The ORSP Update

Hello Summer!

As we look forward to the summer, keep in mind that this will be our last newsletter for this academic year. Our monthly newsletters will be back in September. We wish you all a fun and relaxing summer!

Research & Creative Activity Day

Thank you to our campus community for an outstanding Research and Creative Activity Day. It is always a delight to come together and celebrate the research accomplishments of West Chester University's students, faculty, and staff. Congratulations to the 2025 awardees and to all of the presenters! We applaud your valuable contributions to research and creative activity. 

SURI Kick-Off Event

The Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) is a wonderful opportunity for  undergraduate students and faculty mentors to connect. Thank you to the 2025 SURI cohort, for such a fantastic SURI Kick-Off Event. We look forward to seeing the projects that will be developed over the summer!

      

NEW: Student Research Hubs

This all-new resource for students is a one-stop-shop for information about the events, funding, publication, IRB, etc. CLICK HERE to view the Undergraduate Student Research Hub and CLICK HERE to view the Graduate Student Research Hub. This is an excellent resource to share with students interested in, or currently conducting, research and creative activity.  

Professional Development Opportunity: DREAM

DREAM is an AY-long professional development program for tenure-track/tenured faculty who are interested in becoming principal investigators of externally funded projects. Training will include best practices to identify funding opportunities, to build collaborations across disciplines and institutions, to communicate with a sponsor’s program officer, to write a grant proposal, and to ensure compliance with responsible conduct of research policies. Applications for DREAM will be announced on Tuesday, April 15th. Any questions? Email Catherine Spaur at CSpaur@wcupa.edu. 

IRB Summer Information

IRB Applications submitted before August 8th will be reviewed during the summer session. Applications submitted after August 8th will be assigned to reviewers beginning 8/25/2025.

To set up a meeting with the 2025 IRB Co-Chairs, please email to schedule an appointment: 

• Dr. Melissa Reed: mreed3@wcupa.edu
• Dr. Heather Leaman: hleaman@wcupa.edu

Faculty & Student Research Spotlights

With the academic year coming to a close, this newsletter highlights a variety of research and creative activity from across our campus community. We are delighted to put the spotlight on the following students and faculty who have shared their research stories and accomplishments! 

Nadine Silverman   

Trails: an Excursion for Clarinets and Orchestra 

"I have spent the past year composing the music for a new clarinet concerto that will have its world premiere with the Salt Lake Symphony and clarinet soloist Dr. Laura Grantier on April 12th, 2025 at the University of Utah. The music is inspired by four of Dr. Grantier's favorite mountain bike trails in Colorado and Utah, and each trail is represented in one movement of this musical work. Each movement is written to feature a different member of the clarinet family: B-flat bass, E-flat alto, E-flat piccolo, and B-flat soprano (standard). In order to prepare to write this piece, Dr. Grantier brought me (a complete novice) mountain biking with her to feel the rhythms of the trails and see the amazing landscapes in person. The world premiere will be accompanied by video footage from the trails shot by videographer Jolie Snavely. Following the world premiere this April, Trails will be performed in July at the International Clarinet Association's 52nd annual ClarinetFest in Fort Worth, TX, and again by the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de El Salvador this August in San Salvador, SV. "

           

Dr. Regina (Jeanie) Subach 

Ram Chefs is a culinary education program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, held in the food lab in the SECC. The program is directed by Dr. Jeanie Subach and powered by Nutrition Major Coaches. The goal of the program is to cultivate the culinary skills of participants with the end goal of employment in the food service industry and independent living. Four current Ram Chefs are employed on campus by Aramark. The Ram Chefs also have 8 raised beds on South Campus and donate the harvest to the WC Food Cupboard. Emma Carpenter, a 2024 SURI student researcher recently presented her research on "The impact of community gardening on the social relatedness of persons with disabilities at the Undergraduate Research at the Capitol Poster Presentation.  The program has been present at the national, state and local level and featured on numerous local news channels. 

                                       

Dr. Zeinab Baba & Amber Riley

"As I prepare to pursue graduate school, strengthening my research experience has become a top priority. The SURF program allowed me to conduct funded research with the support of my mentor, Dr. Zeinab Baba. My project explored whether undergraduate students in health-focused majors experience better mental health outcomes compared to students in other fields of study. One of the most rewarding parts of the experience was presenting my research at the Research and Creative Activity Day poster session, where I received thoughtful feedback and had engaging conversations with students, faculty, and staff. I'm grateful to the ORSP and the SURF program for making my first research experience such a positive one!" - Amber Riley  

"Amber proved to be enthusiastic about learning everything she could and was an easy partner to work with. We had weekly meetings where we discussed the progress of the project with specific goals in mind. Due to the length of the SURF program, we were able to come up with a reasonable timeline for different elements of the project ( formulating a research question, reviewing the literature, data management, and data analysis) with the end goal of Amber presenting her project at Research and Creative Activity Day. It was truly a rewarding experience for me, as a faculty mentor, to see Amber's research skills improve during the weeks we had together. Being able to guide her vision for the project was inspirational and I cannot wait to see what she does in the future!" - Dr. Zeinab Baba 

                 

