Research
The variety, scope and incidence of research and related scholarly activity within the University continue to increase. Usually research carried out by the faculty combines the inquiry for new knowledge with the education of students at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Faculty research grants support research-related activities and travel. Government and industry, in addition to the University, support and sponsor University research activities. Research and educational development activity is found in all academic disciplines.
Summary of Government Active Grant Awards
PI/PD Name: Avaltroni, Michael
Co-PIs: Christian, Traba, Dale Caldwell, Dan Cassino, Craig Mourton and Saul Kleinman
Department/School: Office of the University Provost
Project Title: Innovation Challenge Grant: Fostering Student Success and Safe and Inclusive Learning Interventions
Project Period: 7/1/2021 – 9/30/2023
Sponsoring Agency: New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (NJ OSHE)
Total Award: $1,395,777 (No Indirect Costs allowable)
Abstract
The multi-intervention model in “Fostering Student Success” targets first-generation, PELL-eligible, and minority students from lower socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds, who are also those most impacted by the pandemic. This initiative aims to increase retention and graduation rates for these students and bring them to parity with peers from other groups through three interventions. First, students in the target populations will be invited to a free Bridge PLUS Program that will not only provide a “bridge” to college but will also provide them with a holistic support team from start to graduation. Second, advising, coaching, and peer mentoring initiatives will be implemented for all students in the target populations to help ensure they have the support they need to persist, succeed, and graduate. Third, we will implement a Customer Relations Management (CRM) system, Ellucian CRM Advise, which will enhance student outreach and services, as well as a student portal, Ellucian Experience, which will provide students with easy access to information regarding academic progress.
PI/PD Name: Balthazard, Pierre
Department/School: Silberman College of Business/Rothman Institute
Project Title: Small Business Development Center/Northwest Regional
Sponsoring Agency: US SBA CORE Rollover
Project Period: 01/01/2022 – 12/31/2022
Total of Two Awards: $202,622 (No Indirect Costs)
Abstract
The Northwest SBDC provides no-cost, 1:1 consulting both virtual and in-person and low-cost, no-cost webinars/trainings to assist small and medium size businesses to start, grow, expand, and thrive with high priority assistance to remain in business. The Rutgers University state-wide SBDC, under the leadership of Kelly Brozyna, State Director and Chief Executive Officer of the SBDC statewide, has transitioned the Northwest Network Service Center to Fairleigh Dickinson University via sub-awards under the Prime US SBA grants beginning effective January 1, 2022.
PI/PD Name: Balthazard, Pierre
Department/School: Silberman College of Business/Rothman Institute
Project Title: Small Business Development Center/Northwest Regional
Sponsoring Agency: US SBA CARES ACT and CORE Rollover Awards
Project Period: 01/01/2022 – 09/30/2022 (CARES ACT)
Total of Two Awards: $102,615 CARES ACT (Includes $13,385 indirects)
Abstract
The Northwest SBDC provides no-cost, 1:1 consulting both virtual and in-person and low-cost, no-cost webinars/trainings. The mission of the SBDC is to assist small and medium size businesses to start, grow, expand, and thrive with high priority assistance to remain in business. The Rutgers University SBDC, under the leadership of Kelly Brozyna, State Director and Chief Executive Officer of the SBDC, has transitioned the Northwest Network Service Center to Fairleigh Dickinson University via sub-awards under the Prime US SBA grants beginning effective January 1, 2022.
PI/PD Name: Balthazard, Pierre
Department/School: Silberman College of Business/Rothman Institute
Project Title: New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC)
Sponsoring Agency: New Jersey Business Action Centers (NJBAC)
Project Period: 01/01/2022 – 06/30/2022
Total Award: $52,933 (No Indirect Costs)
Abstract
The Northwest SBDC provides no-cost, 1:1 consulting both virtual and in-person and low-cost, no-cost webinars/trainings. The mission of the SBDC is to assist small and medium size businesses to start, grow, expand, and thrive with high priority assistance to remain in business. The Rutgers University SBDC, under the leadership of Kelly Brozyna, State Director and Chief Executive Officer of the SBDC, has transitioned the Northwest Network Service Center to Fairleigh Dickinson University via A sub-award under the Prime NJ BAC funding mechanism beginning effective January 1, 2022.
