Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Center for Faculty Excellence Controller’s Office RESEARCH AT SIMMONS REPORT ON FUNDED PROJECTS AND SELECTED FACULTY AND STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2023 (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023)
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 3 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 Letter from the Provost EXTERNAL FUNDING 2 Faculty Achievement Highlights 4 Proposals 10 External Awards 14 Expenditures 16 Expenditures: Federal Funding 20 Expenditures: Private Funding INTERNAL FUNDING 24 Internal Awards 26 Faculty Fund for Research 28 Faculty Development Fund 30 Graduate Student Fund for Research 32 Graduate Student Travel Fund OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND FELLOWSHIPS (URF) 35 The McGrath Abrams Family Foundation Global Research Grant for Graduate Students 36 McGrath Abrams Family Foundation Study Abroad Scholarships for Undergraduate Students 37 Passionate Leaders Project (PLP) 38 Summer Undergraduate Research Program at Simmons (SURPASs) 39 Faculty-Student Collaborative Fellowship (FSC) 40 Undergraduate Fund for Research and Creative Endeavors 41 Undergraduate Student Conference Fund
LETTER FROM
DEAR SIMMONS COLLEAGUES,
The past year was marked by many organizational changes, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank each one of you for your continuous dedication and hard work towards achieving Simmons’ mission. Research endeavors are a crucial part of our efforts to change the world for the better, strengthen our communities, and lead and model leadership in an ever-changing world.
The following Research at Simmons Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2023 provides a retrospective overview of grant applications, funded research, and Universitylevel research support for faculty, staff, and students at Simmons University between July 2022 and June 2023.
Research administration and compliance at Simmons are supported by the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE). In addition to sponsored programs support, CFE also manages internal grants for faculty and graduate students, as well as the Institutional Review Board (IRB). The Senior Associate Director of Research and Sponsored Programs, Lenko Tankov, collaborates with Operations, Advancement, the Controller’s office, and other departments supporting external funding in order to ensure thorough management of the grant lifecycle. In November 2023, CFE welcomed Martina Zhelezarova, the new Research Administrator/ IRB Analyst, who has already made notable contributions to the Institutional Review Board’s
(IRB) operations. As a result, the turnaround time for IRB review of research protocols improved by 28%.
The past year was also marked by many positive policy and process improvements that will enhance efficiency, compliance, and program implementation:
• The Policy on Securing Internal Approvals for External Funding Proposals enables applicants to secure the required institutional approvals before they start working on a funding application to be submitted through Simmons. Funding applications requiring cost share or seek above $100,000 in total, are reviewed by the newly formed External Funding Priorities Committee.
• Another process improvement was the utilization of InfoReady to streamline the institutional approval for external funding applications. Administrators and faculty members can now easily access, approve, and track the external funding applications by accessing the portal.
• CFE assisted Simmons faculty and staff with submitting 42 external funding applications, which presents a significant increase from the 17 applications submitted in FY22.
Additionally, the university was awarded $1,933,646 in FY23. There were numerous research-related achievements in the past year
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 4
THE PROVOST
that greatly contributed to Simmons’ mission of intellectual leadership and linking passion with lifelong purpose. Here are some highlights:
• Daren Graves, Professor at the School of Social Work, received funding from the Templeton Foundation to conduct the project: “Building Civic Character in Crew through Communities of Practice.
• Kristie A. Thomas, Professor and Director of the SSW PhD program, and Eugenia Correia Knight, Associate Professor of Practice and Director of MSW Practicum Education, received a grant from SurvivorLink + Public Health AmeriCorps.
• Naila Russell, Assistant Professor and Chair of Graduate Nursing, secured a scholarship fund from the CVS Health Foundation.
• Teresa Fung, Professor of Nutrition and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics, was awarded the Elaine R. Monsen Award for Outstanding Research Literature by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The Center for Faculty Excellence supports faculty excellence by developing and offering a wide array of professional development programs and services related to all areas of faculty work, with a particular emphasis on excellence in teaching and learning, research and service, and support for career development. The center provides internal grants to graduate students and faculty for research and professional development. Ten faculty members received the internal Faculty Fund for Research awards and 17 faculty
received internal Faculty Development Travel Fund awards. Five graduate students received grants through the internal Graduate Student Research Fund and nine received funding through the Graduate Student Travel Fund. Professional and research development programming included the re-launch of Proposal House, presentations, and trainings related to grants submissions and management, as well as individual 1-on-1 support.
I am looking forward to next year and I can’t wait to hear about your achievements. I am confident in our success and ability to educate the leaders of the world.
Best regards,
Russell Pinizzotto, Ph.D. Chief Operating Officer
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 1
FACULTY ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
KRISTIE THOMAS
Kristie A. Thomas, Professor and Director of the School of Social Work (SSW) PhD program, and Eugenia Correia Knight, Associate Professor of Practice and Director of the Master of Social Work (MSW) Practicum Education, are the subrecipients of SurvivorLink + Public Health AmeriCorps, a three-year project funded jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and AmeriCorps and secured by Arizona State University School of Social Work (PI: Dr. Jill Messing). The Simmons MSW program is one of 15 member sites for the project, which aims to build capacity to serve survivors of intimate partner violence more sensitively and effectively. To achieve this aim, MSW students receive in-depth training on intimate partner violence and then deliver a series of trainings to co-workers at their practicum sites. Students receive a $4,000 stipend and $2,626 Segal Education Award. Six students participated AY22-23. The program was so successful that the number of students for AY23-24 was doubled.
TERESA FUNG
Teresa Fung, Professor of Nutrition and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics, was awarded the Elaine R. Monsen Award for Outstanding Research Literature by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This award recognizes a body of research that encompasses a major component of the recipient’s professional efforts. The work benefits the dietetics and nutrition profession and the world, and the research is published in a recognized, peer-reviewed, scientific journal of quality. Collaborating with the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Fung studies the relationship between diet quality and risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, fragility fractures, and geriatric frailty. She has developed a number of metrics to measure the healthfulness of the diet. She has published over a hundred original research papers and as a recognized expert in disease prevention, she has been appointed by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) to the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to review scientific literature and make recommendations for the next revision of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 2
NAILA RUSSELL
Naila Russell, Assistant Professor and Chair of Graduate Nursing, secured a $5,000 scholarship fund from the CVS Health Foundation to support Family Nurse Practitioner students. The scholarship program provided five $1,000 scholarships to online and campus based FNP students. Students were selected based on merit, financial need, and experience supporting underserved populations. This requirement aligns with the Simmons School of Nursing vision where we are defined as a welcoming and diverse community that is preeminently known for preparing innovative clinicians and knowledgeable scholars who lead the redesign of health care to address the changing needs of humankind worldwide. The education of future nursing professionals is designed to improve the health and common good of the world.
