing and Cognition as Predictors of Functional Listening in Autistic Adults
Weinbaum, Jonathan. Biology. Excavation and Interpretation of a Late Triassic fossil site in the southwestern United States
Wieland, Alice, Management & International Business, and Amy Jansen, Library Services. Status Motivations as a Driver for Gender Differences in Leadership and Entrepreneurship, Applied to Disparities in Venture Capital
Yang, Chulguen. Management & International Business. From Waste to Awareness: Using Recycled Art to Reimagine Responsible Management Education for Sustainability
Youngblood, Leslie. Nursing. Student Nurse-Led Evidence-Based Intervention to Reduce Chronic Disease Risk in Underserved Communities
Yu, Jia. Economics. The Cost, Insurance, and Policy Regulation of AI Adoption in Nursing Homes