Dr. Stevie Grassetti & Edneida Vega

"As a SURF (Student Undergraduate Research Foundation) award recipient and an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the RAISE (Research Advancing Implementation Science Equitably) Lab, I had the opportunity to engage in my first lab research project under the mentorship and guidance of Dr. Stevie Grassetti and Vanessa Chery. In preparation for the opening of a youth ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) clinic at WCU, this project aimed to establish a culturally sensitive battery of assessments for ADHD in culturally diverse youth. The poster our team presented at RCAD was a summary of the research done for the RAISE Lab to identify and evaluate ADHD assessment tools that are culturally sensitive, cost effective and psychometrically sound. Findings will help the clinic to provide inclusive mental health services to community members who may not have access to ADHD assessment, treatment and education. Participating in RCAD helped me to understand what goes into presenting research and was an amazing learning experience that I would highly recommend to all students interested in research." - Eneida Vega

"Thank you for supporting the SURF experience. This was an impactful experience to help my undergraduate research assistant gain a leadership role in the lab that will help her prepare for graduate school. I’m attaching a picture of my SURF student presenting at Research and Creative Activity Day. I’m attaching a few other pictures of my lab presenting, too." - Dr. Stevie Grassetti  

Dr. Eirini Panagiotidou & Matthew Leardi

"My SURF-Sponsored research project was on the linguistic characteristics, handwriting impairments, and Theory of Mind impairments associated with schizophrenia in the novel House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. For this project, I wanted to understand how authors, especially neurotypical authors, depict the thought patterns of people with schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders through language. SURF has allowed me to narrow down my research interests in linguistics, develop better research skills, and build a better relationship with my faculty advisor, Dr. Eirini Panagiotidou."  - Matthew Leardi

Dr. Sojung Kim & Kaitlyn Horn 

"Kaitlyn and I have enjoyed this unique opportunity to collaborate during the spring semester.  Her knowledge and skills in information literacy, oral and written communication, technology, and professionalism were significantly enhanced through the  mentorship.  Additionally, she has become more interested in research and is considering more research opportunities in the future.  I greatly appreciate the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for providing Kaitlyn's stipend. " - Dr. Sojung Kim   

Northeast Regional Honors Conference Presenters    

On March 29th, Dr. Timothy Jussaume, Honors Director, brought honors students and faculty to participate in the Northeast Regional Honors Conference. Dr. Gerardina Martin presented "Community Engagement High Impact Practices: Exchanging Ideas for Creating Positive Social Change" at the Idea Exchange. Panel presenters included K.C. Thoman “Place and Space-Based Learning: Actualization of Place for the Global Learner,” Leo Bignault “Keeping History Transparent: Lessons from Truth Commissions in Brazil and Nicaragua," Connor Dapp "Brunches, Bingos, and Beatniks: Drag Performers as Creators of Resistance Since 2009," and Layla King “Civil Disobedience in the Classroom: The Literary Effect of Thoreau.” Poster presentations included Allison Koehle "The Road to Medicine: Peer Mentorship at West Chester University” and Jayden Hartlaub "Disordered Eating and Intentional Insulin Restriction Among Individuals with Type 1 diabetes: Examining Diabetes Distress, Weight Esteem, and Perception of BMI as Health as Risk Factors.” Round table presentations included Sawyer Zimmer “Dilemmas: How a Person's Psyche Affects Critical Decision-Making." 

 

Recently Awarded Grants

Benjamin Brumley, College of Education and Social Work: Faculty Professional Development Council - $6,895

Brandon Mitchell, College of Sciences and Mathematics: National Science Foundation - $100,000 

Eunice Park-Clinton, College of Health Sciences: Faculty Professional Development Council - $9,840

Jaeyong Choi, College of Health Sciences: Faculty Professional Development Council - $9,960

John Ulrich, Provost's Office: PA Dept. of Education - $576,067*

Ken Clark, College of Health Sciences: USA Track & Field - $30,000* 

Lindsey Mosvick, Center for Women and Gender Equity: Justamere Foundation - $49,850

Matt Saboe, College of Business and Public Management: Faculty Professional Development Council - $10,000

Md Amiruzzaman, College of Sciences and Mathematics: Faculty Professional Development Council - $10,000

Michele Bratina, College of Business and Public Management: Faculty Professional Development Council - $8,948

Patricia Swasey Washington, College of Health Sciences: Faculty Professional Development Counci - $8,000

* Grant currently being negotiated. Only primary PIs have been listed. Congratulations to all co-PIs on these projects!

Upcoming External Funding Opportunities

Arts & Humanities

Rolling basis: The Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Memorial Fund – Foundation Grants – Wells Fargo

Rolling basis: Joseph Kennard Skilling Trust – Foundation Grants – Wells Fargo

Rolling basis: Robert F. Schumann Foundation – Foundation Grants – Wells Fargo

Health Sciences

07/23/2025: American Diabetes Association—Pathway to Stop Diabetes 

 09/10/2025: 2026 Institutional Award for Undergraduate Student Training - Professional Heart Daily | American Heart Association 

09/11/2025: 2026 AHA Institutional Research Enhancement Award (AIREA) - Professional Heart Daily | American Heart Association

12/02/2025: 2026 Career Development Award - Professional Heart Daily | American Heart Association

Science & Mathematics

05/31/2025: Baseline Water Quality Data Program (BWQDP)          

06/13/2025: Beckman Scholars Program

07/10/2025: North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) U.S. Standard Grants

07/15/2025: Arctic Research Opportunities

07/01/2025: Archaeology Program Senior Research Awards (Arch-SR)

08/04/2025: Science and Technology Studies (STS)

09/16/2025: Probability

09/30/2025: Education and Broadening Participation in Earth Sciences (EAR EBP) | NSF - National Science Foundation   

10/15/2025: Mathematical Sciences Program (MSP) 

Education & Social Work

06/30/2025: PA OAG - Community Drug Abuse Grant Program   

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