DAREN GRAVES
Professor Daren Graves received funding from the Templeton Foundation to conduct the project: “Building Civic Character in Crew through Communities of Practice.” Critical consciousness refers to the ability to understand, analyze, and challenge oppressive forces shaping our lives and communities. A growing body of psychology research suggests that nurturing young people’s critical consciousness—particularly young people from minoritized identity groups— is positively associated with a host of positive youth outcomes including resilience, selfesteem, academic achievement, and civic engagement. One potential space for this critical consciousness work in the middle grades is advisory. Advisory refers to a program in which students gather with a small group of peers and a teacher to build supportive relationships, develop the skills of effective learners, and discuss issues relevant to their lives. This mixed methods study explores the potential for advisory to serve as a space for nurturing middle school students’ critical consciousness of racism.
HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE 3 GRANT
Simmons STEM faculty have been awarded a six-year grant as part of an ambitious collaborative effort by 104 US colleges and universities to substantially and sustainably build capacity for student belonging—especially for those who have been historically excluded from the sciences. This work is funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Inclusive Excellence 3 Grant and totals more than $60 million over six years. With a smaller subset of 14 institutions, Simmons identified three critical interventions necessary to grow institutional capacity for inclusion. The first is DEI-focused professional development (PD), to establish and institutionalize PD practices to increase belonging and persistence among our STEM students. The second is curricular redesign of introductory STEM courses and pathways, grounded in DEI principles and pedagogical strategies to support the success of all students. The third is to establish a truly inclusive peer-to-peer environment in STEM, whereby all STEM students can fully “belong” to a supportive and inclusive community.
The Simmons team consists of: Richard Gurney, Nanette Veilleux, Donna Beers, Arpita Saha, Megan McCarty, Seth Johnson, Denise Carroll, Jennifer Roecklein-Canfield, Margaret Menzin, Paul Geisler, Nakeisha Cody, Elizabeth Scott, Nancy Lee, Jane Lopilato, Randi Lite, and Viktor Grigorian.
3 RESEARCH AT SIMMONS
PROPOSALS
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 4
EXTERNAL FUNDING
3
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 5 Federal 25 Non-Profit/Foundation
Private/Corporate
Public/State
9
5
TOTAL PROPOSALS
PROPOSALS BY SPONSOR TYPE
42
EXTERNAL FUNDING
Proposals
APPLICANT SPONSOR PROGRAM
Naresh Agarwal iSchools ischools.org/research-grants
Joanna Almeida NIH R21 grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-22-027.html
Michael Berger NSF EPIIC phase 1
Stephanie Cosner, Kelly Hager, Jennifer Herman
Davis Educational Foundation The grant was received from the Davis Educational Foundation established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Mr. Davis’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc.
Rhiannon Bettivia IMLS/Rutgers imls.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/fy23-ols-nlgl-nofo.pdf
Rhiannon Bettivia IMLS sub through Rutgers imls.gov/grants/available/national-leadership-grants-libraries
Jennifer Canfield NSF nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23527/nsf23527.htm?WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_ id=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Cali-Ryan Collin Rize Foundation rizema.org/apply-for-a-grant/
Elizabeth Donovan NIH grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-21-155.html
Meghan Doran JumpStart Jumpstart program for 2022-23 program year
Meghan Doran Mass Humanities Reading Frederick Douglass Together
Meghan Doran Jumpstart JumpStart Affiliate
Joe Elias ACS ACS PRF Undergraduate New Investigator (UNI) Research Grant
Sanda Erdelez IMLS/San Jose State imls.gov/grants/grant-programs
Sanda Erdelez IMLS IMLS (subaward from SJSU)
Eduardo Febles NEH neh.gov/grants/research/summer-stipends
Teresa Fung NIH/Sub to HJF grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-23-086.html
Marilisa Jimenez Garcia Centro centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/opportunities/call-for-papers-postdisaster-futures-study-group/
Renada Goldberg NIH sub through UMN grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-21-275.html
Beth Grampetro SAMHSA samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/sm-23-002
Daren Graves John Templeton Foundation templeton.org/grants
Rich Gurney Howard Hughes Medical Institute hhmi.org/ie3
Hugo Kamya Spencer Foundation spencer.org/grant_types/small-research-grant
Adam Kriesberg IMLS/University of Tenessee imls.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/fy23-ols-nlgl-nofo.pdf
Yunxin Li NEH neh.gov/grants/research/summer-stipends
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 6
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 7 PROJECT TITLE DUE DATE TOTAL REQUEST Life Journeys of Information Scientists from Underrepresented Regions and Populations: A Biographical
Project 12/15/22 $4,500.00 Diffusion and Involvement in Non-medical Use of Fentanyl, Sub from Northeastern University 9/6/22 $16,520.00 Capacity Accelerator for Partnerships at Simmons 2/15/23 $0.00 Responding to Students’ Needs through Re-Imagined Pedagogy and Course Design 9/23/22 $299,749 Building Pan-Disciplinary Community Around Provenance Documentation, Metadata, and Modeling 9/21/22 $20,698.00 Building a Pan-Disciplinary Community Around Provenance Documentation, Metadata, and Modeling 3/1/23 $20,331.00 STEM Success at Simmons (S3) 3/2/23 $2,358,917.00 RIZE - Harm Reduction Traing (HaRT) Scholars 3/16/23 $149,342.00 Comfort Ability Program-College (CAP-College): A Brief, Pain Management Intervention for College Students 10/25/22 $426,627.00 Jumpstart for Young Children 7/1/22 $95,999.00 Reading Frederick Douglass Together 1/20/23 300.00.00 JumpStart Program 2024 4/26/23 $98,201.00 Functionalized Mixed-Metal Sulfides for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction 10/14/22 $55,000.00 iLead: Preparing Tomorrow’s Library Leaders 9/24/22 $35,631.00 iLead: Preparing Tomorrow’s Library Leaders 3/17/23 $35,631.00 Men Looking at Men: Representing a Queer Desire in Gustave Courtois’s Portrait of the Athlete Maurice Deriaz 9/21/22 $6,000.00 Feasibility of a Plant-based Diet Intervention in Pregnant People with Obesity 6/13/23 $45,405.00 Restorying the Future in a Land of Make Believe: Puerto Rican Curriculum and Activism in Florida 5/22/23 $20,000.00 The Changing Nature and Stress of Work: Exclusion, Exposure, and Later Life Course Disparities in Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Functioning 2/24/23 $148,500.00 Simmons university Mental Health Awareness and Deescalation Training Program 5/1/23 $452,232.00 Building Communities of Practice to Foster Civic Character in Crew 9/1/21 $58,826.00 Increasing Capacity to Support Equitable and Inclusive Learning Environments for Introductory-Level STEM Students across a 14-Institution Learning Community, 6 Year Project 8/23/22 $377,800.00 Jenga—Experiences and Utilization of Strategies toward Educational Success to Improve Community Functioning and Wellbeing among African Immigrants 4/5/23 $60,000.00 Data Reuse in Extraordinary Times: An Examination of Pandemic-Era Data Practices 9/21/22 $12,500.00 The Inner Court and Politics in the Han Empire 9/21/22 $6,000.00
