Past Elkins Professorship Awardees
FY 23
Award to Dr. Paz Galupo, Professor of Psychology at Towson University (TU). Dr. Galupo's work examines the unique legal and cultural factors that influence the health care experiences of transgender and nonbinary Marylanders. Dr. Galupo's research also entails how these factors lead to health disparities for people in these groups. This year is the second of two for which Dr. Galupo will receive a $30,000 research award.
Award to Dr. Barbara Resnick, Professor and Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Chair in Gerontology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) School of Nursing. Dr. Resnick will advance the development of a replicable model for successfully implementing national guidelines on pain management in older individuals in long-term care facilities-to improve assessment, diagnosis, and management pain among residents. Dr. Resnick has received a $68,000 award
Award to Dr. Karen Cook-Bell, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History and Government at Bowie State University (BSU). Dr. Cook-Bell will establish the W.E.B. DuBois Center for the Study of the Black Experience-integrated with BSU's Thurgood Marshall Library-to encourage and disseminate research in the fields of African, African American, and African diaspora studies. Dr. Cook Bell has received a $75,000 award
Elkins Academic Transformation Professorship
Award to Dr. Heather Congdon, co-director of UMB's Center for Interprofessional Education. Dr. Congdon will continue her Elkins Academic Transformation Professorship research from the prior academic year and collaborate with the USM Kirwan Center on a digital badging initiative. The initiative is aimed at strengthening Maryland's health care workforce. Dr. Congdon is a professor of practice, sciences, and health outcomes research at the UMB School of Pharmacy. Dr. Congdon has received a $40,000 research award to continue her research in 2022-23
FY 22
Award to Towson University to support the work of Dr. Paz Galupo, Professor of Psychology, who will use Professorship funds to understand the unique legal and cultural factors that impact the health care experiences of and lead to health disparities for transgender and nonbinary Marylanders. Year 1 of $30,000 per year for two years.
Award to the University of Maryland, Baltimore to support the work of Dr. Radi Masri, Professor in the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and University of Maryland School of Medicine, who will use Professorship funds to conduct research to understand barriers that prevent adult minorities from improving their oral health in the local community and increase access to advanced dental care. $58,000
Award to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to support the work of Dr. Lora A. Harris, Associate Professor, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, who will use Professorship funds to integrate regional and national work into multiple institutions and under-served communities in Maryland to diversify STEM and improve learning outcomes and the engagement of underrepresented students in the environmental and ocean sciences. $40,000
Award to the University of Maryland, College Park to support the work of Dr. Don DeVoe, Professor and Associate Chair for Research and Administration in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, who will use Year 2 of his Professorship award to continue developing a novel platform enabling fully automated manipulation of individual cancer and immune cells from highly limited patient samples - technology aimed at enabling a new approach to personalized cancer immunotherapy. Year 2 of $30,000 per year for two years
Elkins Academic Transformation Professorship
Award to the University of Maryland, Baltimore to support the work of Dr. Heather B. Congdon, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, FNAP, Co-Director of UMB's Center for Interprofessional Education, who will use Professorship funds to collaborate with the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation to scale up targeted Interprofessional Education (IPE) recommendations from the 2018 USM report "Strengthening Maryland's Health Care Workforce" through a digital badging initiative. $40,000
FY 21
Award to Bowie State University to support the work of Dr. Julius Davis, who won a partial award last year, and plans to expand and institutionalize the Center for Research and Mentoring of Black Male Students and Teachers with its foci on recruiting Black males into teacher education programs and the profession, addressing college access concerns for that group, as well as conducting research. $45,000.
Award to Coppin State University to support the work of Dr. Kesslyn Brade-Stennis who plans to facilitate community change by creating policy and service-related community engagement experiences for students at Coppin and across the USM in an effort to promote social justice leadership and community empowerment. $45,000
Award to the University of Baltimore to support the work of Professor Mortimer Sellers who will receive part two of a two-year award he won last year. The funding will provide continued support to the Law and Justice Program that: 1) offers classes; 2) coordinates UB students working with partner NGOs on specific law and justice projects; 3) receives cooperating experts for a series of public lectures; 4) pursues research in law and justice; and 5) publishes books and articles. $35,000
Award to the University of Maryland, College Park to support the work of Dr. Don DeVoe who plans to involve graduate, undergraduate, and high school students in research focusing on advancing a unique platform for developing personalized cancer immunotherapies through the automated manipulation of individual cancer and immune cells, groundbreaking work at the intersection of engineering, biology, and the medical sciences. $30,000 per year for two years.
