Category: News

Calls for proposals are now open for Mason faculty interested in launching pilot research projects in conjunction with colleagues at one or more of the universities within 4-VA system in Virginia which includes William and Mary, James Madison, Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia. 

The 4-VA Collaborative Research Grants (CRG) are designed to facilitate and support alliances which leverage the strengths of each partner university to improve efficiencies in research and higher education; reduce working in silos; and provide hands-on experiential opportunities for students. These grants encourage the development of baseline research projects in the sciences and humanities which could help fuel future research and funding.

“The 4-VA Collaborative Research Grant program provides our Mason faculty an important first step to bring to life a research endeavor that will benefit our students, higher education, citizens statewide, and the wider world beyond,” explains 4-VA@Mason Campus Coordinator Janette Muir.  “Since 2013, 4-VA@Mason has funded more than 65 CRG projects, covering a wide range of topics — from food sustainability throughout the commonwealth, to testing the antibacterial activity of computationally designed antimicrobial peptides; from redesigning a core course on the history of higher education to accelerating the discovery of novel polar thermoelectric materials.  We always have our eye out for bright ideas that can make a big difference.”

Successful proposals will incorporate collaborations with faculty from at least one other 4-VA partner school; provide opportunities to engage undergraduate and graduate student researchers in real-world experience and growth; and include plans for the dissemination of research findings statewide or nationally.

The Collaborative Research Grants are just one segment of a greater 4-VA mission to identify and boost efficiencies in educational design and research.  The 4-VA program also supports Course Redesign, Shared Courses, and Degree Completion.

The portal to accept proposals is open February 2 through March 31, 2022, with funding available July 1 through the 2022-2023 academic year. Interested faculty can view the application, review associated policies and procedures, as well as read previous successful proposals by visiting the 4-VA@Mason CRG Grants page.

Backed by a statewide initiative, 4-VA@Mason has awarded 11 grants to Mason faculty for the 2021-2022 academic year — providing seed funding to launch innovations in education and original research.  The grants support studies to be conducted across various schools and departments from fine arts to computing to biology. Nine grants were awarded for new research, while two additional grants will fund extensions and expansions of projects initiated during the 2020-2021 year.

The 4-VA@Mason Collaborative Research Grants are specifically designed to encourage the development of partnerships with the seven other schools in the 4-VA system – James Madison, Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia Military Institute and William and Mary — capitalizing on each school’s strength to create a stronger final product and discourage working in “silos.” Additionally, undergraduate and graduate students are involved in the projects, providing critical experiential learning and research skills.

“Each year, we continue to be impressed by the serious and thoughtful research undertaken by our award winners,” explains 4-VA@Mason Campus Coordinator and Vice Provost, Academic Affairs Janette Muir.  “Our Advisory Board saw the value and importance of these proposals which we concur will make a difference for our faculty, students, and citizens in Virginia.”

Although 4-VA supports a broad variety of forward-thinking trends in education including shared courses, course redesign, and pathways to degree completion, the Collaborative Research Grant program is the centerpiece of the program.  Through these grants, faculty have the opportunity to investigate a new area of research — bringing light to a unique subject of study – many of which go on to receive substantive funding from outside organizations.

The nine new 4-VA@Mason research projects for the 2021-2022 year will be led by following faculty members (with partner schools listed in parens):

– Chen, Cher Weixia; College of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Integrative Studies-Understanding & Supporting the Well-Being of College-Level Social Justice & Human Rights Advocates/Activists in the State of Virginia (JMU, CWM)

– Glaberman, Scott; College of Science, Department of Environmental Science and Policy-Are Toxic Cyanobacteria an Emerging Health Threat in Virginia? (ODU) 

– Green, Emily H.; College of Visual and Performing Arts, School of Music-Music of Enslaved Virginians: History, Performance, Place (UVA)

– Han, Bo; College of Engineering and Computing, Department of Computer Science -Innovating Point Cloud Processing for Networked Systems (UVA)             

– Kelly, Mills; College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, Department of History and Art History-Mapping the University: A Digital Resource for Studying Virginia Campus Histories (ODU)

– Lee, Myeong; College of Engineering and Computing, Department of Information Sciences and Technology-AI for AI: Toward Community-level Human-AI Collaborations in Local Meetups (VT)

– Lim, Haw Chuan; College of Science, Department of Biology-Development of a novel genotyping panel for powerful and cost-effective evaluations of population structure and kinship in the critically endangered Eastern Mountain bongo (UVA)        

– Luo, Chao; College of Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry-Metal sulfide-based nanomaterials for high-performance multivalent metal batteries (UVA)            

– Purohit, Hemant; College of Engineering and Computing, Department of Information Sciences & Technology-Assessing Tobacco Prevention Policies Using a Hybrid Approach of Nontraditional Social Media and Traditional Simulation Modeling (VCU)  

Additionally, two previous projects were funded for continuation and expansion:

– Reid, E Shelley; Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning-Energizing Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Production in Virginia through the Development of a Regional Community of Practice for SoTL Faculty Developers (JMU, UVA, VT, along with University of Mary Washington)

– Schrum, Kelly; School of Higher Education-Reimagining the History of Higher Education in the Digital Age (CWM, JMU, ODU, VT)

4-VA was established in 2010 upon the recommendation of the Governor’s Higher Education Commission and the Governor’s Commission on Economic Development and Job Creation.

