INSPIRED Micro-Grants
Incentivizing Collaboration Among Women in STEM
The ADVANCE Adaptation: INSPIRED (Inclusive Practices in the Retention and Equity of Diverse Faculty) will fund networking micro-grants for faculty that identify as women, transgender, or gender nonbinary in STEM fields this academic year. Recognizing the isolation that such faculty may face, the micro-grants aim to facilitate ongoing and new collaborations between these faculty at LUC and external scholars. The award amount can vary between $100 and $2,000. Examples of microgrant activities that can be covered include, but are not limited to, travel to visit a collaborator, organizing a mini-workshop with colleagues, or hosting a collaborator/speaker on campus.
The application deadline for the Fall 2023 cycle has passed. Any questions should be sent to ADVANCE@luc.edu.
Criteria and Conditions
- Applicants must be a part of an NSF-approved STEM field. Please check here to see the approved list. Please reach out if you are not sure of your eligibility.
- Full-time faculty (TT and NTT) within a STEM field who identify as women, transgender, and/or gender non-binary may apply.
- Once awarded, scholars will have a limit of 12 months to use the funds.
- The awardees must submit a one-page final report within 60 days after the funds have been used. This report will explain what activities were executed using the micro-grant and how it will support the scholar's research.
How to Apply
- Proposals should be sent to ADVANCE@luc.edu.
- The subject must say "NSF-ADVANCE Microgrant."
- The scholar should submit a CV along with a statement describing the importance of the proposed activities in the context of their research.
- The proposal should also include a timeline, a budget (inserted as a table), and a budget justification.
- The maximum length of the proposal is two pages.
FALL 2023 RECIPIENTS
Cara Joyce
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Stritch School of Medicine
This micro-grant will support Dr. Rochelle Tractenberg’s visit with Loyola’s Biostatistics Core for an informal discussion on ethics in statistical consulting. It will also support the completion of a manuscript on mixed methods decision making about microbiomes.
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Jaroslava Šeflová
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Stritch School of Medicine
This micro-grant will support Dr. Seflova’s continued collaboration with Dr. Espinoza-Fonseca to enable a new research program focused on the pharmacological treatment of neurological disorders.
Jennifer Forestal
Helen Houlahan Rigali Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences
This micro-grant will support a conference that aims to gather leading scholars to workshop cutting-edge research that focuses on questions of democracy “below the state,” or the role of non-state institutions in structuring democratic life.
Kristen Pesavento
Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Health Science, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health
This micro-grant will support the travel of chemist, Dr. Elizabeth Fisher, to Loyola University Chicago to provide a talk on the utility of growth development opportunities from within the predominantly female scientific community, hurdles she has faced as a female leader, and why the benefits of finding a mentor one can relate to is essential.
Kristin Krueger
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
This micro-grant will support the travel of Dr. Krueger to Burgos, Spain, to collaborate with Dr. Leslea Hlusko and her team, Tied2Teeth, for research on the genetic dimension of dental wear.
Margaret Guy
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
This micro-grant will support the visit of Dr. Caitlin Hudac (University of South Carolina) to speak at Loyola University Chicago about increasing inclusivity in electroencephalogram (EEG) data collection.
Minjin Rheu
Assistant Professor, School of Communication
This micro-grant aims to support Dr. Rheu’s collaborative and interdisciplinary research project with Dr. Janghee Cho (National University of Singapore) aimed at developing informed guiding principles for improving literacy in Generative AI and promoting ethical and constructive use of the technology in college education.
Molly Melin
Professor, Department of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences
This micro-grant will support travel to Southeast Asia to expand international contacts for Dr. Melin’s lab to new regions that have growing importance in international affairs. This expansion will enable collaboration and mentoring with an international team of scholars working to solve challenges in local peacebuilding.
Rachel Egly
Research Associate, School of Environmental Sustainability
This micro-grant will support a research collaboration with Dr. Polak (Kent State University) on the effects of electric barriers on the survival and passage of biofouling organisms in the Illinois River.
Rebecca Silton & Susan Haarman
Rebecca Silton (Associate Professor, Department of Psychology) & Susan Haarman (Associate Director, Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, & Scholars)
This micro-grant will support Dr. Elissa Rodkey’s (Crandall University) keynote talk at a symposium to honor the life and works of Dr. Magda Arnold on advancing the study of human emotions from a Catholic perspective.
Shuwen Lou
Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, College of Arts and Sciences
This micro-grant will support Dr. Lou’s travel to visit collaborators in Japan at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University to discuss current projects, textbooks being used in math courses, topics included in core math program courses, the structures of undergraduate and graduate math programs, and promoting DEI in math and other STEM fields.
Tania Schusler
Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Sustainability
This micro-grant will support a mini retreat with scholars around Chicago to discuss best practices for conducting inclusive, participatory, and transparent research that informs food equity practice, policy, and scholarship.
Terry Grande
Professor, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
This micro-grant will support Dr. Grande’s travel to Lawrence, Kansas, to collaborate with Dr. Gloria Arratia (University of Kansas), Dr. Patricia Hernandez (George Washington University), and their respective teams, to study critical ostariophysan developmental material, analyze data, and map out next steps of their project.
Zhenzhen Shi
Research Assistant Professor, Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine
This micro-grant will support Dr. Shi’s travel to visit Dr. Alexander Ploss (Princeton University) to establish a research collaboration on the hepatitis E virus infection in animal models.
