The ORSP Update

Topic List

Announcements

Check out our new Research Dashboard, bringing together faculty scholarship, externally sponsored grants, and student experiential research opportunities in one accessible resource!  

Provost Research Grant (PRG)

Looking for funding to support your research/creative activity? Reach out to your Grants Specialist, Catherine Spaur (CSpaur@wcupa.edu) or Cara Williams (CWilliams@wcupa.edu), with any questions. Applications are due by 5:00pm, on Monday, November 23, 2026. Click here to apply. 

Faculty Professional Development Council (FPDC)

This program is intended to provide professional growth opportunities for individual faculty, with a focus on projects that encourage student success. To review the call for proposals and to apply, please go to the WCU PASSHE FPDC application form. Applications are due for initial, internal review by 5pm on Thursday, January 21st, 2027. 

Are you thinking about submitting for a grant? Check out this infographic to guide you on the ride!

Student Undergraduate Research Foundations (SURF)

Do you know of a student who is interested in learning more about research and creative activities working alongside a faculty member? Click here to view our Student Undergraduate Research Foundations (SURF) flyer, which includes the application link. Applications are due November 6, 2026.

Foundations of Research for Graduate Student Education (FORGE)

Do you know a graduate student interested in building research and critical thinking skills? Encourage them to apply for Foundations of Research for Graduate Student Education (FORGE), an opportunity to support a faculty mentor’s current research project or creative activity. Share the FORGE website so they can learn more and apply!

RAM Research Directory

The RAM Research Directory is a great resource to connect with other faculty and let students know about your research and creative activity opportunities.

Faculty Research Spotlight

Dr. Lynne Elkins

Dr. Lynne Elkins is faculty in Earth & Space Sciences who specializes in igneous petrology and isotope geochemistry, using measurements of lava rocks and computer modeling to study how magma forms in different tectonic settings. Her NSF CAREER award supports a magma simulation model, with students contributing through Python programming. She also received a Research in Mathematics and Science (RIMS) award to study short-lived isotopes in lava samples from the Congo to better understand what triggers volcanic eruptions, and a PASSHE FPDC award to study trace element concentrations in lavas from the oceans. Dr. Elkins is currently establishing a geochemistry laboratory to support her research. 

     

Dr. Ellie Brown

For 20 years, Dr. Ellie Brown and research assistants from her WCU Early Childhood Cognition and Emotions Lab (ECCEL) have collaborated with Settlement Music School to study their Kaleidoscope Preschool Arts Enrichment Program. The research has been used to develop a scalable version of the model that is now available to preschools and parents across the country via the KWEST platform: https://www.kwestlearning.org/ The KWEST model, and Dr. Brown's research, were featured in a recent WHYY story: https://whyy.org/articles/settlement-music-school-arts-preschool/ 

  

Want your research to be highlighted? Submit your research story here!

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Recently Awarded Grants

Dr. Eleanor Brown - Caplan Foundation, Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood , $99,120

Dr. Kurt Kolasinski - ICP, Master Research Agreement SOW #3, $18,000

Upcoming External Funding Opportunities

January 15 - Jan 30, 2027 and May 15 - May 30, 2027 - Research & Program Evaluations in Early Education, The Brady Foundation: Research Project (RP) proposals and Existing Program Evaluation (EPE) proposals that have the potential to provide data that will inform how to address disparities in educational opportunities associated with race, ethnicity, and family income.

January 20, 2027 - Cybersecurity Innovation for Cyberinfrastructure (CICI), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 25-531: The CICI program is to advance scientific discovery and innovation by enhancing the security and privacy of cyberinfrastructure. CICI supports efforts to develop, deploy and integrate cybersecurity that will benefit the broader scientific community by securing science data, computation, collaborations workflows, and infrastructure.   

January 25, 2027 - Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cyberspace (SaTC 2.0), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 25-515: Supports interdisciplinary research and education to develop a secure, resilient and trustworthy global cyber ecosystem by addressing vulnerabilities, improving trust in cyber systems and cultivating a well-trained cybersecurity workforce.  The Education track supports proposals focusing on education and workforce training in building trust in security, privacy, and resilience of cyberspace. 