4-VA@Mason has opened calls for Collaborative Research Grant (CRG) proposals for the 2021-2022 academic year.  Proposals will be accepted from March 1 through April 15, 2021. Proposal information can be found here. The grants are designed to facilitate and support alliances which leverage the strengths of each partner university to improve efficiencies in research and higher education.

“The 4-VA Collaborative Research Grant program provides our Mason faculty an opportunity to bring to life a research endeavor that will benefit our students, higher education, citizens statewide, and audiences beyond,” explains 4-VA@Mason Campus Coordinator Janette Muir.  “This CRG program provides faculty with seed money to develop proposals and hypotheses with an eye toward improving research competitiveness in the state and winning subsequent major, federal grants for the projects.”

Since the premiere of the Collaborative Research Grant program at Mason in 2013, more than 65 4-VA CRG projects have been funded, covering a range of topics throughout schools from humanities to the sciences.  Previous grant subjects have included increasing food sustainability in the state; testing the antibacterial activity of computationally designed antimicrobial peptides; redesigning a core course on the history of higher education; and accelerating the discovery of novel polar thermoelectric materials.

Successful proposals will incorporate collaborations with faculty from at least one other 4-VA partner school; opportunities to engage undergraduate and graduate student researchers for real-world experience and growth; and plans for the dissemination of research findings statewide or nationally.

The Collaborative Research Grants are just one segment of a greater 4-VA mission to identify and boost efficiencies in educational design and research.  Now in its 10^th year at Mason, the 4-VA program also supports Course Redesign, Shared Courses, and Degree Completion.

Due to the current Coronavirus health crisis, the deadline for calls for Collaborative Research Grants has been extended to April 24.

As 4-VA@Mason continues to steadfastly move forward in support the Mason community with the development of meaningful education and research projects, we do recognize the potential for future funding uncertainties. Consequently, while we are still accepting calls for proposals for 20-21 Collaborative Research Grants, we do want to note the possibility of budget cuts in the next fiscal year.

Faculty  considering applying for a grant to develop research and design education projects with collaborators at Mason and at the 4-VA partner schools should contact 4-VA@Mason Faculty and Community Outreach Coordinator Elizabeth Gillooly for more information.

About the Grant:

“The 4-VA program provides our Mason faculty the opportunity to bring a research idea to life that can benefit our students, higher education, and Virginia citizens statewide,” explains 4-VA@ Mason Campus Coordinator Janette Muir.  “We are especially interested in research collaborations that leverage the strengths of each partner university and improve efficiencies in higher education.”

In addition to encouraging cross-collaboration between institutions, 4-VA seeks to engage undergraduate and graduate student researchers. “Our goal is to afford our students substantive and meaningful research opportunities,” continues Muir.  “4-VA student researchers leave our schools with important and real-world experience that will help them transcend from ‘just’ a job applicant to a standout candidate.”

Now in its 10th year at Mason, the 4-VA program has grown to include William and Mary, James Madison, Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia.

Currently, eight 2019-2020 grant awards are underway at Mason covering a range of topics including these collaborations with other institutions:

• “Communication Across the Curriculum: Creating Faculty Resources for Building Communication Skills in the Discipline” Partner Institutions: VT, JMU
• “Developing a Blood Test to Support Treatment of Surgically Induced Type I Diabetes” Partner Institution: VCU
• “Species Richness Resilience to Habitat Fragmentation and Restoration in Tropical Rainforests” Partner Institutions: JMU, UVA

Faculty interested in applying for a 2020 – 2021 grant can learn more by visiting the Research Grants tab on this website.

4-VA started the 19-20 academic year off right, welcoming two new partners into the collaborative – the College of William and Mary and Virginia Military Institute.  With these great institutions now in the fold, our 4-VA  goals are given a boost.

“We are delighted to bring William and Mary and VMI into our 4-VA collaborative,” said 4-VA Mason Campus Coordinator Janette Muir.  “The very strength of 4-VA is collaboration.  With our additional partners, our students and faculty have more opportunities — that’s great for higher education in the Commonwealth.”

