Research and Grants News

Our faculty and staff have been diligently working on research and securing funding for projects that benefit our students and the communities we serve. We’re also planning the second annual Scholarship of Teaching of Learning (SoTL) conference on the Clarkston Campus, featuring a lot of interesting topics from different disciplines. I hope you’ll join us for this event on April 30.

Susan Ridley with Georgia State’s Finance and Administration department has helped secure a two-year $500,000 grant from the Georgia Forestry Commission. The 2024 Urban and Community Forestry Trees Across Georgia (TAG) program funds will be used for impervious surface removal, soil reconditioning and tree planting in conjunction with a redesign and repaving of the parking lots surrounding the Clarkston Campus.

Anthropology faculty member Dr. Amanda Ellwanger is hosting a Webex on Thursday, March 28 from 12-1 p.m. for students who may be interested in conducting research in in Indonesia. The program is “Let's Go to the Field! Cultural & Ecological Fieldwork Experience for Undergrads in Indonesia." In the virtual info session, Ellwanger will talk about the opportunity for Perimeter College students to travel abroad for three weeks this summer to immerse themselves in the cultural and ecological diversity of Indonesia. The National Science Foundation-funded program includes financial support for three student participants. Applications are due April 12 and participants will be notified by May 1. Travel will take place at the end of June. For more information, email [email protected].

English faculty Drs. Katy Crowther and Katherine Perry have been awarded a $150,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant "Discovering Where We Are: Place-Based Experiential Learning Through EPIC Courses." They are currently recruiting faculty to work on the projects. Faculty members chosen will receive $1,000 summer pay for two summers. To apply, please send a letter of interest to [email protected] or [email protected].

Biology faculty Dr. April Bostian, Corinne Summerill and Rubena Cela have secured funding for a University System of Georgia $20,000 Affordable Learning Georgia grant to support the creation of a free digital lab manual for Biology 1103 and 1104 students. The project is expected to save students over $58,000 annually.

English faculty member Amber Brooks is a contributing writer for the recently published book, “Medical Technology and the Social: How Medical Technology is Impacting Social Relations, Institutions and Beliefs About what is Normal.” (Lexington Books). Her chapter is titled "Menstrual Futures: Medical Technologies' Impact on Beliefs about 'Normal' Bleeding."

English faculty member Dr. Mary Helen O’Connor with the Prevention Research Center published an article in the Oxford Academic, “Migration and Health, The Hidden Global Public Health Crisis" in the digital publication academic.oup.com.

Biology faculty member Dr. Cynthia Foote is the faculty advisor to Perimeter Honors student Rashawn Thomas. Thomas is collecting data about a rare disease called 'DM'  and will present her findings during the annual Georgia State University Research Conference (GSURC) on April 11.

Chemistry faculty Drs. Janna Blum and Vivian Mativo, both Life and Earth Sciences, Chemistry, are organizing the second annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) conference on Tuesday, April 30 on the Clarkston Campus. During the full-day conference, faculty from Humanities, Computer Science, Physical Sciences and Nursing will present their SoTL research projects. Presenters will be:

• Dr. Jennifer Meeks, Humanities, Philosophy, “Building a Community of Care in the Classroom"
• Dr. Rosamond Rodman, Humanities, Religious Studies, “How Do Site Visits Help Students "Unflatten" Learning"
• Dr. Ulrike Lahaise, Physical Science, Astronomy, “Effect of Implementation of Introductory Astronomy of the Solar System Master Online Course on Student Retention and Success”
• Dr. Lorrie Stewart, Nursing, “Comparison of Nursing Student Acquisition of Clinical Critical Judgment Following Two Debriefing Models After Simulation Activities"
• Drs. Amy Cook and Kimberly Grimes, Physical Science, Chemistry, “Impact of Unit Exam Test Corrections on End of Course Assessment in Chemistry"
• Bray Bonner, Computer Science and Engineering, Computer Science, “How Mastery Learning (i.e., master topic 1 before moving to topic 2) Can Help Improve Student Performance in Computer Science Courses"
• Matthew Bingley, Humanities, Religion, “To What Extent Do Academic Departments Create Internal Repositories of OER" and
• Dr. David Yenerall, Physical Science, Astronomy, “Does Replacing a Textbook with Focused Reading Content in iCollege Improve Student Performance in an Astrobiology Section?"

Keynote speaker will be Dr. Kimberly Shaw, professor of Earth and Space Sciences at Columbus State University. Shaw received the 2020 University System of Georgia Regents Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award for her inclusive teaching practices and scholarship. The conference is a continuation of the programming that was initiated from the 2022-2023 RISE Award for the SoTL Research Collaborative (SRC).