Leah Chase receives Campbell Foundation award

Dr. Leah Chase, Professor of Biology, Chemistry and Neuroscience, received a $5,000 grant from The Kenneth H. Campbell Foundation to create The Campbell Foundation Travel Award Program . The proposal was to initiate a student travel award program at Hope College for students involved in neuroscience research. This award will increase access for travel for all students involved in neuroscience-related research, thus allowing more students to attend conferences as part of their professional development.

Congratulations on the award, Leah!

Gina Kling receives MI-AMTE mini-grant

Dr. Gina Kling, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, was awarded a $500 mini-grant from the Michigan Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (MI-AMTE) for her proposal, A First Step Towards a Fact Fluency Institute. The project will provide for 25 elementary school teachers to engage in a full day of professional learning around meaningful, research-based techniques for developing and assessing fact fluency. Dr. Kling aims to use the grant funding as a catalyst in the development of larger and sustained professional development opportunities for mathematics teachers, including researchers, professors, undergraduate students, teacher leaders and school or area-wide mathematics coordinators.

Congratulations on your award, Gina!

Leah Chase awarded NSF Mid-Career Advancement grant

Dr. Leah Chase, Professor of Biology, Chemistry and Neuroscience, received a National Science Foundation Mid-Career Advancement Award for $269,281 to advance her research program focused on the acute regulation of the cystine/glutamate exchanger, System xc-. The project, MCA Pilot PUI: Use of advanced mass spectrometry techniques to study the regulation of the membrane transporter, System xc-, will lead to significant advancements in our fundamental understanding of the mechanism by which oxidants rapidly upregulate System xc-, a transport system that is required for the synthesis of glutathione, an endogenous antioxidant.

The NSF Mid-Career Advancement (MCA) program offers an opportunity for scientists and engineers at the mid-career stage to substantively enhance and advance their research program and career trajectory. The MCA program provides protected time, resources, and the means to gain new skills through synergistic and mutually beneficial partnerships, typically at an institution other than the candidate’s home institution. As part of her research, Dr. Chase will be collaborating with Dr. Stephanie Cologna, Associate Professor, Associate Director of Graduate Studies, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research (STEM) at the University of Illinois, Chicago, facilitating a new connection between Hope and UIC.

Well done Leah and congratulations on your award!

Jeff Johnson receives American Chemical Society award

Dr. Jeff Johnson, Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair, received a $70,000 grant from the American Chemical Society’s Petroleum Research Fund, under the Undergraduate Research program. The project, Avoiding protodeboronation: Using -carbon elimination to generate organometallics for cross-coupling reactions, aims to develop new methods for the transformation of simple organic starting materials into more complex synthetic
intermediates through the use of transition metal catalysis.

The American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund supports fundamental research in the petroleum field and develops the next generation of engineers and scientists through support of advanced scientific education. Undergraduate Research grants support research programs of established scientists and engineers at non-doctoral departments and provides financial support for students at those institutions to become involved in advanced research activities, in preparation for continued study in graduate school or employment.

Congratulations on your award, Jeff!

Chris Turlington awarded Discovery Institute grant

Dr. Chris Turlington, Associate Professor of Chemistry, was awarded $5,720 in funding from the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture (CSC) to synthesize water-soluble polymers that increase oxygen solubility in water, with the long-term goal of making artificial blood which would ease the dependence on donations and prevent blood shortages.

The Discovery Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan organization focused on research, education, action and cultural renewal and sponsors research in the sciences, humanities and public policy. The CSC specifically seeks long-term scientific and cultural change through cutting-edge scientific research and scholarship; education and training of young leaders; and advocacy for scientists, teachers, and students.

Congratulations on the award, Chris!

CASA and Step Up awarded United Way grant

Kate Lozon, Director of CASA and Step Up, was successful in receiving a $6,970 award from United Way for CASA and Step Up educational outreach programming. CASA and Step Up are after-school educational programs that provide academic assistance for underrepresented elementary and middle school students in the greater Holland area. Reaching between 100-130 students annually, the programs have close connections to local schools and Hope College, and work with schools and parents to strengthen the success of children.