PI/PD Name: Couper, Jean
Department/School: School of Nursing and Allied Health, University College
Project Title: Nurse Faculty Loan Program
Sponsoring Agency: Health Resources and Services Administration/DHHS
Project Period: 07/01/09 – 06/30/2021*
Current Budget Period: 07/01/18 – 06/30/21
Current Award: $0 – No Cost Extension
Total Loan Funds Available: $1,079,995 (No F&A) as of 6/11/21
NOTE: The NFLP program is a revolving loan fund and currently operating under an “indefinite” no-cost extension for purposes of ongoing loan disbursements and collections.
Abstract: Fairleigh Dickinson University Henry P. Becton School of Nursing and Allied Health (HPBSONAH) is submitting a proposal to the Nursing Faculty Loan Program for the fifth year. NFLP funds will provide loans for our students in the master’s in nursing education Program, in the Adult Nurse Practitioner Program with the education focus and in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program (DNP) Organizational Leadership track. In 2012-2013, to date, we were able to fund fifty-one (51) part time and two (2) full time students for a total of thirty (53) students. We anticipate a total of 15 additional students for the 2013-2014 academic year: ten (10) part time Master’s and five (5) part-time DNP students.
PI/PD Name: Hansbrough, Tiffany
Department/School: Department/Management and Marketing, Silberman College of Business
Project Title: Episodic and Semantic Memory Effects on Leadership Measurement and Prediction of Leadership Outcomes
Sponsoring Agency: U.S. Army Research Institute for Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI)
Project Period: 01/15/2018 – 9/30/2022 (Includes No-cost Extension)
Current Award: $71,240
Total Award: $145,136 (includes $48,734 in indirect costs)
Abstract
The measurement of leadership is integral to the understanding of leadership processes and leader development. However, predominate approaches rely on retrospective subordinate reports to measure leader behavior, which overlooks rater memory processes as well as other rater effects that may bias leadership ratings. Our research program builds on theory grounded in cognitive psychology to address this deficiency by investigating ways to improve measurement that focus on rater memory processes as they impact memory for, and ratings of, leadership. An expected outcome of this focus on rater memory processes is a greater understanding of what leadership scales actually access and a prototype of a better scale. Ultimately, this understanding will serve as the foundation for the US Army to develop leadership scales to better support leader development through improved assessment measures.
PI/PD Name: Hansbrough, Tiffany (Florham Campus)
Department/School: Department of Management and Marketing, Silberman College of Business
Project Title: The Role of Memory Systems in 360-Degree Feedback: Promoting Greater Inter-rater Agreement
Sponsoring Agency: U.S. Army Research Institute for Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI)/Va Tech
Project Period: 01/15/2021 – 1/14/2023
Total Award: $40,435 (including $12,891 indirect costs)
Abstract
Our proposed research builds on the foundation of a series of studies in our ARI grant W911NF-18-1-0049 Episodic and Semantic Memory Effects on Leadership Measurement and Prediction of Leadership Outcomes and extends it specifically to leader development. This topic is of strategic importance because the U.S. Army must develop and grow the best possible leaders to meet the challenges of the global security environment of the 21st century. Our proposal will investigate if one key to improving the quality of 360-degree feedback centers on the actual items used in these assessments. Of all the leader development interventions, 360-degree feedback has received the most research attention (McCauley, 2008). Inter-rater agreement, and self-other agreement in particular, has important human resource implications (Yammarino & Atwater, 1997). Yet the correlations between self and other ratings tend to be low. Moreover, Stiles, Hallenbeck and De Meuse (2007, p. 6) observe “an important factor that has been basically ignored is the content domain of the performance dimensions to be rated.”
PI/PD Name: Khreisat, Laila
Department/School: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Project Title: Project ASK: Applying Student Knowledge for Success in Cybersecurity and Data Science
Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation via a Partnership with Kean University
Project Period: 10/15/2021 – 09/30/2026
Total Award to FDU: $999,987 (Including $48,677 Indirect Costs)
Abstract
This S-STEM proposal will broaden the research of prior initiatives lead by Kean University by including the following institutions with similar student populations and an emphasis on Cybersecurity and Data Science, i.e., Fairleigh Dickinson University, Brookdale Community College, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Union County Community College. The project will continue to innovate and share the recruiting and advising methods and lessons learned during prior S-STEM awards, particularly the importance of faculty advising, building a cohort community, and supporting professional development. Best practices of the Computing Alliance for Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI), an NSF INCLUDES Alliance, will be used for responding to the national need for cybersecurity and data science professionals, building a regional community of expertise and opportunity.
