Over the past several months, various DePaul faculty and staff have earned external grants in support of their ongoing research. Learn more about research at DePaul on the university's research website.
Olayele Adelakun, Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
An associate professor in the School of Computing, Adelakun received a $50,000 grant from Home Depot for his project, “Home Depot Online Search Data Initiatives.”
The grant will provide resources for research and development to support Home Depot’s online search initiatives, with the specific goal of developing one or more algorithm prototypes and testing their effectiveness and impact on one of Home Depot’s online search models.
Tera Agyepong, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
An associate professor in the Department of History, Agyepong received an $86,971 grant from the American Bar Foundation for a research professorship.
Agyepong will work to attract, retain and recognize scholars with rising national stature and reputation, engage in research projects and participate in the intellectual life of the research community.
Donna Badowski, College of Science and Health
Associate director of the RN to MS program in the School of Nursing, Badowski received an $18,000 grant from the National League for Nursing for her project, “Teaching Motivational Interviewing Skills to Pre-Licensure Nursing Students: A Comparison of Simulated Telehealth, Simulation Gaming Technology and Traditional Clinical Learning.”
The project will examine the effectiveness of a simulated telehealth patient care experience as compared to a simulated gaming technology experience or traditional clinical experience on empathetic communication skills in pre-licensure nursing students.
Luciano Berardi, Student Affairs
Director of TRiO programs and access research, Berardi received a $261,170 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for his project, “DePaul University Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.”
The five-year McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program will provide high-quality academic support services and scholarly activities for low-income, first-generation and underrepresented minority students who are interested in receiving scholarly training and capable of entering graduate school and completing their doctorate degree.
Julie Brosnan, College of Science and Health
Director of DePaul Family and Community Services, Brosnan received an $8,586 grant for her project, “Social and Emotional Learning for Nathan Davis Elementary School.”
The grant will allow clinicians to facilitate two days of Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement training for staff members for their professional development. Clinicians also will provide additional coaching and observation to participants.
Lucia Dettori, Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
Interim dean for CDM and an associate professor in the School of Computing, Dettori received a $937,454 grant from the National Science Foundation for her project, “Collaborative Research: CAFECS -- AP CSP Access for All.”
To develop accessible and high-quality options for all Chicago Public Schools high school students to take and succeed in AP Computer Science Principles courses, DePaul, The Learning Partnership and CPS will hire support teachers, organize teacher workshops and an annual summer institute, and coordinate with PS Virtual Academy High School to offer AP CSP to students whose home school does not support implementation of the course.
Laura-Caroline de Lara, DePaul Art Museum
Director of DePaul Art Museum, de Lara received a $20,000 grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art for her project, “DPAM ADC Engagement R&D.” Marin Sullivan, a lecturer in the Department of History of Art and Architecture, is a participating faculty member on the project.
The grant will fund research and development activities informing community-engagement strategies for an exhibition examining the art and career of Chicago artist, architect and designer Edgar Miller. The exhibition will take place in 2024 as part of Art Design Chicago.
Marie Donovan, College of Education
An associate professor and program director in the Department of Teacher Education, Donovan received an $874,582 grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education for her project, “Early Childhood Access for Equity Consortium at DePaul University.” Mojdeh Bayat, who begins as interim dean for the college Jan. 2, and Amy Clark, a professional lecturer, are participating faculty on the project.
This grant will support DePaul in providing streamlined paths to degrees, licenses and credentials to members of the early childhood incumbent workforce.
Megan Greeson, College of Science and Health
An associate professor and program director of Community Psychology at DePaul, Greeson received a $448,399 grant from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women for her project, “Sexual Assault Survivors' Experiences Seeking Civil No Contact Orders.”
Recognizing there is a pressing need to understand sexual assault survivors’ perceptions of helpful and unhelpful aspects of their experiences seeking civil no contact orders, this study will involve qualitative interviews conducted with survivors who sought a CNCO and sought help from crisis centers.
Euan Hague, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
A professor and director of the School of Public Service, Hague received a $15,000 grant from United Way of Metropolitan Chicago for his project, “Nonprofit Management Training Program.” Danielle Vance-McMullen, an assistant professor in the school, is a participating faculty member on the project.
DePaul will assist United Way's philanthropic commitment to equity in its region by assisting with the organization of five workshops. DePaul also will supply certificates of completion for those that have finished the workshop series.
Erin Hoffman, College of Science and Health
A fourth-year clinical psychology student, Hoffman received a $58,101 grant from the National Institute of Justice for the institute's Research Assistantship Program.