Research
EXTERNAL FUNDING
Proposals
APPLICANT SPONSOR PROGRAM
Danielle Maurici-Pollock IMLS imls.gov/grants/available/laura-bush-21st-century-librarian-program
Michelle Putnam, Lydia Ogden City of Boston/UMB Environmental Scanning and Planning to Address the Behavioral Health Needs of Older Adults in Boston
Pat Rissmiller HRSA https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/find-funding/HRSA-22-170
Vanessa Robinson-Dooley NIH/KSU NIH (subaward from KSU)
Jennifer RoeckleinCanfield
Jennifer RoeckleinCanfield
NSF NSF (subaward from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University )
NSF nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22601/nsf22601.htm#budg_cst_shr_txt
Arpita Saha NASA nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument?cmdocumentid= 915246&solicitationId={24C75229-3484-CD60-01AF-ABCC04E059F5} &viewSolicitationDocument=1
Laura Saunders IMLS imls.gov/grants/available/national-leadership-grants-libraries
Laura Saunders IMLS National Leadership Grants for Libraries, NLG-LIBRARIES-FY23
Laura Saunders, Sanda Erdelez Department of State grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=347253
Christina Sellers Boston Public Health Commission boston.gov/bid-listings?title=&field_event_project_number_value_1= &field_contact_target_id%5B0%5D=1001
Kristie Thomas AmeriCorps AmeriCorps State and National Public Health (subaward from ASU)
Rachel Williams, Catherine Dumas IMLS imls.gov/grants/grant-programs
Rachel Williams, Catherine Dumas Sony sony.com/en/SonyInfo/research-award-program/#FacultyInnovationAward
Rachel Williams, Catherine Dumas Spencer Foundation spencer.org/grant_types/large-research-grant
Rachel Williams, Catherine Dumas IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (LB21)
John Young NSF nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23519/nsf23519.htm
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 8
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 9 PROJECT TITLE DUE DATE TOTAL REQUEST Accessibility and Libraries in the 21st Century 9/21/22 $146,302.00 AgeStrong Boston Environmental Scan and Planning for Older Adult Behavioral Health Needs 4/10/23 $45,532.00 New England Region Clinical Faculty and Preceptor Academies Program 8/17/22 $0.00 Healthy Together: A Self-Management and Support Intervention for Low-Income African American Men with Multiple Chronic Conditions 9/2/22 $3,000.00 Collaborative Proposal: Engaged Student Learning Level 3 8/23/22 $50,151.00 Collaborative Research: REU Site: Multisite REU in Synthetic Biology 9/6/22 $247,824.00 DREAM-WSTEM (Dynamic Research Education Academy for Mentoring Women in STEM) 4/17/23 $749,126.00 Partnering to Promote Civic Literacy and Engagement with a Participatory Design Curriculum 3/17/23 $249,466.00 Partnering to Promote Civic Literacy and Engagement with a Participatory Design Curriculum 3/17/23 $249,855.00 Deterring Disinformation through Critical Information Literacy Intervention 6/7/23 $1,676,462.00 Expansion of BH Workforce Pathway Proposal 3/13/23 $1,495,589.00 Enhancing the Public Health Response to Domestic Violence in the Context of COVID-19 8/29/22 $37,613.00 Virtual Reality Training for Emerging Library Professionals: Supporting Patrons in Crisis 3/17/23 $505,702.00 Investigating Business Applications for Social VR through Personalized Recommender System 9/15/22 $99,995.00 Examining the Usability and Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Teaching and Learning in Library and Information Science Education 2/22/23 $325,179.00 Virtual Reality Training for Emerging Library Professionals: Supporting Patrons in Crisis 3/17/23 $529,220.00 Equipment: Obtain a Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope at a Women’s Centered Undergraduate Institution 2/21/23 $571,023.00
EXTERNAL AWARDS
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 10
EXTERNAL FUNDING
EXTERNAL AWARDS
11 PROPOSALS BY SPONSOR TYPE AND TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT
TOTAL AWARDED $1,933,646
Non-Profit/Foundations
6 awards
$502,446
Public/State
1 award $518,400
Private/Corporate
3 awards $902,800
Federal
1 award $10,000
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 11
EXTERNAL FUNDING
Awards
PI NAME PROJECT TITLE SPONSOR/AGENCY NAME
Stephanie Cosner Leadership Innovation Hub Anonymous Foundation
Meghan Doran Americorps JumpStart for Young Children, Inc.
Meghan Doran Bonner CEL Bonner Community-Engaged Learning Initiative
Meghan Doran Reading Frederick Douglass Together Mass Humanities
Renada Goldberg Life Center of Aging NIH subaward from University of Minnesota
Daren Graves BCoP to Fost Civic Character in Crew John Templeton Foundation subaward from BC
Richard Gurney HHMI I3 Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Jennifer Herman Reimagined Pedagogy and Course Design Davis Educational Foundation
Lepaine Sharp-McHenry The HoloLens Project Alden Trust
Amy Staffier Gilbert Matching Grant Program FY23 Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
Kristie Thomas AmeriCorps State and National Public Health AmeriCorps AmeriCorps
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 12
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 13 START DATE END DATE DEPARTMENT/ SCHOOL NAME COLLEGE/UNIT AMOUNT AWARDED 1/1/23 12/31/24 Provost’s Office Provost’s Office $425,000.00 9/1/22 8/31/23 Community Engagement Provost’s Office $94,957.00 7/1/22 6/1/23 Community Engagement Provost’s Office $11,000.00 2/12/23 3/24/23 Community Engagement Provost’s Office $300.00 7/1/22 6/30/23 School of Social Work The College of Social Sciences, Policy, and Practice $10,000.00 9/1/22 8/31/24 Social Work The College of Social Science, Policy, and Practice $58,826.00 11/1/22 10/31/28 Chemistry and Physics The College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences $377,800.00 1/1/23 12/31/25 Center for Faculty Excellence Provost’s Office $299,750.00 12/20/22 12/31/23 Nursing College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences $100,000.00 7/1/22 6/30/23 Student Financial Services Enrollment Student Services $518,400.00 8/1/22 7/31/25 School of Social Work The College of Social Sciences, Policy, and Practice $37,613.00 $1,933,646.00
EXPENDITURES
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 14