Elkins Academic Transformation Professorships
Multiple awards to faculty across institutions in Western Maryland to support their collaborative efforts to adopt, adapt, create, and scale the use of fully accessible, freely available educational resources as part of the Maryland Open Source Textbook initiative (part of the Maryland General Assembly's 2017 Textbook Costs Savings Act). Led by Frostburg State University, the project aims specifically at increasing access, affordability, as well as student achievement through enhanced pathways and course redesign. $40,000
FY 20
Award to Bowie State University to support the work of Dr. Julius Davis, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Professional Development, who will establish a center that will focus on recruiting Black males into teacher education programs and the profession, addressing college access concerns for that group, as well as conducting associated research. ($44,000)
Award to the University of Baltimore to support the work of Dr. Mortimer Sellers, Director of UB's Center for International and Comparative Law, as he develops a Law and Justice Program that will, among other initiatives, offer classes in law and justice, send UB students into partner NGOs to work on law and justice projects, and pursue research in law and justice. ($35,000 for each of two years)
Award to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to support the work of Dr. Paulinus Chigbu, Professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, who will expand research focusing on the influence of environmental factors on fish recruitment and trophic dynamics in the Maryland Coastal lagoons and coastal ocean and expand the scope of the Summer Geoscience Bridge Program for rising freshmen. ($70,000)
Elkins Academic Transformation Professorships
Multiple awards to faculty across institutions to support their efforts to adopt, adapt, create, and scale the use of fully accessible, freely available educational resources as part of the Maryland Open Source Textbook initiative (part of the Maryland General Assembly's 2017 Textbook Costs Savings Act). Projects aim specifically at increasing access, affordability, as well as student achievement through course redesign. ($40,000)
FY 19
Award to Frostburg State University to support the work of Dr. Justin Dunmyre, associate professor of mathematics, who will expand the university's learning assistant program, which employs inquiry-based learning to help students succeed. Through the program, two exemplary students are selected to become learning assistants and support instructors by engaging with other students through active learning methods. The learning assistant program will be implemented in multiple courses in the Mathematics Department at Frostburg State. (Award Amount: $14,000)
Award to Salisbury University to support the work of Drs. Sarah Surak and Alexander Pope, co-directors of Salisbury University's Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement, who will be expanding two of the programs at the institute: the Civic Reflection Initiative and the Civic Engagement Across the Curriculum. The Civic Reflection Initiative engages people and places specific to Maryland through the development of library resources and support for civic learning in K-12 schools. Civic Engagement Across the Curriculum provides faculty at Salisbury with resources and preparation to incorporate civic learning into their courses. (Award Amount: $70,000)
Award to University of Maryland, Baltimore to support the work of Dr. Louise Jenkins, a professor in the University of Maryland School of Nursing's Department of Partnerships and co-founder and director of the Institute for Educators, who is developing a comprehensive blueprint for the preparation of the next generation of nursing faculty in the state of Maryland. Her development plan will include creation of a think tank of experts in teaching and learning, expansion of pilot projects, and engagement with faculty throughout the state. (Award Amount: $50,000)
FY 18
Award to Coppin State University to continue supporting the work of Dr. Kavita Hegde, Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, who will conduct complex ophthalmological research, create community awareness regarding common causes of vision impairment and blindness, and contribute to the ongoing research being conducted to prevent and treat such diseases. ($50,000)
Award to Towson University to support the work of Dr. Katherine Holman, Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education, who will develop a Towson University Immersion Training Classroom and Family Support Program (in partnership with the Baltimore County Infants and Toddlers Program) that will serve infants and toddlers with disabilities and function as a training program for TU students in the College of Education. ($40,000)
Award to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to support the work of Dr. Rosemary Jagus, Professor at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, who will broaden a minority summer internship program within the Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center, which she directs in collaboration with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. ($60,000)
Award to Coppin State University to support the work of Dr. Katherine Cameron who will continue working with USMO and institutional partners to scale the Maryland Open Source Textbooks initiative as part of the 2017 Textbook Costs Savings Act (passed by the Maryland General Assembly), specifically to craft a more rigorous evaluation of learning outcomes associated with Open Educational Resources (OER). (Total of $40,000 for Dr. Cameron and OER mini-grants.)