Spring 2023 Recipients
Heather Wheeler
Associate Professor, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
This micro-grant will support travel to Cape Town, South Africa, to meet with Dr. Lara Dugas of the University of Cape Town (UCT) and additional scientists involved in human genetics and genomics research at UCT and Stellenbosch University.
Norma López
Assistant Professor, Higher Education, School of Education
The goal of this project is to build a collaborative and interdisciplinary relationship across institutions to achieve three goals: (1) plan for the current research project, (2) fund the initial aspects of the research through participant incentives, and (3) foster a deeper connection that can support research interests in STEM and critical consciousness.
Yanan Chen
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
The goal of this project is to conduct a collaborative in-vitro study with Dr. Mariana Bollo (Department of Neurobiology, Instituto Ferreyra) on further understanding the mechanism of an activator in protecting oligodendrocytes and its potential therapeutic effects in multiple sclerosis.
Fall 2022 Recipients
Kelly Langert
Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Stritch School of Medicine
The purpose of this micro-grant is to facilitate in-person interaction and collaboration with Dr. Rachael Sirriani (Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery, UMass Chan School of Medicine).
Lara Smetana
Professor, Science Education (Elementary & Secondary Teacher Preparation; Research & Practice), School of Education
The aim of this project is to host a mini-conference at Loyola entitled: "Addressing Science Communication and Misinformation in the Classroom." The mini-conference will be a collaboration with colleagues from the non-profit, Critica, whose work centers on confronting science misinformation and science denial.
Rasha Abbasi
Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences
This project will fund travel to Utah to meet collaborators from the National Institute of Space Research (INPE; Sao Paulo dos Campos, Brazil), the Federal Center of Technological Education (CEFET; Mines Gerais, Brazil), and the University of Utah.
Stephanie Grella
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
The goal of this project is to facilitate the development of supportive mentorship relationships, for both Neuroscience faculty and students at Loyola University Chicago (LUC) through (1) developing an internal initiative, Loyola Women in Neuroscience (LWiN) and (2) hosting a regional event, the Memory Messabout Meeting, which will bring together trainees in the broad field of Learning and Memory from the Chicago area.
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Thea Strand
Senior Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
This project aims to continue an international and collaborative research project with fellow linguistic and cultural anthropologist, Dr. Michael Wroblewski (Grand Valley State University), in rural Valdres, Norway.
Spring 2022 Recipients
Paula Tallman
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
This project will fund travel for two international scholars: Dr. Gabriela Salmon-Mulanovich (Public Health Specialist and Researcher at the Institute for Nature, Earth and Energy at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú) and Dr. Armando Valdés-Velásquez (Conservation Scientist and Director of the Laboratory of EcoHealth and Urban Ecology, and Board member of CLIMA, the Latin American Center for Climate Change and Health at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia). A brownbag workshop will be organized where the scholars will present their ongoing collaboration on the effects of climate change on indigenous populations in Perú.
Ping Jing
Associate Professor, School of Environmental Sustainability
Dr. Jing’s research is on the effects of climate change on air pollution in Chicago. This project will fund a trip to visit two collaborators: Dr. Emily Fischer (Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University) and Dr. Arsineh Hecobian (Air Specialist, Health, Safety and Environment, Chevron Corporation). The microgrant aims to strengthen the collaboration between Drs. Jing, Fischer, and Hecobian
Sara Lipshutz
Assistant Professor, Biology Department, College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Lipshutz’s research is on evolution of female mating behavior in avian species. This proposal aims to fund a trip to Mono Lake, CA, to collect behavioral and genomic samples from spotted sandpipers. The fieldwork will involve a collaborator from UC Davis and an LUC undergraduate student.
Caroline Turner
Assistant Professor, Biology Department, College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Turner’s research is on bacteria adaptation to low-nitrogen conditions. This proposal aims to support the visit of Dr. Betül Kaçar from the University of Wisconsin - Madison to LUC, providing Dr. Turner with networking and collaboration opportunities.
Fall 2021 Recipients
Sasha Adkins
Lecturer, Environmental Health, School of Environmental Sustainability
Dr. Adkins proposed a workshop with community collaborators as a step towards a community education series of workshops with practical toxicology. Dr. Adkins' vision is to equip community leaders who are already doing the work with an understanding of the jargon needed to interpret from, and to be heard by, EPA and other regulatory bodies.
Kristin Krueger
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
This micro-grant will fund travel to the Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, located within the University of Minnesota's School of Dentistry. The goal of this project is to ensure continued interdisciplinary collaboration with this group of dentists, engineers, physicists, and anthropologists to determine the evolutionary significance and clinical ramifications of dental wear.
Incentivizing Collaboration Among Women in STEM
The ADVANCE Adaptation: INSPIRED (Inclusive Practices in the Retention and Equity of Diverse Faculty) will fund networking micro-grants for faculty that identify as women, transgender, or gender nonbinary in STEM fields this academic year. Recognizing the isolation that such faculty may face, the micro-grants aim to facilitate ongoing and new collaborations between these faculty at LUC and external scholars. The award amount can vary between $100 and $2,000. Examples of microgrant activities that can be covered include, but are not limited to, travel to visit a collaborator, organizing a mini-workshop with colleagues, or hosting a collaborator/speaker on campus.
The application deadline for the Fall 2023 cycle has passed. Any questions should be sent to ADVANCE@luc.edu.