EXTERNAL FUNDING
GRANTS MANAGED
19 PRIVATE FUNDED
15 FEDERALLY FUNDED Direct costs $755,822.13
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 15
Indirect
$60,559.70
Direct costs $1,678,747.31
costs
Indirect
costs $15,368.25
34
EXTERNAL FUNDING
Expenditures: Federal Funding
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 16 SIMMONS’ GRANT # PROJECT TITLE SPONSOR/AGENCY NAME PRIME SPONSOR (IF SUB-AWARD) START DATE END DATE PI NAME 400013 Behavioral Health Workforce Education HRSA—Health Resources and Services Agency) 9/30/17 8/31/22 Jennifer Putney/ Suzanne Sankar 400018 Collaborative Research: REU Site: Multisite REU in Synthetic Biology National Science Foundation 3/1/19 2/29/24 Jennifer Roecklein-Canfield 400021 Opiod Workforce Expansion Program— Professional HRSA (Health Resources and Services Agency) 9/1/19 8/31/23 Jennifer Putney 400029 Americorps— JumpStart XVIII Americorps JumpStart for Young Children, Inc. 9/1/21 8/31/22 Richard Voos 400030 Americorps— JumpStart Americorps JumpStart for Young Children, Inc. 9/1/22 8/31/23 Meghan Doran 400034 African American Undergraduates’ Use of Academic Libraries Institute of Museum and Library Services 9/1/20 2/29/24 Rebecca Davis 400036 RUI: Unraveling the Developmental Genetics that Underlie Anuran Limb Initiation National Science Foundation 4/1/21 3/31/24 John Young 400037 Institute for Trauma Treatment in Schools SAMHSA—Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 9/30/21 9/29/26 Melinda Gushwa 400043 Collaborative Research: Exploring Variation in English Intonational Acoustic Phonetics from Grammatical Perspectives National Science Foundation 8/15/21 1/31/25 Nanette Veilleux 400044 RCN-UBE Incubator: Transforming Assessment and Feedback in Undergraduate Biology Education National Science Foundation 3/22/22 12/31/23 Sarah Cavanagh 400056 Life Center of Aging National Institutes of Health University of Minnesota 7/1/22 6/30/23 Renada Goldberg
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 17 Since start date FY23 as of 06/30/23 DEPARTMENT/ SCHOOL NAME COLLEGE NAME AMOUNT AWARDED CUMULATIVE COSTS DIRECT COSTS INDIRECT COSTS F&A/ INDIRECT RATE School of Social Work, Department of Psychology The College of Social Sciences, Policy, and Practice $2,236,279.00 $2,235,813.00 $2,911.00 $177 8.00% Department of Chemistry and Physics The College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences $299,377.00 $235,852.00 $67,932.00 $881.00 51.50% School of Social Work, Department of Psychology The College of Social Sciences, Policy, and Practice $1,281,354.00 $1,245,159.00 $56,942.00 $4,262.00 8.00% Office of Community Engagement Provost’s Office $83,803.00 $83,434.00 $13,679.00 $2,920.00 4.21% Office of Community Engagement Provost’s Office $94,957.00 $80,751.00 $88,292.00 $7,541.00 4.21% Library and Information Science The College of Organizational, Computational, and Information Sciences $140,834.00 $116,832.00 $21,128.00 $8,982.00 51.50% Biology The College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences $315,757.00 $186,832.00 $77,008.00 $5,779.00 51.50% School of Social Work The College of Social Science, Policy, and Practice $2,929,616.00 $803,879.00 $691,670.00 $18,071.00 8.00% Division of Mathematics, Computing, and Statistics The College of Organizational, Computational, and Information Sciences $143,546.00 $68,967.00 $21,602.00 $4,467.00 51.50% Center for Faculty Excellence Provost’s Office $74,960.00 $58,309.00 $25,565.00 $1,449.00 51.50% School of Social Work College of Social Sciences, Policy, and Practice 10,000.00 $9,999.39 $6,763.65 $3,235.74 51.50%
EXTERNAL FUNDING
Expenditures: Federal Funding
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 18 SIMMONS’ GRANT # PROJECT TITLE SPONSOR/AGENCY NAME PRIME SPONSOR (IF SUB-AWARD) START DATE END DATE PI NAME 400057 Healthy Together: A Self-Management and Support Intervention for Low-Income African American Men with Multiple Chronic Conditions National Institutes of Health Kennesaw State University 6/1/22 1/31/23 Vanessa Robinson-Dooley 400058 AmeriCorps State and National Public Health AmeriCorps AmeriCorps Arizona State University 8/1/22 7/31/25 Kristie Thomas 402006 HireRight Commonwealth of Massachusetts 3/23/22 7/29/22 Holly Smulski 402050 Gilbert Matching Grant Program FY23 Massachusetts Department of Higher Education 7/1/22 6/30/23 Amy Staffier
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 19 Since start date FY23 as of 06/30/23 DEPARTMENT/ SCHOOL NAME COLLEGE NAME AMOUNT AWARDED CUMULATIVE COSTS DIRECT COSTS INDIRECT COSTS F&A/ INDIRECT RATE School of Social Work The College of Social Sciences, Policy, and Practice $3,000.00 $2,999.78 $2,029.00 $970.78 51.50% School of Social Work The College of Social Sciences, Policy, and Practice $37,613.00 $36,486.27 $34,662.97 $1,823.27 5.26% Human Resources Human Resources $64,000.00 $50,162.29 $50,162.29 $0.00 0.00% Student Financial Services Enrollment Student Services $518,400.00 $518,400.00 $518,400.00 $0.00 0.00% $1,678,747.31 $60,559.70
EXTERNAL START DATE END DATE PI NAME 404043 Integrated Suicide and Substance Use Intervention
FUNDING American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 1/1/22 1/1/24 Cristina Sellers 404051 Simmons College Nutrition Diversity Program
Academy of Nutrition and Dietatics 6/1/16 6/30/24 Lisa Brown 404063 Simmons College Access to Research Program (SCARP)
Sherman Fairchild Foundation 4/1/18 6/30/24 Cassandra Saito, Jane Lopilato 404079 Boston Children's Collab for Comm Health—Simmons Trauma Education Project
Boston Children's Hospital 5/1/19 10/30/22 Melinda Gushwa 404093 Harm Reduction Training (HaRT) Scholarship program
RIZE 7/1/21 7/1/23 Cali-Ryan Collin 404094 Cloud-Based File Repositories Alfred P. Sloan Foundation 6/1/21 5/31/23 Kyong Eun Oh 404095 IE3 Learning Grant HHMI 4/1/21 3/31/23 Richard Gurney 404096 King Boston Visiting Scholar King Boston 1/1/22 12/31/23 Johnnie Hamilton-Mason 404097 Umass-Lowell University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries
10/12/17 10/12/22 Kathy Wisser 404098 Bonner CEL Bonner Community-Engaged Learning Initiative
7/1/22 6/1/23 Meghan Doran 404099 BCoP to Fost Civic Character in Crew Boston College John Templeton Foundation
9/1/22 8/31/24 Daren Graves 404100 HHMI I3 Howard Hughes Medical Institute 11/1/22 10/31/28 Richard Gurney
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 20
Expenditures: Private Funding GRANT # PROJECT TITLE SPONSOR/AGENCY NAME PRIME SPONSOR (IF SUB-AWARD)
