The ORSP Update
September 2026
Our monthly newsletter highlights opportunities, awards, and events through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
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Announcements
Welcome Back!
DREAM
Are you interested in submitting for external grant funding with the assistance of ORSP and a faculty peer group? Check out the DREAM faculty opportunity! Participants who complete the program will receive a $1,000 stipend. Applications are due September 8th, 2026.
Apply to Join the Pedagogical Innovations Faculty Learning Community (FLC)
The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) invite faculty to submit an expression of interest for the third cohort of the Pedagogical Innovations Faculty Learning Community. Grounded in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and the teacher-scholar model, this program supports faculty in connecting teaching and research. Participants who complete the program will receive a $1,000 stipend. Deadline for applications: September 9, 2026. Click here to apply.
Meet our Inaugural ORSP Student Research Ambassador!
"Hello! My name is Layla King, and I am a junior English Education major and Philosophy minor. I have been involved with research on campus since the spring semester of my freshman year! I completed the SURI program twice (summer of 2025 and 2026) as well as the SURF program in the spring of 2026. Currently, I am working with Dr. Brett Criswell in the secondary education department on research regarding professional vision. Additionally, this semester I am starting the role of student representative to the WCU Council on Undergraduate Research, and, of course, my position as ORSP Student Ambassador!"
SURI Closing Event
The 2026 Student Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) included 28 students across each college and the school of music, who completed a research project or creative activity over the Summer I session, with the support of a faculty mentor. Students engaged in weekly connection events around campus to advance their research skills, learn about campus resources, and connect with fellow SURI peers. Connection events ranged from learning how to prepare for graduate school with the Career Development Center, engaging in mindfulness eating in SECC Food Lab, completing a painting class with the Center for Contemplative Studies, and much more! SURI scholars, supported by their faculty mentors, presented and celebrated their completed projects at the closing ceremony, held on July 13th, 2026, by sharing a poster and recorded lightning talk.
IRB Information
IRB Website
Please see the IRB website for information about applications, review procedures, timelines for review of applications,
IRB members, and resources.
Have questions? Need assistance? Want to schedule a class presentation?
Please email the IRB Co-Chairs directly:
Dr. Melissa Reed: mreed3@wcupa.edu
Dr. Heather Leaman: hleaman@wcupa.edu
Fall 2026 Office Hours
Dr. Melissa Reed: Wednesdays, 10:30-11:30am
Dr. Heather Leaman: Mondays, 4-5pm
Reminder to review our IRB/ORSP Policies and Guidance
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.
Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn
Want to stay engaged with WCU’s research community, events, and opportunities? Click here and follow ORSP on Instagram! Connect with us on our LinkedIn page here!
Faculty Research Spotlight
Dr. Linh Ngo
Dr. Linh Ngo’s research focuses on advanced research computing and the use of large-scale computing resources to support artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data-intensive applications. His recent work explores how high-performance computing and emerging AI technologies can be made accessible to researchers and students, with particular emphasis on leveraging national cyberinfrastructure to enable research and education beyond the capabilities of traditional campus computing resources. Click here to check out the Data Science Workshop Series offered this fall.
Want your research to be highlighted? Submit your research story here!
Follow us on Instagram to support our office and stay involved with WCU’s research community. Click here to view our Instagram!
Recently Awarded Grants
Dr. Cheryl Neale-Mcfall and Lindsey Mosvick - The Justamere Foundation, Building on Parenting Students’ Pathways to Success, $50,000
Dr. Aaron Spector - The Gregory S. Fehribach Center at Eskenazi Health, Fehribach Center - Community of Practice, $50,000
Dr. Scott Heinerichs - Main Line Hospitals, Inc, Main Line Hospital CHW Training Services Fall 2026, $12,000
Dr. Stevie Grassetti, Dr. Chiwoneso Tinage (Co-PI), Dr. Stacie Metz (Co-PI) - Maternal and Child Health Consortium (MCHC), MCHC/Albertson's Evaluation Agreement, $50,000
Dr. Chris Hanning - Presser Foundation, Presser Foundation, $23,000
Dr. Catherine Baxter - PA Liquor Control Board PLCB, PLCB RUDD 2026-28, $49,633
Dr. Brandon Mitchell - National Science Foundation NSF, NSF - Conference: National Peer Mentoring Network for S-STEM Principal Investigators Pilot Phase 2, $99,971
Dr. Jayme Trogus - Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, PA Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, $28,912
Dr. Kurt Kolasinski - Invention Capital Partners, $9,250
Dr. Kurt Kolasinski - Invention Capital Partners, $12,750
Upcoming External Funding Opportunities
March 1, 2027 - Industrial Heritage Preservation Grants, Society for Industrial Archeology
Continuous due date - American Battlefield Protection Program - Battlefield Interpretation Grants, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
January 21, 2027 - Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 23-520
July 28, 2027 - Biology Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 22-586
Continuous due date - Hilda & Preston Davis Foundation Grant, Funds programs concentrated on eating disorders and education for the underprivileged.
3 due dates/year - Advancement and Innovation in Measurement of Language Development and Predictors, National Institutes of Health, Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-25-113
Continuous due date - NSF STEM K-12 (STEM K-12), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 25-545
Continuous due date - NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 25-514
January 20, 2027 - Cybersecurity Innovation for Cyberinfrastructure (CICI), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 25-531
January 12, 2027 - Physics of Living Systems (PoLS), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 26-523
February 4, 2027 - Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program for Early Career Chemistry Faculty, The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation
January 15, 2027 - Allen Foundation Grants, Supports programs for human nutrition in the areas of health, education, training, and research.
Continuous due date - Mathematical Sciences Infrastructure Program, National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 26-520
Continuous due date - Institutional Grants for Educational and Research Projects, The Voice Foundation
July 21, 2027 - Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU), National Science Foundation, Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 23-510
3 due dates/year - Small Research Grant Program (R03), National Institutes of Health, Funding Opportunity Number: PA-25-125
3 due dates/year - NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions
Upcoming Student Opportunities
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!
ORSP Roadmap
Click image below to learn how to navigate student research experiences.
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