FY 17
Award to Coppin State University to support the work of Dr. Kavita Hegde, Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, who will conduct complex ophthalmological research, create community awareness regarding common causes of vision impairment and blindness, and contribute to the ongoing research being conducted to prevent and treat such diseases. ($53,000)
Award to Towson University to support the work of Dr. Wei Yu, Associate Professor of Computer Science, as he addresses critical security issues for modern cyber-physical transportation systems and thoroughly engages students in that work. ($53,000)
Award to the University of Baltimore to continue supporting the work of Dr. Jaya Singhal, Baker Professor of Business Analytics in the Merrick School of Business, who is investigating the impact of innovation on changing levels of trade benefits and pursuing innovations in curricula and pedagogy at the undergraduate and graduate levels. ($38,000)
Award to the University of Maryland to support the work of Dr. Jim Gates, John S. Toll Professor of Physics, as he conducts seminal research in his Center for Particle and String Theory and engages students in that research. ($53,000)
FY 16
Award to Coppin State University to support the work of Dr. Hany F. Sobhi, Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry, as he continues to make significant contributions to his field by developing new biomarkers for the diagnoses of specific inherited metabolic diseases and thoroughly engaging undergraduate students in related applied research projects. ($80,000)
Award to Bowie State University to support the work of Dr. George Ude, Professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, as he continues and enhances his dedication to STEM teaching, research, and service and for his significant incorporation of students in those experiences. The knowledge and skills gained from his work has the potential to have a long-standing impact on the university and the USM. ($13,401)
Award to the University of Baltimore to support the work of Dr. Jaya Singhal, Baker Professor of Business Analytics in the Merrick School of Business, who will extend beyond her academic discipline of business analytics to trade-and-innovation dynamics, investigating the impact of innovation on changing levels of trade benefits and to pursue innovations in curricula and pedagogy at the undergraduate and graduate levels. ($38,000)
Award to the University of Maryland, College Park to support the recruitment of Dr. Oscar A. Barbarin, a celebrated authority in multiple social sciences, to be the new Chair of African American Studies. He has contributed to the social sciences over the course of 41 years and shows great promise for continuing the tradition of excellence at the University of Maryland and across the USM. ($40,000)
FY 15
Award to Salisbury University to support the appointment of Dr. Ryan Taylor, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, as he continues his mentorship of students, bolsters his extensive research on animal communication and evolutionary biology, and enhances the degree to which he shares his expertise with diverse stakeholders within and beyond the USM. ($50,000)
Award to Towson University to support the appointment of Dr. Rajeswari M. Kolagani of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences, as she continues engaging graduate and undergraduate students in her laboratory, strengthens and establishes Professional Science Masters programs at Towson, and explores academic collaborations across the USM. ($79,760)
Final installment of an award to the University of Baltimore to support Citizenship and Freedom: the Civil Rights Era, a course taught by Taylor Branch, Pulitzer Prize winning author. The course provides a high-quality learning experience across a range of universities and a unique opportunity to explore models of course delivery. (Total award amount $40,000)
Final installment of an award to the University of Maryland, College Park to support the work of Dr. James Duncan, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as he conducts state-of-the-art research in the Hydrodynamics Laboratory and engages graduate, undergraduate, and high school students in this important work. (Total award amount $80,000)
FY 14
Award to Coppin State University to support the appointment of Dr. Jamal Uddin, associate professor in the Department of Natural Science, as he continues his work with undergraduate and graduate students and Coppin�s Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Center. ($40,000)
Award to Salisbury University to support the joint appointment of Dr. Michael Lewis, Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies, and Dr. Jill Caviglia-Harris, Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, as they continue their transformative work to expand environmental science-related educational and outreach opportunities that benefit the Salisbury community and beyond. ($80,000)
Award to the University of Baltimore to support the creation of the course entitled Citizenship and Freedom: the Civil Rights Era, which will be taught by Taylor Branch, Pulitzer Prize winning author. The course will provide a high-quality learning experience for a diverse set of students across a range of universities and a unique opportunity to explore possibilities for models of course delivery. ($40,000)