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 21 Since start date FY23 as of 6/30/23 DEPARTMENT NAME COLLEGE/UNIT AMOUNT AWARDED CUMULATIVE COSTS DIRECT COSTS INDIRECT COSTS F&A/INDIRECT RATE Social Work The College of Social Science, Policy, and Practice $89,992.00 $50,269.27 $38,889.81 $0.00 0.00% Nutrition The College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences $10,000.00 $6,716.88 $3,691.47 $0.00 0.00% Biology The College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences $171,885.00 $145,432.81 $47,037.84 $0.00 0.00% SSW The College of Social Science, Policy, and Practice $299,542.00 $277,160.07 $1,508.09 $150.81 10.00% Psychology The College of Social Science, Policy, and Practice $289,856.00 $270,656.92 $125,953.75 $9,093.18 15.00% Library and Information Science The College of Organizational, Computational, and Information Sciences $43,916.00 $40,131.57 $11,842.90 $0.00 0.00% Chemistry and Physics The College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences $30,000.00 $26,035.75 $25,497.50 $0.00 0.00% Social Work The College of Social Science, Policy, and Practice $102,614.00 $81,531.63 $40,618.85 $3,108.12 10.00% Library and Information Science The College of Organizational, Computational, and Information Sciences $5,000.00 $5,000.00 $1,139.33 $0.00 0.00% Community Engagement Provost’s Office $11,000.00 $11,000.00 $11,000.00 $0.00 0.00% Social Work The College of Social Science, Policy, and Practice $58,826.00 $23,123.72 $20,107.58 $3,016.14 15.00% Chemistry and Physics The College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences $377,800.00 $6,352.00 $6,352.00 $0.00 0.00%
EXTERNAL START DATE END DATE PI NAME 404105 Reading Frederick Douglass Together Mass Humanities 2/12/23 3/24/23 Meghan Doran 404401 Global Initiative Fund for the Future McGrath Abrams Family Foundation 12/1/18 6/30/24 Nakeisha Cody 404402 Functional Medicine Education—Nutrition Heinz Family Foundation 1/8/19 12/31/23 Lisa Brown; Elizabeth Metallinos-Katsaras 823001 The HoloLens Project Alden Trust 12/20/22 12/31/23 Lepaine SharpMcHenry 404081 SWWEP—Simmons Workforce Wellbeing Emplowerment Project
FUNDING Boston Children's Hospital 5/1/22 4/30/25 Melinda Gushwa 404101/ 823003 Reimagined Pedagogy and Course Design Davis Educational Foundation 1/1/23 12/31/25 Jennifer Herman 404102/ 823002 Leadership Innovation Hub Anonymous Foundation 1/1/23 12/31/24 Stephanie Cosner
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 22
Expenditures: Private Funding GRANT # PROJECT TITLE SPONSOR/AGENCY NAME PRIME SPONSOR (IF SUB-AWARD)
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 23 Since start date FY23 as of 6/30/23 DEPARTMENT NAME COLLEGE/UNIT AMOUNT AWARDED CUMULATIVE COSTS DIRECT COSTS INDIRECT COSTS F&A/INDIRECT RATE Community Engagement Provost’s Office $300.00 $300.00 $300.00 $0.00 0.00% Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Provost’s Office $500,000.00 $307,294.31 $166,563.07 $0.00 0.00% Nutrition The College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences $95,000.00 $64,772.92 $677.63 $0.00 0.00% Nursing The College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences $100,000.00 $92,500 $92,500 $0.00 0.00% Social Work The College of Social Science, Policy, and Practice $298,393.08 $33,341.98 $33,341.98 $0.00 0.00% Center for Faculty Excellence Provost’s Office $299,750.00 $59,922.15 $59,922.15 $0.00 0.00% Provost’s Office Provost’s Office $425,000.00 $68,878.18 $68,878.18 $0.00 0.00% $755,822.13 $15,368.25
INTERNAL AWARDS
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 24
INTERNAL FUNDING
FACULTY FUND FOR RESEARCH
Awardees
10
Amount awarded $22,612
Amount expended $16,353
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FUND
Awardees
17
Amount awarded $8,318
Amount expended $10,188
GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH FUND
Awardees
5
Amount awarded $4,700
Amount expended $4,764
GRADUATE STUDENT TRAVEL FUND
Awardees
9
Amount awarded $4,500
Amount expended $5,945
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 25
FACULTY FUND FOR RESEARCH
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 26 INTERNAL FUNDING
LAST NAME FIRST NAME DEPARTMENT COLLEGE/UNIT Amado Abel Djassi Department of Political Science and International Relations CSSPP Febles Eduardo Department of Modern Languages and Literature Ifill George Sheldon Department of English Ifill Jacqueline Beatty School of Library and Information Science Ifill Li Yunxin Department of History Ifill McCarty Megan Department of Psychology CSSPP Niloufer Sohrabji Department of Economics CSSPP Ogden Lydia School of Social Work CSSPP Powley Charlotte Department of Public Health CNBHS Sellers Christina School of Social Work CSSPP
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 27 TITLE AWARD AMOUNT Liberation and Language: Undergoing Amilcar Cabral’s Political Linguistic $2,470.00 Men Looking at Men: Representing a Queer Desire in Gustave Courtois’s Portrait of the Athlete Maurice Deriaz $2,480.00 Experimental Subjectivities in Global Black Women's Writing: Race and Narrative innovation $500.00 Triggers within Dietetics Education for Students with and without an Eating Disorder History $2,390.00 Eternal Scandal: The Inner Court and Imperial Power in the Han $2,500.00 The Effects of Inclusion and Overinclusion: Explanations for Treatment Matter $2,500.00 Welfare Implications of an India-U.S. Trade Agreement $2,310.00 A Place for Belonging: Ethnography of a Psychosocial Clubhouse in Worcester, Massachusetts $2,465.00 Menstrual Equity $2,500.00 Suicide Risk Assessment and Safety Planning Training Using an Online Patient Simulation: Assessing Acceptability and Preliminary Efficacy $2,497.00
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FUND
Axe Judah
Campos Fleitas Claudia
Cole Benjamin
Doherty Leanne
Elias Joe
Fung Teresa
George Sheldon
Hussey Lisa
Luth Eric
Martin Sarah
Maurici-Pollock Danielle
Puri
RoeckleinCanfield Jennifer
Saha Arpita
Verma-Agrawal Meenakshi
of Behavior Analysis
of Political Science and International Relations
of Political Science and International Relations
of Chemistry and Physics
of Nutrition
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 28 LAST NAME FIRST NAME DEPARTMENT/SCHOOL COLLEGE/UNIT
School
Ifill
Agarwal Naresh
of Library and Information Science
Department
CNBHS
Agudelo Felipe
of Public Health
Department
CSSPP
of Behavior Analysis
Department
CSSPP
Department
CNBHS
Department
CNBHS
Department
CNBHS
Department
CNBHS
Department
Ifill
of English
School
Ifill
Department
CNBHS
of Library and Information Science
of Biology
Department
CSSPP
of Psychology
School
Ifill
of Library and Information Science
CSSPP
Jyoti Department of Sociology
Department
CNBHS
of Chemistry and Physics
Department
CNBHS
of Chemistry and Physics
Department
CNBHS INTERNAL FUNDING
of Public Health
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 29 CONFERENCE/LOCATION ACTIVITY AMOUNT AWARDED Pittsburgh, PA Attending a conference $500.00 New Orleans, LA Attending a conference $500.00 Denver, CO Attending a conference $500.00 Denver, CO Attending a conference $500.00 Chicago, IL Attending a conference $500.00 Mystic, CT Attending a conference $218.00 Indianapolis, IN Attending a conference $500.00 Boston, MA Attending a conference $500.00 San Francisco, MA Attending a conference $500.00 St. Pete, FL Attending a conference $500.00 Washington, D.C. Attending a conference $500.00 Salt Lake City, UT Attending a conference $500.00 Pittsburgh, PA Attending a conference $500.00 Los Angeles, CA Attending a conference $500.00 Seattle, WA Attending a conference $600.00 Marrakech, Morocco Traveling abroad and attending a conference $500.00 Phoenix, AZ Attending a conference $500.00
