Faculty and Staff Grants From December 2020

Congratulations to the following faculty and staff members who received grants and awards in December 2020.

Grant for a project on promoting ethical approaches to policy engagement, awarded to faculty and staff of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies:

• Deborah Avant, professor and director of the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security
• Oliver Kaplan, associate professor
• Jill Schmeider Hereau, assistant dean for external engagement
• Timothy Sisk, professor
• Ilene Grabel, professor
• Julia Macdonald, assistant professor
• Rachel Epstein, professor and associate dean of faculty and research
• George DeMartino, professor
• Cullen Hendrix, professor

Scott Barbee, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

• Grant from the Department of Defense for "Dysregulation of RNA transport granules in the pathophysiology of Fragile X Syndrome
• Project abstract: The Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP) is a component of neuronal granules (NGs) that is involved in the transport and translation of mRNAs in axons and dendrites. Loss of FMRP causes Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by the inability to peoperly regulate the local translation of a subset of FMRP-associated RNAs. There is currently no cure for FXS. Our long-term goal is to understand how FMRP granules assemble, traffic and disassemble in neurons in order to regulate and deliver RNA cargos.

Eric Boschmann, associate professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

• Grant from the Department of Transportation for "Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program graduate fellowship
• The Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program (DDETFP) provides funding for students to pursue advanced degrees in transportation-related disciplines. The program objectives are to: 1.) attract the nation's brightest minds to the field of transportation, 2) enhance the careers of transportation professionals by encouraging them to seek advanced degrees, and 3) retain top talent in the transportation industry of the United States. The DDETFP is intended to enhance the breadth and scope of knowledge of the entire transportation community in the United States.

Charmaine Brittain, director of practice innovation at the Butler Institute for Families at the Graduate School of Social Work

• Grant from the University of California at Los Angeles, subaward from the Administration for Children and Families for "Learning Circles — LA County"
• Project abstract: In partnership with Los Angeles County, Butler will develop, launch and implement a learning circle project to improve agency-level practice. Learning circles offer a powerful approach for peer support, solution-building and staff empowerment. Agencies transform practice by facilitating solutions within a team. The intent of an effective learning circle is to inspire lively discussion about the issues that affect the team and the larger project/program most. This is accomplished by generating information and ideas from the group to encourage reflective practice and build a learning culture.

Elysia Clemens, deputy director and chief operating officer of the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab 

• Grant from the Center for Policy Research for "Building a sustainable and replicable approach to estimate youth homelessness with the Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC)"
• Project abstract: The two aims of this proposal are (a) to leverage administrative data linkages to build a sustainable and replicable approach to estimate homelessness of youth age 14-24 in a state where data are siloed at different geographic levels, and (b) describe the K-12 educational, child welfare-related, public assistance program participation and police involvement characteristics and histories of youth associated with homelessness as older youth (i.e. ages 18-24)

• Grant from the Office of Respondent Parents' Counsel, subaward from the State of Colorado for "Office of Respondent Parents' Counsel Interdisciplinary Evaluation"
• Project abstract: The purpose of this evaluation work is to (1) assess the impact of ORPC's interdisciplinary teams on child welfare permanency outcomes, safety, cost and length of time in out-of-home care, (2) build ORPC's internal capacity to routinely evaluate the effectiveness of representation models, and (3) develop and prioritize an evaluation plan for the next few years that is aligned to strategic decision-making.

David Coppini, assistant professor in the Department of Media, Film and Journalism Studies at the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Grant for "COLab/Colorado Media Project Newsroom Survey Analysis"

Gareth Eaton, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

• Grant for "Encapsulated Nanoparticle Oxygen Imaging Agents for Radiotherapy Guidance"

Kathryn Fox, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Grant for "Leveraging Social Media to Enhance Access to Brief, Evidence-Based and Low-Cost Mental Health Treatment for LGBTQ+ Adolescents"

Brittany Kauffman, senior director at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System

• Grant for "Post Pandemic Planning Initiative: Phase I"

Kristin Klopfenstein, director of the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab

• Grant from the Colorado Department of Human Services for "Colorado Community Response LINC Project"
• Project abstract: The proposed work links data from the Colorado Community Response (CCR) program with that from other systems to serve as (1) predictors of child maltreatment that may indicate CCR as an appropriate intervention and/or (2) cross-system outcomes potentially influenced by CCR involvement.

Jessica Purcel, program manager in the Department of Psychology at the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Grant from Thriving Families Colorado (City and County of Denver) for "MotherWise for TANF Eligible Pregnant Women and New Mothers"
• Project abstract: Through DHS funds, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)-Colorado Works Program will operate and support the purposes of the Colorado Works program. Households are assessed for TANF basic cash assistance eligibility. Adults who are considered work-eligible are provided with individualized services and supports to promote their family's economic wellbeing, including which agency/MotherWise might serve the participant best based on their scope of services.

Galena Rhoades, research professor in the Department of Psychology at the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences 

• Grant from the Center for Relationship Education for "Ready2Relate"
• Project abstract: This evaluation will inform future programming as it will demonstrate whether an intensive, integrated high school-based program leads to change in key outcomes of interest to the fields of relationship education, teen pregnancy prevention and youth development. It will support future programming in this area by indicating whether this model is effective. Few rigorous, large-scale tests of relationship education with high school students like this one exist in the published literature.