Award to the University of Maryland, Baltimore to support the work of Dr. C. Daniel Mullins of the School of Pharmacy, as he explores patient-centered outcomes research and minority health issues. ($40,000)
Award to the University of Maryland, College Park to support the work of Dr. James Duncan, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as he conducts state-of-the-art research in the Hydrodynamics Laboratory and engages graduate, undergraduate, and high school students in this important work. ($40,000)
FY 13
Award to Coppin State University to support the work of Dr. Jamal Uddin, associate professor in the Department of Natural Sciences and founder and director of the Coppin Nanotechnology Center, with the CSU Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Center. ($65,000)
Award to Salisbury University to support the joint appointment of Dr. Michael Lewis, Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Environmental Studies Program, and Dr. Jill Caviglia-Harris, Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, to launch three initiatives that merge innovative faculty research with effective and meaningful community outreach. ($80,000)
Award to the University of Baltimore to support, for a third and final year, the work of Professor Michael I. Meyerson, particularly with regard to supporting law students who work with the Baltimore Scholars program. ($50,000)
FY 12
Award to the University of Baltimore to support, for a second year, the work of Professor Michael I. Meyerson, particularly with regard to supporting law students who work with the Baltimore Scholars program. ($50,000)
Award to the University of Maryland, College Park to support for a second year the work of Dr. Raman Sundrum of the Department of Physics, to support students involved in particle physics research and to deliver plenary talks. ($80,000)
FY 11
Award to Towson University to support for a second year the work of Dr. Steven Lev of the Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences, notably his work both graduate and undergraduate students his leveraging of the FY10 award through development, in connection with his Elkins-supported travel, of funding proposals for additional student support. ($54,518)
Award to the University of Baltimore to support the work of Professor Michael I. Meyerson of the School of Law, in particular his work with minority students. ($80,0000
Award to the University of Maryland, College Park to assist in the recruitment to the Department of Physics of Dr. Raman Sundrum of The Johns Hopkins University. ($80,000)
FY10
Award to Towson University to support the work of Professor John Morgan of the Department of Geography and his proposal to develop a Google Maps-based emergency mapping system for the State of Maryland. ($80,000)
Award to Towson University to support the work of Dr. Steven Lev of the Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences. ($52,000)
Award to Salisbury University to support the work of Associate Professor of Finance Danny Ervin with the Shore ENERGY program. ($67,500)
Award to Salisbury University to support the work of Associate Professor Michael Scott of the Department of Geography and Geosciences. ($80,000)
FY 09
Award to Salisbury University for a second year of support for Brian Polkinghorn, associate professor and executive director of the Center for Conflict Resolution at Salisbury University (SU), to expand the activities of the university's conflict analysis and dispute resolution program to include a scholar-in-residence, visiting lecturers, and study abroad opportunities for students. ($80,000)
Award to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) to support David Yager, distinguished professor of visual arts, and his new project, the Innovation and Design Lab, devoted "to creating and publishing new knowledge in the health and wellness industries through a holistic approach to innovation and design research that generates products, tools, services, and solutions to improve health outcomes." ($80,000)
Award to the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Medical Biotechnology Center to support Ilia Baskakov, associate professor, for research into the generation of electricity through photosynthetic microbial fuel cells. ($80,000)
FY08
Award to Frostburg State University for a third and final year of support for Dr. Thomas Serfass, associate professor of biology, to continue the river otter reintroduction project in Kenya and Tanzania. ($80,000)
Award to Salisbury University to support the proposal by Professor Brian Polkinghorn, director of the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution, to create a Conflict Scholar in Residence Program. ($80,000)
Award to Towson University to provide a second year of support for Professor David Schaefer of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences, to work with the incoming founding director of TU's Hackerman Academic for Math and Sciences in the area of STEM outreach. ($28,000)
Award to UMBC to support the work of Dr. Manil Suri of the Department of Mathematics to foster interest and learning in mathematics among K-12 students and the general public. ($34,000)
FY07