GRADUATE STUDENT FUND FOR RESEARCH
APPLICANT LAST NAME
APPLICANT FIRST NAME APPLICATION COLLEGE/UNIT
Adamson Stacey Knowledge and Attitudes about Physical Therapy in Underrepresented High School Students Following a College Campus Career Education Experience
CNBHS
Bolduc Defilippo Julie Lives of PKU Caregivers CNBHS
Hagar Jordyn Social Justice Action: A Qualitative Study Exploring Factors and Processes that Drive and Sustain Social Justice Engagement
Hu Zhan Incorporating Social VR Technology in Graduate Students’ Collaborative Work: A Comparative User Experience Study of “Horizon Workroom”
Simone Caleb Visiting the Louise Lawrence Collection and Edythe Ferguson Collection at the Kinsey Institute Library to Research Transvestia
CNBHS
Ifill
Ifill
30 ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2020 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) INTERNAL FUNDING
31 RESEARCH AT SIMMONS SCHOOL/DEPARTMENT FACULTY ADVISOR ADVISOR’S DEPARTMENT FUNDING AMOUNT Health Professions Education Dolores Wolongevicz Health Professions Education $1,000.00 Department of Social Work Peter Maramaldi Department of Social Work $1,000.00 Department of Social Work Kristie Thomas Department of Social Work $700.00 School of Library and Information Science Catherine Dumas School of Library and Information Science $1,000.00 Department of History Sarah Leonard Department of History $1,000.00
GRADUATE STUDENT TRAVEL FUND
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 32
INTERNAL FUNDING LAST NAME FIRST NAME DEPARTMENT COLLEGE/UNIT FACULTY ADVISOR Barbella Emily Department of Physical Therapy CNBHS Amit Dashottar Chiauzzi Marissa Department of Physical Therapy CNBHS Matthew O'Rourke Eckojojo Grace Department of Behavior Analysis CNBHS Phillip Chase Hagar Jordyn School of Social Work CSSPP Kristie Thomas Li Mei-Hua Department of Behavior Analysis CNBHS Judah Axe Miller Olivia Department of Behavior Analysis CNBHS Gretchen Dittrich Weiner Quinn Gender and Cultural Studies Ifill Suzanne Leonard Weinstock Amber Department of Children's Literature Ifill Cathryn Mercier Weinstock Amber Department of Children's Literature Ifill Cathryn Mercier
American
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 33 CONFERENCE LOCATION TITLE AWARDED AMOUNT APTA Combined Sections Meeting San Diego, CA A Scoping Review of Cueing Practices in the Management of Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Conditions (paper) $500.00 American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting San Diego, CA Effect of Recumbent Versus Alternative Labor Positioning on Birthing Parent Outcomes: A Scoping Review (poster) $500.00 Association for Behavior Analysis International Annual Conference Denver, CO Presenting a paper $500.00 The Council on Social Work Education's Annual Program Meeting, "Leading Critical Conversations: Human Rights Are Global Rights" Anaheim, CA The Social Justice Infusion Initiative: A Framework for Embedding Social Justice (workshop) $500.00 Association for Behavior Analysis International Annual Conference Denver, CO The Effects of Matrix Training on Reading Responses with Adult English as Second Language Learners (paper) $500.00 Association for Behavior Analysis International Annual Conference Denver, CO Integrating Applied Behavior Analysis into the Hospital: Some Perspectives on Navigating the System and Training Staff (paper) $500.00 Console-ing Passions 2023 Calgary, AB, Canada Our Flag Means Representation?: Our Flag Means Death and the Cultural Legacy of Queerbaiting (paper) $500.00 Children's Literature Association (ChLA) 2023 Conference: "Sustainability Through Story" Seattle, WA The Desert is Stained with Their Blood: Activism, Intertextuality, and Internment (paper) $500.00
Literature Association: 34th Annual Conference Boston, MA Julius Lester, A Friend of Mine: Brer Rabbit, Revisited and Reclaimed (paper) $500.00
OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND FELLOWSHIPS (URF)
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 34
INTERNAL FUNDING
THE MCGRATH ABRAMS FAMILY FOUNDATION GLOBAL RESEARCH GRANT FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
The McGrath Abrams Family Foundation Global Research Grant for Graduate Students is a competitive, merit-based award that provides up to $4,000 to Simmons master’s and doctoral students who are conducting international research or creative scholarship initiatives abroad, and/or are investigating global issues critical to their courses of study.
FY23 Award Recipients
11
In Times of Trouble: Public Library Use in the Republic of Ireland, 1968–1998
Student: Danielle Adamowitz
Program: MS, Library and Information Science
Exploring Interprofessional Collaboration Practice Between Social Workers and Other Healthcare Practitioners Within the West Bank, Palestine
Student: Anan Fareed
Program: PhD, Health Professions Education
A Great Place to Meet: Oral Histories of LGBTQ+ Members of a Mutual Aid Addiction Recovery Facility
Student: Alyn Gamble
Program: PhD, Library and Information Science
Increasing Vaccine Equity Among Lower Income Countries
Student: Hiba Hashim
Program: MPH, Public Health
Parents’ Health Information Needs, Practices, and Decision Making during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Student: Zhan Hu
Program: PhD, Library and Information Science
Amount Awarded $36,625
How a Friendship with Russia Affected Boston’s Economy
Student: Clio Lang
Program: MA, History and MS Library and Information Science: Archives Management
Liberation Curatorial Internship with the Girl Museum
Student: Robin Laurinec
Program: MA, History and MS Library and Information Science: Archives Management
“We Need Diverse Books”: Conducting Multicultural Picture Book Research in Taiwan
Student: Emily Li
Program: MFA, Children’s Literature
Digitizing the United Nations ESCAP Library
Student: Laurel Murphy
Program: MS, Library and Information Science
How Spain Makes Boys: A Dress-Centered Analysis of Masculinity in Queer-Themed Spanish Picturebooks
Student: James Avery Smith
Program: MAT, Children’s Literature and Elementary Education
Analysis of International Academic Research on Information Encountering/Serendipity
Student: Jennifer Sunoo
Program: PhD, Library and Information Science
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 35
MCGRATH ABRAMS FAMILY FOUNDATION STUDY ABROAD
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
The McGrath Abrams Family Foundation Study Abroad and Global Internship Fund enabled undergraduate students to study abroad or conduct a global internship through SIT during the summer of 2023. These scholarships covered full tuition, room and board, airfare, and other travel expenses.