In their request to join 4-VA, William and Mary President Katherine A. Rowe, noted that William and Mary “will be a useful and productive partner in 4-VA.”  J.H. Binford Peay, III, VMI     Superintendent stated, “VMI can offer distinctive perspectives and opportunities in engineering, natural science, social science, and the humanities that we welcome sharing in a spirit of collaboration with our sister institutions.”

The addition of CWM and VMI brings the number of 4-VA schools to eight.  We look forward to our future collaborations together.

Eight Collaborative Research Grants were recently awarded by 4-VA at Mason, providing faculty and their teams of student researchers, as well as their colleagues at other Virginia partner schools, the opportunity to further important research concepts – from utilizing student ambassadors to support dementia patients, to privacy controls for smart home devices, to species resilience in tropical rain forests.

“These research grants are a key element of our 4-VA mission,” explains Janette Kenner Muir, Campus Coordinator for 4-VA at Mason.  “Through this program, we identify vital promising research possibilities and provide the seed money to get them off the ground.  From there, many of our awardees go on to receive further funding from the likes of National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation.  We’re proud of the role that 4-VA has played in advancing research of consequence.”

One critical component of the Collaborative Research projects is a focus on the partnerships formed between Mason faculty and the other 4-VA partner institutions – James Madison, Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia.  This aligns with the 4-VA mission “To promote collaborations that leverage the strengths of each partner university and improve efficiencies in higher education across the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

The  Mason grant recipients and project titles awarded for the 19-20 cycle are:

• Broeckelman-Post, Melissa (College Of Humanities And Social Sciences)
  • Communication Across the Curriculum: Creating Faculty Resources for Building Communication Skills in the Discipline
• Couch, Robin (College of Science)
  • Developing a Blood Test to Support Treatment of Surgically Induced Type I Diabetes
• Luther, David (College of Science)
  • Species richness resilience to habitat fragmentation and restoration in tropical rainforests
• Moran, Jeffrey (Volgenau School of Engineering)
  • Toward T Shaped Graduates A Joint Capstone Program at the Nexus of Mechanical Engineering
• Motti, Vivian G  (Volgenau School of Engineering)
  • Human-Centric Privacy-Preserving Controls for Smart Home Devices
• Tompkins, Catherine J (College of Health and Human Services)
  • The Implementation and Evaluation of a Student Ambassador Program for a Music & Memory Intervention
• Van Aken, Benoit (College of Science)
  • Molecular Biology Methods for Understanding Aerobic Granulation in Wastewater Treatment Systems
• Van Hoek, Monique (College of Science)
  • Secreted Proteins of Francisella – a new understanding

While George Mason University produces hundreds of candidates each year in the field of education, academic leaders at Mason recognized the need to work closely with area educational institutions – both public and private – to ensure that those candidates meet and surpass the expectations in today’s educational environment.

To do so, armed with a grant from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU), Mason recently held a roundtable of academic leaders as well as a host of representatives from private and public schools from the greater Washington, DC area to look closely at the needs of area teaching institutions.  The event also prominently included educators and faculty from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Mason’s community college partner in the ADVANCE program, a nationally recognized program which supports the seamless transfer of students from the two-year school to Mason.

The roundtable included presentations and focused examinations of various aspects of the educational curriculum, as well as breakout sessions that delved directly into the qualifications of the ideal teacher.  The roundtable host, Mason’s Associate Provost for Academic Iniatives and Services Janette Muir, noted, “It’s time to talk about education in a more organized way.”  Specific goals for the day included future job demands, student preparation, knowledge gaps and work based experiential learning.  Muir told the assembled audience, “Today, we need to learn from you.”

Participants then rolled up their sleeves and dissected a variety of elements and experiences that representatives identified as critical for successful teachers.  Not surprisingly, many groups arrived at the same conclusions, including the need for significant ‘ground level’ experience with groups of students, providing background for how to handle classroom situations; the ability to work in a team environment; and the ‘soft skills’ necessary to handle a variety of audiences — students, fellow teachers and parents.

Attendee Zachary Shelton, Director of STEM exCel which offers STEM classes and programs said, “The best programmer is not necessarily the best instructor.  Very important:  They need to have classroom and behavior management skills.”   Shelton then reflected on the roundtable meeting, “I’m inspired by the Education focus here, though.  You are having this meeting and you want to listen.”

At the conclusion of the event, each table shared their findings with the room and a list of targeted skill sets were noted.  Muir recalled the energy and environment throughout the day, “We were able to connect a group of passionate, motivated leaders in education – they were enthusiastic about the idea of building better teachers and I know we’ve begun to construct stronger pathways for our students from NOVA to Mason and beyond.”