Jane Chaplin (Classics) and colleagues from Hamilton and Skidmore were awarded a grant from the Classical Association of the Atlantic States to support a project titled Summer Institute for the Collaboration of Liberal Arts Colleges to Broaden and Strengthen the Contribution of Classics to a Diverse Student Audience. Representatives from nearly thirty institutions will gather at Skidmore to compile data on Classics at non-PhD-granting institutions and to share insights on attracting and retaining students in order to keep Classics a vibrant part of undergraduate liberal education. The three-day conference will result in an online handbook of statistics and recommendations. In addition to the grant, the conference has financial support from all three institutions involved.
Category Archives: Faculty Research
Susan Burch and colleagues awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Susan Burch (American Studies), independent filmmaker Rick Tejada-Flores, and independent scholar Hannah Joyner have received a grant from the Media Projects Development Program at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for a project titled Unspeakable: The Life of Junius Wilson. The goal of this project is to develop a 60-minute documentary on Junius Wilson (1908-2001), a deaf African American man detained at a psychiatric institution in North Carolina for 76 years. The film will be based largely on the 2007 biography Susan co-authored with Hannah Joyner, and Susan will serve as a main advisor. The documentary explores the overlaps of race, deaf identity, gender, eugenics, incarceration, and civil rights through Mr. Wilson’s life story. It draws heavily on oral history, signed languages, material culture, and inclusive methodologies—central topics in Susan’s research and teaching. This funding supports preliminary work on the film, including site visits, select filmed interviews, script development, and archival research work.
Molly Costanza-Robinson awarded NSF RUI grant
Molly Costanza-Robinson (Chemistry & Biochemistry and Environmental Studies) has been awarded a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) mechanism for a project titled Elucidating Interlayer Chemistry for Design of Novel, Nontoxic Organoclays for Contaminant Remediation. The project will involve 2-3 undergraduate researchers each year and will initially focus on elucidating how the chemistry of activated clay minerals (organoclays), specifically their interlayer crystallinity, relates to their ability to remove organic contaminants from wastewater. The second stage of the project will apply this information to the task of designing novel organoclays for more effective contaminant removal. Students in the Environmental Chemistry course will also participate in the project by testing the toxicity of the novel organoclays.
Eilat Glikman awarded grant from the National Science Foundation
Eilat Glikman (Physics) and a colleagues at California Institute of Technology have received a grant from the National Science Foundation for a project titled New Insights from a Systematic Approach to Quasar Variability. The goal of this project is to understand the physics of supermassive black hole growth in the nuclei of galaxies by utilizing time-domain information. The grant provides support for two Middlebury undergraduates who will work with scientists at Caltech, and use cutting-edge techniques in data science, to extract meaningful results from these large data sets.
Jeff Munroe awarded National Science Foundation Research in Undergraduate Institutions grant
Jeff Munroe (Geology) has received a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation through its Research in Undergraduate Institutions mechanism for a research project titled RUI: Alpine Loess, Periglacial Uplands, and Exotic Additions: Investigating Past and Present Dust Deposition in the Alpine Zone of the Uinta Mountains, Utah. At least six undergraduate students will be involved in this research, which will lead to better knowledge about modern and past dust deposition in this part of the western United States and thus has the potential to aid in land management decisions in the future.
Noah Graham awarded grant from the National Science Foundation
Noah Graham (Physics) has been awarded a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation for work on a project titled Casimir Forces From Scattering Theory. The project will carry out calculations of Casimir forces, which arise from quantum-mechanical fluctuations at the short distance scales relevant to nanotechnology. The approach is based on developing broadly applicable numerical techniques for computing the reflection and transmission of light. This work will be carried out in collaboration with a research group based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and will involve at least four Middlebury student researchers.
Jessica Teets and Orion Lewis awarded grant from Social Science Research and Humanities Council of Canada
Jessica Teets and Orion Lewis (both Political Science) are part of a research team based at the University of Alberta that has received funding from the Social Science Research and Humanities Council of Canada for a project titled Policy Innovation and Institutional Change in China. This study uses an evolutionary approach to analyze how the interaction of policy ideas, individual preferences, and existing institutions in China create incentives for local officials to act as policy entrepreneurs in an authoritarian system. The grant provides travel funds for research in China and other project costs. At least two Middlebury undergraduate students will assist with this research.
Guntram Herb awarded grant to participate in NEH Summer Institute
Guntram Herb (Geography) was awarded a grant to participate in a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute titled On Native Grounds: Studies of Native American Histories and the Land, which was sponsored by the Community College Humanities Association and was in residence at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC for three weeks this summer. This institute provided college and university faculty participants with the opportunity to engage in dialogue with leading scholars in Native American history and scholarship. While at the Institute, Guntram conceptualized a new research project on Native American tribes astride the US-Canada border.
Jeff Howarth awarded National Science Foundation IUSE grant
Jeff Howarth (Geography) and a colleague at University of California-Santa Barbara have been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation’s IUSE program (Improvement in Undergraduate STEM Education) for an interdisciplinary project titled Multimedia Learning Principles for Design-it Yourself Online Instruction of GIS Concepts. The theoretical goal of the project is to evaluate the generalizability of multimedia learning theory to the domain of solving spatial problems with computer-based geographic information systems. The practical goal of the project is to provide STEM educators with evidence-based guidance for presenting instruction online that can help them develop blended learning environments as an alternative to traditional lecture and lab classrooms. At least three undergraduate students will be involved with this project.
Amidon awarded grant from National Geographic Society
Will Amidon (Geology) has received a grant from the National Geographic Society for a project titled Finding Early Martian Landscapes in Idaho. The goal of this research is to understand the role of glacial outburst floods in forming amphitheater-headed canyons on the Snake River Plain of Idaho. This work should provide useful clues to how similar canyons formed on the surface of Mars. Two Middlebury undergraduates will be working with Will on this project.