Heart of West Michigan United Way (HWMUW), the award sponsor, is deeply rooted in local communities and invests in understanding the complex needs of people in need. Through partnerships with a diverse network of local agencies and by collaborating with the local business community, HWMUW works to improve educational outcomes, address food insecurity, enable housing solutions, and support job training simultaneously.

Congratulations Kate and the CASA / Step Up teams on your award!

Gina Kling awarded MAA – Neff Outreach Fund grant

Dr. Gina Kling, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, was awarded a $6,000 grant from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) – Neff Outreach Fund. Dr. Kling’s project, Hope College Family Math Festivals: Building Positive Mathematical Dispositions for K-8 Students and their Caregivers, includes two community Family Math Nights, inclusive of activities, games and a welcome environment. The events aim to provide high-quality, fun mathematical experiences and opportunities for students and their families to experience the joy, playfulness and curiosity high-quality mathematics can stimulate.

The John and Mary Neff Foundation provides funding to support projects designed to encourage students to study and persist in their interest in mathematics. Through their partnership with MAA, MAA strives to offer faculty support for math education projects to elementary, middle school, high school and early college students to promote further study in mathematic education.

Congratulations and well done, Gina!

#MAAGrants #MAA #NeffOutreachFund

Kester Ighodalo receives MRFN Faculty Fellowship

Dr. Kester Ighodalo, Assistant Professor of Physics, was awarded a Materials Research Facilities Network (MRFN) Faculty Fellowship. The Materials Research Facilities Network is a nationwide partnership of National Science Foundation (NSF) supported Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC), designed to provide support to researchers in the broad area of materials research in academic, government, and industrial laboratories.

Dr. Ighodalo’s research proposal, The effect of annealing and A-site cation engineering on the properties of Perovskite Light Emitting Diodes (PeLEDs), was accepted by Penn State University’s MRSEC, under their MRFN Faculty Fellowship Program. At Penn State, the MRSEC partnered with the Materials Research Institute to establish the program, which targets the establishment of relationships between Penn State and faculty from Primarily Undergraduate Institutions in relatively nearby regional areas who are engaged in an existing research effort.

Congratulations on your fellowship, Kester!

Faculty-led undergraduate research receives AOS award

Dr. Kelly Ronald, Assistant Professor of Biology, and undergraduate student, Natalie Leake-Jara, received an American Ornithological Society (AOS) award for $2,033 in support of their project “Effects of urbanization on stress levels, auditory and visual processing of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)”. The study aims to uncover how house sparrow influences functions like hearing and vision in urban versus rural birds, contributing to our understanding of wildlife communication amid urbanization.

The American Ornithological Society, the world’s largest international ornithological society, is a diverse, global network working together to advance the scientific study and conservation of birds. AOS bestows a range of awards and grants that recognize excellence in ornithology and honors outstanding service to the society.

Congratulations Kelly and Natalie on the award!

Aaron Best receives award continuation for MDHHS grant

Dr. Aaron Best, the Harrison C. and Mary L. Visscher Professor of Genetics in the Biology Department, received an official notice of continuation for the project titled “SARS-CoV-2 Epidemiology – Waster Evaluation and Reporting (SEWER) Network for FY 2025 by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The project will receive an additional $1,926,441 of funding for October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025 (FY 2025).

Through the SEWER Network project, the Global Water Research Institute (GWRI) provides wastewater monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concerns for communities and congregate living facilities in Southwest Michigan. The grant was initially awarded in 2021 and is led by Dr. Best (PI), Dr. Brent Krueger (Co-PI), Dr. Benjamin Kopek (Co-PI) and Dr. Michael Pikaart (Co-PI).

Congratulations on continuation of the award!