FY23 Award Recipients
11
Study Abroad Spain: Sustainable Urban Development & Social Justice
Student: Eimy Carela ‘24
Major: Social Work
Study Abroad Switzerland: Global Health & Development Policy
Student: Shreya Chattapadhyay ‘24
Major: Biology
South Africa: Social Justice & Activism Internship
Student: Mya Jara ‘25
Major: Social Work
Study Abroad Switzerland: Global Health & Development Policy
Student: Elizabeth Mehringer ‘24
Major: Psychology
Jordan: Counseling and Humanitarian Action Internship
Student: Helen Nguyen ‘25
Major: Mathematics, Physics
South Africa: Social Justice & Activism Internship
Student: Debanyeline Perez ‘25
Major: Social Work, Psychology
Amount Awarded $129,867
Study Abroad Indonesia: Bali & Borneo, Biodiversity & Conservation
Student: Gianna Petrucci ‘24
Major: Computer Science
South Africa: Social Justice & Activism Internship
Student: Tsion Queen ‘24
Major: Public Health
Study Abroad Netherlands: Human Trafficking, Sex Trade & Modern Slavery in Europe
Student: Mariana Rodriguez Rivera ‘25
Major: Accounting
Study Abroad Switzerland: Global Health & Development Policy
Student: Irene Swanson ‘25
Major: International Relations
Study Abroad Italy: Food Security & Nutrition
Student: Holly Wright ‘25
Major: Nursing
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 36 INTERNAL FUNDING: URF
PASSIONATE LEADERS PROJECT
The Passionate Leaders Project (PLP) supports undergraduate students seeking to enrich their academic and professional interests by funding learning opportunities beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom. Students may request up to $4,000 through the PLP to fund a variety of activities including global experiences, research, internships, service projects, creative endeavors, and other ambitious undertakings.
PLP Scholars
9
Automatic Speech Recognition System for Low Resource Languages - Amharic
Student: Nardos Alemu ‘24
Major: Computer Science, Mathematics
Neuropsychology Clinical Internship, Boston Child Study Center
Student: Jada Cameron ‘24
Major: Neuroscience (cognitive track)
Free Childbirth Education Class
Student: Rachel Freedman ‘24
Major: Public Health
Understanding The False Dichotomies of Histories: Curriculums and Pedagogies
Student: Asiyah Herrera ‘25
Major: Writing
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Used River Sorbents as Potential Soil Amendments in an Agricultural Setting
Student: Samantha Margolin ‘23
Major: Environmental Science, Computer Science
Total Funding $30,844
Promoting Recovery from Mental Health Issues
Through the Art of Literature
Student: Jane McNulty ‘23
Major: Writing
Puente Comunitario: A Comprehensive Guide to Immigration Resources in Greater Boston, MA
Student: Estela Raya-Fouts ‘24
Major: Political Science, Spanish
Data as Art, Continued: Creating Physical Art from Code Student: Kiki Regan ‘23
Major: Art, Computer Science
Improving Educational Outcomes for Children in the Massachusetts Foster Care System
Student: Kailey Sultaire ‘23
Major: Social Work
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 37
SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAM AT SIMMONS (SURPASS)
The Summer Undergraduate Research Program at Simmons (SURPASs) is a paid, intensive summer research experience for undergraduate students and faculty mentors across a variety of disciplines. SURPASs is made possible by generous gifts from many alumni, including Trustee Regina Pisa and Trustee Pamela Toulopoulos ‘73, as well as support from the Office of the Provost.
SURPASs Scholars
11
Muslims’ Experience with the Healthcare System in Massachusetts, Research Study
Student: Leila Aydibi ‘24
Major: Biology (Pre-PA Track)
Mentor: Valerie Leiter
Analyzing Barriers to Incorporation of Haitian Migrants in Boston
Student: Cassidy Beyer ‘25
Major: International Relations
Mentor: Abel Djassi Amado
Investigating Novel Systems Suitable for Chelation Therapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Student: Reagan Cleversey ‘26
Major: Biochemistry
Mentor: Arpita Saha
An Assessment of the Feasibility and Acceptability of Photography as a Gratitude Practice
Student: Caitlin Curry ‘24
Major: Psychology
Mentor: Elizabeth Donovan
Faculty Mentors
12
Assessing the Influence of ChatGPT on Student Performance in STEM Field
Student: Raneem Emad Mousa ‘26
Major: Computer Science, Mathematics
Mentor: Nanette Veilleux
Disgusting Objects and the Will of
God: John Quincy Adams and Early American Masculinity
Student: Kaz Gebhardt ‘25
Major: History
Mentor: Laura Prieto
How do the Different Ratios of VBT, C-10 QUAT, and TMQ Affect the Antibacterial Properties of Terpolymers
Student: Aiman Mehboob Mandli ‘25
Major: Biology
Mentor: Richard Gurney
Genetic Engineering of Mycobacteriophage Giles Against Tuberculosis
Student: Ari Metcalf ‘26
Major: Biology
Mentor: Jennifer Roecklein-Canfield
Total Funding $83,096
Studying De Novo Variant Autism
Genes using Drosophila
Student: Justine Paragas ‘26
Major: Public Health
Mentor: Seth Johnson
Study of Potential Targets along an Ex Vivo Human Skull for Future Neuromodulation Treatment Sites
Student: Abigail Rothstein ‘25
Major: Biochemistry, Physics
Mentor: Phillip Jason White
Photography, Paintings, and Populism: An Integrative Study on the Regimes of Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez and Peru’s Alberto Fujimori
Student: Bella Santos ‘25
Major: Arts Administration, Political Science
Mentor: Benjamin Cole, Heather Hole
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 38
INTERNAL FUNDING: URF
FACULTY-STUDENT COLLABORATIVE FELLOWSHIP (FSC)
The FSC Fellowship is a competitive small grant program that supports faculty research and provides funding to students assisting faculty in their research. Student fellows are compensated at a rate of $15 per hour. They may receive up to $2,200 (up to 140 hours) over the course of the academic year.
