2025 Summer Grant Recipients
Dr. Mohammed Adjieteh (Department of Mathematical Sciences)
Dr. Mohammed Adjieteh, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, received summer funding to support his project "Quantile Least Squares for Robust-Efficient Fitting and Validation of Loss Models."
Dr. Nancy Asen (Department of Chemistry & Fermentation Sciences)
Dr. Nancy Asen, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry & Fermentation Sciences, received summer funding to support her project "Structure-function Relationship and Application of Oilseed Protein Isolates or Concentrates Derived from Fermentation-assisted Extraction."
Dr. Brooke Burrows (Department of Psychology)
Dr. Brooke Burrows, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, received summer funding to support her project "Bridging and Bonding during Hurricane Helene: The Influence of Politics, Religion, and Social Class on Disaster Relief Efforts."
Dr. Annu Daftuar (Department of Interdisciplinary Studies)
Dr. Annu Daftuar, assistant professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, received summer funding to support her project "A Critical Reading of Transnational Adoption Laws in India."
Dr. Seth Grooms (Department of Anthropology)
Dr. Seth Grooms, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, received summer funding to support his project "The Lumbee River Archaeology Project (LRAP)."
Dr. Thomas Gross (Department of Psychology)
Dr. Thomas Gross, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, received summer funding to support his project "Connecting Prevention-focused Measurement and Educator Social/Emotional/Behavioral Data-use Training Scholarship."
Dr. Peaches Hash (Department of English)
Dr. Peaches Hash, assistant professor in the Department of English, received summer funding to support her project "Teaching Arts-Based Research Book Proposal."
Dr. Anna Holleman (Department of Sociology)
Dr. Anna Holleman, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, received summer funding to support her project "Religion as a Source of Support and Struggle for LGBTQ Family Formation."
Dr. Yeganeh Madadi (Department of Computer Science)
Dr. Yeganeh Madadi, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, received summer funding to support her project "Humanoid Robots Powered by Large Language Models to Enhance Communication with Autistic Children."
Dr. Brad Phillis (Department of History)
Dr. Brad Phillis, assistant professor in the Department of History, received summer funding to support his project "Descended Equally from Royal Seed: Crusade and the Counts of Flanders, 1071-1204."
Dr. Christoph Schmitz (Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures)
Dr. Christoph Schmitz, assistant professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures, received summer funding to support his project "Research Summer Grant: Peter Weiss & Dietmar Dath."
Dr. Nazia Sharmin (Department of Computer Science)
Dr. Nazia Sharmin, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, received summer funding to support her project "Modeling Adversary Intentions in Network Security: A Framework for Proactive Threat Detection and Defense."
Dr. Rashmi Singh (Department of Mathematical Sciences)
Dr. Rashmi Singh, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, received summer funding to support her project "Impact of Professional Development on Math Story Framework in Elementary Prospective Teachers' Lesson Design."
Dr. Elizabeth Trudeau (Department of Sociology)
Dr. Elizabeth Trudeau, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, received summer funding to support her project "Providing Services for Male Survivors."
Dr. Trudeau is a sociologist who researches how our social identities affect our experiences with social problems, crime, and the criminal-legal system. She previously studied and taught in the Midwest at the University of Notre Dame and Carleton College before coming to App State. Her work has examined survival sex work, how women navigate feminist/anti-feminist identities and the U.S. anti-human-trafficking movement. Her current projects are investigating how gender, race, sexuality and other identities affect the way victims of crime are discussed in public media and treated as sympathetic or unsympathetic by the public. She is passionate about teaching in these areas as well as in methodology with the goal of helping students understand and use social data in any career they choose.
Dr. Adelya Urmanche (Department of Psychology)
Dr. Adelya Urmanche, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, received summer funding to support her project "Girls Just Want to Have Fun(ding)."
Dr. William Wang (Department of Geography & Planning)
Dr. William Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Geography & Planning, received summer funding to support his project "Resilience and Resistance of Riparian Vegetation to Drought: Insights from the Upper Tennessee River Basin."
Dr. Zhiyuan Yao (Department of Geography & Planning)
Dr. Zhiyuan Yao, assistant professor in the Department of Geography & Planning, received summer funding to support her project "Assessing Public Transit Transfer Performance Using GTFS and Ridership Data in Boone, NC."