October 16, 2020
Big and small, foundations favoring PC faculty research
By Charlotte Smith ’20 & ’21G
Faculty research at Providence College is being recognized and funded by outside foundations and organizations at an unprecedented level.
During the 2019-2020 academic year, the College saw the highest number of faculty research submissions and awards in the 10-year history of the Office of Sponsored Projects and Research Compliance. SPaRC, which operates under the Office of Academic Affairs, works with faculty to identify funding opportunities, develop and submit proposals to sponsors, and manage grant awards.
Last academic year, a record 65 grant proposals were submitted to 36 sponsors, 17 of which were new potential sponsors. Thirty-one proposals received awards, representing a new high. In comparison, from June 2015 to July 2016, 43 proposals were submitted, with 18 receiving funding.
Grant awards also are coming more frequently from reputable sponsors, including the National Science Foundation and the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program. In the same vein, SPaRC facilitated a patent process and a contract manufacturing agreement with Arizona State University for a microtissue restraint developed by two PC biology faculty members.
Since 2011, PC faculty members have been awarded $14.7 million in research funding with SPaRC’s support.
SPaRC is directed by Dr. Kris A. Monahan, who is assisted by Dalila G. Alves. When faculty members approach Monahan with an idea, she works with Alves to assist in proposal development, identify sponsors, and provide editing support on grant writing.
The addition of an assistant director in 2016 has factored sharply in the increased profile of faculty research and funding support, said Monahan. She noted that after Alves joined the SPaRC team that year, the office saw an increase in faculty visits, which led to more training programs, outreach, and funding opportunities. Alves, whose focus is in the arts and humanities, “widened the door” as to who received assistance in seeking grant support, said Monahan.
Dr. Seann Mulcahy, associate professor of chemistry, who received a substantial grant from the NSF in 2019-20 for the second consecutive grant cycle, pointed out that faculty often are not the only beneficiaries of awards facilitated through SPaRC. His award of $239,935 supports a project entitled “RUI: Asymmetric Synthesis of Atropisomeric beta-Carbolines,” which will involve undergraduates in a research program aimed at designing synthetic procedures to study a specific class of molecules that have unique structural features.
Mulcahy explained how students are the face of research for this grant, as this award allows them to perform chemical experiments, author publications, and even present their work at scientific meetings.
“The collaboration between faculty and students is one of the most significant values of awards such as this one,” stated Mulcahy. “The College is in the business of educating undergraduates, and as we receive more funding, we are able to place a higher emphasis on undergraduate involvement in research.”
Monahan and Alves also played a vital role in facilitating the nomination of Dr. Thea Riofrancos, assistant professor of political science, for the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. She was one of 27 scholars to receive a stipend of up to $200,000 to support research on some of the world’s most unmanageable problems, such as climate change, an area of expertise for Riofrancos.
“I’d like to think that in some ways, my team and I are similar to guidance counselors. We are responsible for helping faculty members conceive and sift through multiple sources of funding so they are able to apply to those that will best reach their objectives,” said Monahan.
The College has received not only honors from large foundations but from smaller ones as well, such as the Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation, a New England foundation that targets non-scientific research.
“Historically, when it comes to grant recipients, there tends to be a focus on hands-on disciplines, such as in the science fields. However, this past year there has been a broadening of awards with other disciplines having lent themselves to receiving various acknowledgements as well,” said Monahan.
The Whiting Foundation enables faculty members to study abroad in unfamiliar locations, in order to enhance the quality of their classroom instruction. Eight of the 44 awards the foundation disbursed last year were to PC faculty members. Those faculty come from disciplines in the College’s three major schools: arts & science, business, and professional studies.
One of the Whiting grant recipients, Dr. Katherine Kranz, associate professor of social work, emphasized that the support of SPaRC extends beyond funding.
“Kris and Dalila provided clear guidelines as to how to apply for the fellowship and introduced me to other faculty who were interested. This provided an additional way to foster collegiality and creative ideas,” she said.
Award highlights from academic year 2019-20 include:
- A National Science Foundation grant of $145, 842 for a project titled “Collaborative Research: Brain Size, Metabolism and Sociality in Ants,” led by Dr. James Waters and Dr. Marla Tipping, associate professors of biology. This is a collaborative project with Boston University and Arizona State University that will provide training in research methods, programming, scientific communication, and outreach during the academic year and across consecutive summer research internships for interested students.
- An NSF grant of $239,935 for a project, “RUI: Asymmetric Synthesis of Atropisomeric beta-Carbolines,” led by Dr. Seann Mulcahy, associate professor of chemistry, This grant will support an undergraduate research program aimed at the development of new methods in asymmetric synthesis. This marks the second consecutive three-year award for Mulcahy under the NSF Research in Undergraduate (RUI) program from the NSF Division of Chemistry.
- The Department of Chemistry received a $288,300 award from the Major Research Instrumentation program of the NSF to purchase a new Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer.
- A 2020 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship awarded to Dr. Thea Riofrancos, assistant professor of political science, who received a stipend of $200,000 to support research on some of the world’s most unmanageable problems, such as climate change.
- A contract manufacturing agreement with Arizona State University to manufacture and sell to third parties microtissue restraints. This product, developed by Dr. James Waters and Dr. Marla Tipping of the biology department, received a patent pending assigned to the College.
- An International Center for Responsible Gaming grant of $22,039 for a project, “The Effects of Casinos on Birth Rates and Infant Health,” led by Dr. Michael T. Mathes, assistant professor of economics. Mathes will examine the effect of casinos on the fertility rate and overall newborn health in U.S. counties with casino openings.
- Dr. Adam Myers, assistant professor of political science, received two research travel grants totalling $1,680 from the American Political Science Association for his current book project, Coordination Failure: Federalism and State Taxation from the New Deal to Today. This grant will allow Myers to conduct archival research for the records of the U.S. Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, located in the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kan., and the papers of Congressman Lawrence W. Fountain, located at the University of North Carolina libraries in Chapel Hill. Myers also received a grant of $775 from the Harry S. Truman Institute to examine the Truman archive in Independence, Mo.
- Providence College Galleries, under Jamilee Lacy, director and chief curator, received $47,742 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Inspire! Grants for Small Museums program. PC-G will implement an “Art Collection Documentation, Interpretation, and Digitization” project to make part of its art collection accessible online.
- Eight 2020 Marion and Jasper Whiting Fellowships were awarded to:
- Dr. Margaret Manchester ’83G, associate professor of history; $5,242; “Peace and Reconciliation in the Middle East”
- Dr. Comfort Ateh, associate professor of secondary education; $6,559; “Learning Strategies to Improve School Performance for Marginalized Students”
- Dr. Kara Cebulko, associate professor of sociology and global studies; $4,512; “Studying Globalization, Tourism, and Sustainable Tourism in Peru”
- Dr. Laura Hauerwas, professor of education; $4,877; “Learning with Rural Education Communities in Guatemala and Belize”
- Dr. Katherine Kranz, associate professor of social work, $2,690; “Transformative Justice: Learning from Portugal’s Stories of Change”
- Dr. Patrick Ewanchuk, associate professor of biology; $5,940;”Exploring the Land of Fire and Ice: Developing an Introduction to Polar Biology”
- Dr. Matthew Eriksen, professor of management; $4,722; “Leadership Development and Human Performance Innovation”
- Dr. Iain Bernhoft, visiting faculty in English; $5,425; “Exploring the Scottish Origins of America”
