EMU Today

YPSILANTI – Eastern Michigan University faculty members will pursue 10 special projects with the second round of funding from the GameAbove alumni group, part of an overall gift of $2 million to EMU to support faculty development. The GameAbove Faculty First awards for this winter semester total $50,112.

These 10 awards represent the second of several funding opportunities made possible by the GameAbove Faculty First initiative announced last fall.

GameAbove is a diverse group of passionate Eastern alumni who desire to give back to the University through supporting campus initiatives focused on research, entrepreneurship, student support and innovation.

“These faculty awards, supported by the second round of GameAbove funding in this initiative, represent an exceptional range of research and creative activities,” said Rhonda Longworth, executive vice president of academic and student affairs. “GameAbove’s support is so appreciated, and is another example of its continuing and deep commitment to the success of our students, faculty and staff at Eastern.”

The purpose of the Faculty First awards program is to facilitate faculty professional development through activities such as research, curriculum development, community service, and professional travel and training. Faculty can apply to be considered at the GameAbove faculty application site. 

Since the initial gift in November, GameAbove has donated more than $13 million to academic, student support and athletic programs at Eastern. Complete details about the various gifts can be found on the Eastern Michigan University GameAbove website.

This second round of GameAbove Faculty First Professional Development and Innovation awards support faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences (six), the College of Business (two), College of Health and Human Services (three), the College of Education (one), and the College of Engineering and Technology (one).

Faculty members receiving awards through the Professional Development and Innovation fund include:

Fathi Amsaad (School of Information Security & Applied Computing): “Strengthening Autonomous Vehicles Cybersecurity with Hardware-Based Biometrics”

Autonomous vehicles show promise for advancing transportation through improving travel time, traffic flow, and crash avoidance. However, this technology lacks system security and user authentication processes, making it susceptible to cyberattacks. Amsaad’s project aims to develop secure autonomous vehicle services that integrate human/hardware-based biometric authentication processes. Funding for this project will be used for technical materials and salary support for an undergraduate student.

Karen Ann Craig and Ivan Rodriguez (Department of Accounting and Finance): “Active Learning in Finance Utilizing a Stock Ticker”

Stock tickers provide real-time access to market fluctuations throughout the day. Craig and Rodriguez will be using this award to purchase a ticker for the Bloomberg Lab and plan to integrate this tool into courses starting Fall 2020. The ticker will promote active learning in the classroom through implementing exercises in collecting and analyzing ticker readings in connection with possible catalysts, such as world events, that may cause the stock price fluctuation.

Audrey Farrugia (Department of Special Education ): “The Starting Line: Beginning the Conversation About Autism Spectrum Disorders in Early Intervention”

Farrugia will be investigating how early intervention speech-language pathologists discuss the initial diagnosis of autism to families. This project will continue building upon previous work of Farrugia regarding the need for adequate training and resources to prepare early speech-language pathologists to hold these conversations with families. After completing literature reviews and in-depth interviewing, Farrugia will be developing best-practices training resources, including a free webinar, for early interventionists in Michigan.

Aaron Liepman and Paul Price (Department of Biology) and Brittany Albaugh (Department of Chemistry): “An HPLC Autosampler to Enable Innovative Biology and Chemistry Research”

The funding from this award will be used to purchase an autosampler module for a high-performance liquid chromatography system utilized by several research groups in Cellular/Molecular Biology & Biochemistry. The autosampler will triple to quadruple the number of samples analyzed per day/night through automated sample analyses as opposed to the current system of manual sample input after the previous one is completed. This will allow for efficient sample analysis by increasing productivity and decreasing user error.

Joel Schoenhals (Department of Music and Dance): “Bach and Chopin on the Arno 284”

Schoenhals is the first pianist ever to record on the Arno 284, an historic instrument that has changed the way pianos are designed. In 2018 and 2019, Schoenhals recorded works of Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin on the Arno 284. This award will allow for professional digital editing and publication of the recordings through three CDs distributed by Naxos, the largest distributor of classical music recordings in the world.

Jeff Schulz (School of Health Promotion and Human Performance): “Forest Bathing Training and Research”

Forest bathing is a purposeful immersion into nature that establishes mindful use of all five senses. This practice has been shown to have positive impacts on stress levels but has not been widely researched in the United States. Schulz will be attending Forest Therapy Guide Certification training in the fall and, upon return, will be developing forest bathing coursework and workshop opportunities for the EMU community. Additionally, Schulz plans to collaborate with the Collegiate Recovery Programs and Dawn Farm to implement these practices for those in recovery from Substance Use Disorder.

Tucker Staley (Department of Political Science): “Online Training for Nonprofit Professionals”

Staley will be designing eight online nonprofit training courses available to the general public. These courses will be non-credit bearing and available starting Fall 2020 semester. Additionally, they will be promoted and administered by Professional Programs & Training (Engage@EMU), while members of the Political Science Department will lead instruction. These courses will provide professional nonprofit knowledge and resources to the community as well as EMU students.

John Staunton (Department of English Language and Literature): “On the Trail of Champlain’s ‘Parrot’ — Developing Interdisciplinary Inquiry Modules for NEH Summer Seminar for Teachers”

Staunton will be developing three interdisciplinary pedagogical inquiry modules that examine gaps in American literature. Specifically, he will be investigating a 400-year-old unsolved mystery of New World explorer Samuel de Champlain’s encounter with an unidentified bird that led to his separation from his companions in the woods. Staunton will use these modules to explore how we question texts, judge possible solutions to historical puzzles, and interpret findings. The completion of these modules will support the core curriculum towards a full proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Summer Seminar/Institute for K-12 Educators program.

Sarah Walsh (School of Health Sciences): “ICPSR Workshop Registration: Longitudinal Data Analysis”

Walsh will be attending a week-long intensive training program titled “Longitudinal Data Analysis, Including Categorical Outcomes” in August 2020. This program is offered through the  Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research and will provide the necessary tools and knowledge to complete robust analyses of data. Walsh is exploring strategies to help older adults maintain their independence through analysis of data from the publicly available National Health and Aging Trends Study of approximately 8,500 Medicare enrollees since 2011. By completing the training program, Walsh will be able to complete longitudinal analysis of this complex dataset.

Stephanie Wladkowski (School of Social Work): “Improving Service Delivery: Evaluation of a Protocol for Live Discharge From Hospice”

Wladkowski, alongside a national advisory committee, is in the process of developing a live discharge protocol for hospice patients. There is currently no protocol in place to support both the patient and their primary caregiver at the time of live discharge. Funding from this award will allow Wladkowski to develop a training manual for hospice practitioners to implement the live discharge protocol and evaluate the practitioner’s engagement during the live discharge process along with patients and caregivers. Additionally, Wladkowski will collect preliminary outcomes for patients and caregivers following discharge.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.