Award to Frostburg State University to support Dr. Thomas Serfass, associate professor of biology, to continue the river otter reintroduction project in Kenya and Tanzania and to extend his research to include the first comprehensive study of the species in North Dakota. ($75,000)
Award to Towson University for Dr. David Schaefer, professor in the Departmenet of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences, to enhance TU’s nanotechnology laboratory and support undergraduate research students in the lab. ($28,000)
Award to the University of Baltimore to support Professor F. Michael Higginbotham of the Law School in the development of an Institute on Race Relations at UB. ($70,000)
Award to the University of Baltimore for Dr. Alan Randolph, professor of management in the Merrick School of Business, to continue his exemplary work in international business through travel for himself and with student groups, graduate assistant support, and other research and educational activities. ($70,000)
FY06
Award to the University of Maryland, College Park for Dr. Patricia Hill Collins, professor of sociology, UMCP, to support public lectures and to share with other USM institutions her work on intersectionality of race, gender, class, and sexuality. ($40,000)
Award to Towson University to support Dr. Martha Joynt Kumar, professor of political science, in development of her interactive course on White House communications for delivery throughout the USM, and to support publication of books on her field of expertise. ($40,000)
Award to Frostburg State University to support Dr. Thomas Serfass, associate professor of biology, to initiate a river otter reintroduction project in Kenya and Tanzania. ($80,000)
Award to Salisbury University to continue support of the work of Professors Harry Basehart and Francis Kane, co-directors, Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement, SU and the expansion of the Presidential Citizen Scholars program. ($80,000)
FY05
Award to the University of Baltimore to recognize and support the scholarly work of Professor F. Michael Higginbotham. ($80,000)
Award to the University of Maryland, Baltimore to support the work of Dr. Carol O. Tacket in the development of a data management system at the Center for Vaccine Development in the School of Medicine. ($80,000)
Award to Salisbury University to support the work of Professors Harry Basehart and Francis Kane, co-directors of the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement. ($80,000)
FY04
Award to Frostburg State
University to support the second year of activities of
Professor Barbara Hurd, poet and essayist, to
complete the research for, design of, and some essays for her creative
non-fiction book inspired by debris washed up daily on the shore. ($75,161)
Award to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to support the activities of Dr. Anthony M. Johnson, physicist and engineer, in starting a Center for Advanced Studies in Photonics Research. ($80,000)
Award to Towson University for Dr. Martha Kumar, professor of political science to support the development and delivery of a course about communications in the White House that will make conversations with guest speakers available throughout the USM via interactive video. ($68,700)
FY03
Award to Frostburg State University to support completion of the research, writing, and revision of a collection of creative nonfiction essays about caves by Dr. Barbara Hurd, Professor of English and to allow her to complete a proposal for a new book of essays. ($80,000)
Award to UMBC to support the activities of Dr. Sirgei Nirenburg, an eminent scholar in computer science and linguistics who joins the faculty in AY 2002-2003 as its first expert in computer-aided language translation. ($80,000)
Award to UMCP to continue support for the civic-education activities of Dr. Benjamin Barber, who holds a joint appointment in the Department of Government and Politics and the School of Public Affairs. ($80,000)
FY02
Award to UMBC to support the activities of Dr. Lasse Lindahl, Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, who is leading the development of a bioinformatics undergraduate major program. ($80,000)
Award to UMBI to support the efforts of Dr. John H. Collins, Professor in the Medical Biotechnology Center, who is participating in the development of an interinstitutional bioinformatics and computational biological initiative. ($80,000)
Award to UMCP to support the civic-education activities of Dr. Benjamin Barber, who holds a joint appointment in the Department of Government and Politics and the School of Public Affairs. ($80,000)
FY01
Award to UMBC to support the appointment of Dr. Arlin J. Krueger as a visiting professor in the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology and the Department of Physics. ($80,000)
Award to BSU for continuation of support for Dr. Walter J. Leonard as a visiting professor in the Department of History and Government. ($80,000).
Award to UMCP to support the work of Dr. Howell Baum, School of Architecture, to build upon a successful partnership through which he and his colleagues created a community organization to improve neighborhood schools in Baltimore and to support Baum's authorship of a book on community organization. ($80,000)
FY00
Award to UMBC to support the appointment as a visiting professor in the Policy Sciences Graduate Program of Professor Royce Hanson. ($80,000)