The overarching goal of the program is to support one graduate research assistant who will work with NIJ staff on supporting research. Hoffman will use this grant to continue her academic work focused on community response to sexual violence.
Donna Kiel, College of Education
An instructional assistant professor in the Department of Leadership, Language and Curriculum, Kiel received a $6,500 grant from St. Emily School for her project, “Technology Integration.”
DePaul’s Office of Innovative Professional Learning will provide virtual and in-person professional development to support the faculty of St. Emily with key strategies for effective technology integration focused on pedagogical best practices.
Tanu Malik, Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
An assistant professor in the School of Computing, Malik received a $1,381,727 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for her project, “Reproducible Containers for Advancing Process-oriented Collaborative Analytics.”
This project aims to establish reproducible scientific containers that are easy-to-use and are lightweight. Reproducible containers will transparently encapsulate complex, data-intensive, process-oriented model analytics; will be easy and efficient to share between collaborators, and will enable reproducibility.
Barbara Rieckhoff, College of Education
An associate dean and associate professor in the Department of Leadership, Language and Curriculum, Rieckhoff received a $4,997,176 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for her project, “Chicago Teacher Residency: Preparing High Quality Teachers for High-Need Urban Schools.” Jordan Humphrey, assistant dean for assessment in the college, is a participating faculty member on the project.
The College of Education is partnering with the Academy of Urban School Leadership and the Chicago Public Schools district to expand on a collaborative residency model with an established track record of successfully developing new teachers. This collaborative effort will recruit and place career changers on a clear and well-defined pathway for becoming highly qualified, context-ready teachers in schools serving predominantly low-income students.
Barbara Rieckhoff, College of Education
Rieckhoff received a $168,000 grant from the Illinois State Board of Education for her project, “DePaul Leading and Learning Program.” Donna Kiel, an instructional assistant professor in the department, is a participating faculty member.
The DePaul Leading and Learning Program will support new principals through a robust program of collaboration and professional development using an equity lens, an individual mentor and university faculty and resources. It will provide participants with access to individualized mentoring that builds leadership capacity and reduces principal turnover, particularly for diverse leaders and in schools serving diverse students.
Joseph Schwieterman, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
A professor in the School of Public Service, Schwieterman received a $71,994 grant from the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center for his project, “Contract Between DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, a Unit of Lewis and Clark Community College.”
With this grant, DePaul's Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development will analyze, evaluate and recommend entry points for strategic engagement in the State of Illinois; and identify and build relationships with key foundations, policymakers and stakeholders at all levels.
Michelle Stuhlmacher, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
An assistant professor in the Department of Geography, Stuhlmacher received a $248,190 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for her project, “Designing for Just Green Enough: A Data Integration Tool for Informing Community Green Space Planning.” Winifred Curran, a professor in the department, is a participating faculty member on the project.
This project aims to expand the functionality of ChiVes, a Chicago-based, multi-institution, open-source geospatial dashboard prototype. Researchers will integrate neighborhood-level information from Earth Observing systems, environmental indicators and socioeconomic factors to support green space planning and related decision-making processes in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
Ilyas Ustun, Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
A professional lecturer in the School of Computing, Ustun received a $45,000 grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation for his project, “Motorola Solutions Scholars Program: A Deep Investment in Diverse Data Science Talent.” CDM faculty members Jacob Furst, Thiru Ramaraj, Daniela Stan Raicu and Roselyne Tchoua are participant members of the project.
The program promotes needed diversity with a holistic approach delivered at a critical stage in the talent pipeline – the early college years. It addresses persistent barriers to retention, such as lack of relatable role models, limited awareness of career pathways and limited access to mentors and coaches.
Alyssa Westring, Driehaus College of Business
A professor and chair of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Westring received a $58,100 grant from SecondMuse Foundation for her project, “Digital Equity Fund at Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute Subcontract from GET Cities.”
Designed and delivered by successful women entrepreneurs, the Women in Entrepreneurship Institute’s Business Accelerator Programs prepare founders to grow their businesses and scale into new markets. The GET Cities grant will allow the WEI to run two Accelerator cohorts and grant $5,000 to businesses that complete the program.
John Zeigler, Egan Office of Urban Education and Community Partnerships
Director of the Egan Office, Zeigler received an $89,147 grant from Jumpstart for Young Children, Inc., for his project, “Jumpstart 2023.”
DePaul will continue its Jumpstart program, which advances equitable learning outcomes for young children in underserved communities by recruiting and supporting caring adults to deliver high-quality programming to children and drive systems change through teaching, advocacy and leadership.