Faculty Projects
8
Student Fellows
12
Total Funding $17,600
Developing a Resource on Research-Based Teaching
Strategies for Students with Autism
Graduate Student Fellows: Mei-Hua Li, Ryan Atkinson
Faculty: Judah Axe
Department: Behavior Analysis
Creative Healing through Songs of Love
Student Fellows: Caitlin Curry ‘24, Charlotte Rice ‘23
Faculty: Elizabeth Donovan
Department: Psychology
Understanding the Role of ATG8A in the Modeling of Tourettes Syndrome in Drosophila melanogaster
Student Fellow: Theo Hatfield ‘25
Faculty: Seth Johnson
Department: Chemistry and Physics
Securing Workflow Transactions
Student Fellow: Anisha Srivastava ‘24
Faculty: Aspen Olmstead
Department: Computer Science and Informatics
The Mary Eliza Project: Boston Women Voters in 1920
Student Fellows: Daniela Gil Veras ‘24, Kaz Gebhardt ‘25
Faculty: Laura Prieto
Department: History
Policing, Surveillance, and Political Participation of Muslims in the United States
Student Fellow: Jamie Anne Lee Ser Huan ‘23
Faculty: Saher Selod
Department: Sociology
India’s Changing Pharmaceutical Sector
Student Fellows: Tanya Samak ‘25, Kusumita Savaram ‘26
Faculty: Niloufer Sohrabji
Department: Economics
Automatic Speech Recognition for Lower Resourced Languages
Student Fellow: Chelsea Hua ‘23
Faculty: Nanette Veilleux
Department: Computer Science and Informatics
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 39
UNDERGRADUATE FUND FOR RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ENDEAVORS
The Simmons University Undergraduate Student Research Fund supports student-initiated independent research projects and creative endeavors. Grants of up to $500 were awarded this year.
Total Projects 3
Modeling Tourette Syndrome in Drosophila: A Behavioral
Analysis of TS-like Behaviors in Atg8a Mutant Flies
Student: Theo Hatfield ‘25
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Seth Johnson
Analysis of Glyphosate in Menstrual Products
Student: Charlotte Healy ‘26
Major: Neuroscience and Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Michael Berger
Total Funding $758
Period Poverty Among Simmons Students
Student: Olivia Ofurie ‘23
Major: Public Health
Faculty Mentor: Charlotte Powley
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 40
INTERNAL FUNDING: URF
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCE FUND
The Simmons University Undergraduate Student Conference Fund supports student presentations at academic and professional conferences. Grants of up to $500 were awarded this year.
Total Conferences
19
Automatic Speech Recognition Systems for Low Resource Languages, The SIGCSE Technical Symposium, March 13–18, 2023
Student: Nardos Alemu ‘24
Major: Computer Science, Mathematics
Faculty Mentor: Nanette Veilleux
Reducing Cost-of-Care in Next-Generation Genetic Sequencing, 14th Annual Providence College
Undergraduate Research Conference on Health and Society, March 25, 2023
Student: Sarah Auletta ‘24
Major: Spanish, Public Health
Faculty Mentor: Todd Herrmann
Expanding Homonationalism: The Trans* Politics of Recognition and Legibility, 2023 Annual Meeting of the New England Political Science Association, April 20–22, 2023
Student: Michelle Bozzi ‘23
Major: Sociology
Faculty Mentor: Lena Zuckerwise
Total Funding
$5,736
Bees in Boston and Beyond: Using Environmental DNA Techniques to Investigate Pollinator Relationships in Urban Gardens, Northeast Natural History Conference, April 21–23, 2023
Student: Amanda Burgess ‘23
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Anna Aguilera
A Comparative Study on the Impact of Political Regimes in Mitigating the Gendered Impacts of Conflict, Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 13–17, 2023
Student: Catherine Cox ‘25
Major: International Relations
Faculty Mentor: Benjamin Cole
A Qualitative Analysis of Parenting Young Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Eastern Psychological Association Conference, March 3, 2023
Student: Caitlin Curry ‘24
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Donovan
Machine Learning in Prosody and Meaning, Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Northeast Region (CCSCNE), April 14–15, 2023, Ithaca, NY
Student: Shirley Fong ‘23
Major: Data Science
Faculty Mentor: Nanette Veilleux
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 41
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCE FUND (CONTINUED)
Machine Learning in Prosody and Meaning, Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Northeast Region (CCSCNE), April 14–15, 2023, Ithaca, NY
Student: Madeleine Guettler ‘24
Major: Data Science
Faculty Mentor: Nanette Veilleuxx
Exposure to the Environmental Contaminant PFOS Causes
Cellular Mass Formations in the Fin of Xenopus Tadpoles–
Presented at the Society for Developmental Biology, Northeast Regional Meeting, April 2022
Student: Theo Hatfield ‘25
Major: Neuroscience and Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Seth Johnson
The Relationship Between Tracking Performance and Video Quality, Applied Imagery Pattern Recognition Workshop, October 11–13, 2022
Student: Sofia Hirschmann ‘23
Major: Data Science, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Geoff Turner
Machine Learning in Prosody and Meaning, Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Northeast Region (CCSCNE), April 14–15, 2023, Ithaca, NY
Student: Sofia Hirschmann ‘23
Major: Data Science, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Nanette Veilleux
Automatic Speech Recognition Systems for Low Resource Languages, The SIGCSE Technical Symposium, March 13–18, 2023
Student: Chelsea Hua ‘23
Major: Computer Science, Mathematics
Faculty Mentor: Nanette Veilleux
PFOS Exposure Disrupts Glutamate-Dependent Sensory Behavior in C. elegans, ASCB- American Society for Cell Biology 2022, December 3 – 7, 2022
Student: Kaitlyn Kessel ‘23
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Eric Luth
Role of Cereblon in Vertebrate Axial and Neuronal Development, Northeast Regional Meeting of the Society for Developmental Biology 2023, April 28–30
Student: Ekaterina Konshina ‘23
Major: Neuroscience and Behavior
Faculty Mentor: John Young
Early Exposure to PFOS Results in Cellular Mass Formation and Delamination of Epidermal Cells in Xenopus laevis, Northeastern Regional Meeting of the Society for Developmental Biology 2023, April 28–30
Student: Ganad Neka ‘23
Major: Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: John Young
Triumph after Tragedy. Understanding Rwandan Female Overrepresentation in Post-Genocide Government, New England Political Science Conference, April 20–22, 2023
Student: Natalie Ochoa ‘24
Major: Political Science, History
Faculty Mentor: Abel Djassi Amado
A Framework for Racial Justice through a Rawlsian Lens, SUNY Oneonta 27th Annual Undergraduate Philosophy Conference, April 21–22, 2023
Student: Abigayle Post ‘23
Major: Sociology, Philosophy
Faculty Mentor: Lena Zuckerwise
ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2022 (JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023) 42 INTERNAL FUNDING: URF
A Qualitative Analysis of Parenting Young Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Eastern Psychological Association Conference, March 3, 2023
Student: Charlotte Rice ‘23
Major: Neuroscience and Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Donovan
From Doctors to Your Doorstep: A Feminist Analysis of 1970s Reproductive Rights Activism in the Greater Boston Area, National Conference on Undergraduate Research, April 13–15, 2023
Student: Sara Slager ‘23
Major: Women’s and Gender Studies, History, 4+1 Elementary Education Dual Licensure Track Faculty Mentor: Tatiana Cruz
RESEARCH AT SIMMONS 3
300 THE FENWAY • BOSTON, MA 02115 • 617-521-2000 • SIMMONS.EDU RESEARCH AT SIMMONS REPORT ON FUNDED PROJECTS AND SELECTED FACULTY AND STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2023 (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023)