February 1, 2027 – March 1, 2027 - Mid-Career Advancement (MCA), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 22-603: The MCA program offers an opportunity for scientists and engineers at the mid-career stage (see restrictions under Additional Eligibility Information) to substantively enhance and advance their research program and career trajectory. Mid-career scientists are at a critical career transition stage where they need to advance their research programs to ensure long-term productivity and creativity but are often constrained by service, teaching, or other activities that limit the amount of time devoted to research.

February 4, 2027 - Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program for Early Career Chemistry Faculty, The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation: The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program supports the research and teaching careers of talented early career faculty in the chemical sciences.

February 12, 2027 - Creative Catalyst Grant Program , PA Council on the Arts: Supporting new initiatives and opportunities that advance strategies for empowering, connecting, and amplifying creatives and creative industries and their contributions to Pennsylvania's communities, economy, and workforce.

July 21, 2027 - Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 23-510: The IUSE: EDU program supports projects designed to contribute to a future in which all undergraduate students are fully engaged in their STEM learning. The IUSE: EDU program promotes (1) Engaged Student Learning: the development, testing, and use of teaching practices and curricular innovations that will engage students and improve learning, persistence, and retention in STEM, and (2) Institutional and Community Transformation: the transformation of colleges and universities to implement and sustain highly effective STEM teaching and learning.  

3 due dates/year - Small Research Grant Program (R03), National Institutes of Health, Funding Opportunity Number: PA-25-125: The R03 supports small research projects that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. The R03 program may be used for different types of projects including pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; and development of new research technology. 

3 due dates/year - NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions: The AREA grant supports small-scale biomedical research projects involving undergraduate students and proposed by faculty members at undergraduate-focused institutions that do not receive substantial funding from NIH.  

Continuous due date - Small Project Grants, The Wabash Center: Up to $5,000 to support innovative, short-term projects that improve teaching and learning in theology and religion. These grants are ideal for piloting new ideas, convening conversations, or experimenting with practices that foster reflective pedagogy. With a streamlined application process and flexible use of funds, Small Project Grants offer faculty a supportive entry point into grant-funded work.

Continuous due date - The Energy, Water, and Resource Engineering (EWRE), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 26-518: The Energy, Water, and Resource Engineering (EWRE) program supports fundamental research to advance energy, water, and resource management and to safeguard health. 

Student Opportunities

Student Undergraduate Research Foundations (SURF)                                          

Are you an undergraduate student interested in a paid research or creative activity opportunity? View our Student Undergraduate Research Foundations (SURF) website and get more information!

Foundations of Research for Graduate Student Education (FORGE)

Are you a graduate student looking for an opportunity to gain research and critical thinking skills by supporting a faculty mentor with a current research project or creative activity? Explore our Foundations of Research for Graduate Student Education (FORGE) website, get more information and apply!

Student Roadmaps

Click to learn how to navigate undergraduate student research experiences.        Click to learn how to navigate graduate student research experiences.

 Ram Research Directory

Are you interested in research but do not yet have a faculty mentor? Click here to use the RAM Research Directory to find one! 

Upcoming Opportunities

Student Research and Creative Activity Awards (SRCA)

The Spring 2027 Student Research and Creative Awards (SRCA) will recognize outstanding graduate and undergraduate students who have completed original research or creative projects in collaboration with a faculty mentor. Call for proposals will go out 11/17/2026. 

Research & Creative Activity Day (RCAD) 

This event highlights student, faculty, and administrator research from all academic disciplines across our campus community. Call for abstracts will go out on 12/01/2026. 

Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI)

This is an opportunity for students to work collaboratively with a faculty mentor through a paid five-week program, conducting research and creative activities which will help prepare students for graduate-level studies and/or careers. Call for proposals will go out 12/02/2026.

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