CST's 2024 boost funds awarded

The college has also selected its first two recipients of Boost Funds for New Research Directions.The awardees are Stephen MacNeil, assistant professor in the CIS Department, and Bob Stanley, professor in the Department of Chemistry. 

Said CST Dean Miguel Mostafaá: "Stephen's research project, Pedagogical Tools to Teach Students to Use AI Copilots, has the potential to make significant contributions to artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction and computing education. I am also very enthusiastic about Bob's project, Dually Fluorescent Reporters of Metabolic Flavoprotein Redox, and the idea of developing new tools to image the semiquinone and hydroquinone states of flavoproteins, which has not been possible with the current tools. I encourage all faculty to learn more about this seed funding program."

Seed funding to explore new areas or jumpstart research

The Office of the Dean is offering seed funding to help CST faculty invigorate their research program by changing field/direction or breaking new ground. This seed funding is intended for faculty members who do not currently hold external or internal funding to launch a new area of research or advance an existing, unfunded project. The deadline for submission is the first Friday in October every year.

The purpose of these internal grants is to support faculty who want to explore a new area of research and/or jumpstart their research activity. This competitive funding opportunity will enable faculty members to advance a project and establish credibility in a new research area that will attract external funding. Each two-year seed grant provides support for a faculty member to conduct preliminary analyses, demonstrate proof of concept, collect preliminary data, and establish the high-potential impact of the proposed idea for future proposal submissions.

The College of Science and Technology will consider proposals from CST faculty that:

• Explore a new area of research that may potentially be high risk but also provide high reward. The college is looking for new ideas that would provide exciting new directions for faculty, not small changes in their existing research focus.
• Enable transition from a research portfolio that may have fallen out of favor with funding agencies into a new research area with brighter funding prospects.
• Restart research activity after an extended lapse due to personal, administrative or service reasons.

Recipients will be required to use the funds to prepare and submit a formal application for an external grant within 24 months of receiving the grant. Deadline for submission is the first Friday in October every year.