PI/PD Name: Khreisat, Laila
Department/School: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Project Title: Network-wide Verification on IPv6 Forwarding Behaviors
Sponsoring Agency: NJ DOE/Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE)
Project Period: 04/01/2021 – 08/31/2022
Total Award: $263,339 (No Indirect Costs)
Abstract
The CS Hub at FDU, in partnership with 6 LEAs, aims to expand equitable access for all K-12 students and participation in high-quality CS education via professional learning for educators, curricula development and promoting the expansion of CS activities at NJ schools, beyond the partnering LEAs. The project will target schools with significant populations of students underserved in CS, and will engage administrators, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders in a partnership rooted in best practices and research. The project team brings together the expertise of CS faculty researchers focused on inclusive CS curriculum development and teacher preparation in STEM, an administrator, school of education faculty and school administrators. The project will provide a framework to build a community of learners beyond the 17-month period. Stakeholders will be involved, including parents, community leaders and school administrators, to broaden their views on CS via school and community events. Our efforts will institutionalize CS education at partner schools by expanding access and instituting extracurricular activities.
PI/PD Name: Ko, Eun-Jeong
Department/School: Management and Entrepreneurship/SCB
Project Title: Establishing the FDU Entrepreneurship Collaboratory
Project Period: 02/01/22 – 08/31/2025
Sponsoring Agency: VentureWell Course & Program
Total Award: $22,400 (No Indirect Costs)
Abstract
The “charter” disciplines involved in this Collaboratory appear across three colleges/schools working synergistically: the Silberman College of Business (SCB), the Gildart Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering (GHCSE), and the Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences. The STEM-entrepreneurship program of the Collaboratory will provide students in STEM with not only multi-disciplinary educational experience but also the opportunities to test, market, and commercialize their inventions in a real marketplace.
PI/PD Name: Liu, Yaoqing, Ph.D.
Department/School: School of Computer Sciences and Engineering
Project Title: Leveraging Biometrics and Smart Contracts to Control Access to IOTs
Sponsoring Agency: SRC-CiTER/Clarkson University Agreement
Project Period: 07/1/20– 12/31/21
Total Award: $33,825 (No Indirect Costs)
Abstract
Internet of Things (IoT) security breaches have been dominating the spotlights. Many IoT attacks, e.g., Mirai DDoS attacks, have caused considerable loss to innocent individuals and organizations. This work proposes to leverage biometrics and smart contracts to control access to IoT. Specifically, biometrics authentication first needs to be available in a smart device. Second, the IoT owner registers the smart device, IoT devices and gateway to a blockchain service, e.g., Ethereum, through a smart contact, which defines who can access the IoT devices and with a deposit of cryptocurrency. An attacker first needs to communicate with the gateway, which will contact the smart contract for verification of the attacker’s credentials. The smart contract ensures that the deposit of a malicious user will be forfeited to the owner, if the verification fails during the biometric authentication process at the smart device. This solution leverages biometrics to enable high-level IoT security to benefit the IoT owner and meanwhile enforces a high penalty to deter adversarial users.
PI/PD Name: Liu, Zaoqing, Ph.D.
Department/School: School of Computer Sciences and Engineering
Project Title: Network-wide Verification on IPv6 Forwarding Behaviors
Sponsoring Agency: Comcast (Transfer funding from Clarkson University)
Project Period: 06/1/20 – 12/31/22
Total Award: $37,990 (No Indirect Costs)
Abstract
IPv6 Internet traffic volume on the Internet has been growing significantly since the World IPv6 Launch Day in 2012. The global IPv6 adoption has been over 23% and more than 9 million domain names have deployed IPv6 [1]. Recently, IPv6 Segment Routing (SRv6) [2] has shown great potentials to facilitate the movement of IPv6 traffic in modern IP networks by its networking programming capabilities on IPv6 packets. Meanwhile, the global IPv6 forwarding table size has increased considerably to over 48K as of today [3]. During the period of fast IPv6 deployment, it is vitally important to verify the correctness of network-‐wide IPv6 forwarding tables in real time as they evolve to larger scale. Particularly, network faults, including loops, black holes, and suboptimal routing, require substantial efforts to be mitigated and avoided. Our focus of this proposal is to quickly detect if there are loops and black holes among all IPv6 forwarding tables when they forward data packets to each other.
PI/PD Name: Liu, Zaoqing, Ph.D.
Department/School: School of Computer Sciences and Engineering
Project Title: Leveraging Biometrics and Smart Contracts to Control Access to IOTs
Sponsoring Agency: SRC-CiTER/Clarkson University Agreement
Project Period: 07/1/20– 12/31/22
Total Award: $33,825 (No Indirect Costs)
Abstract
Internet of Things (IoT) security breaches have been dominating the spotlights. Many IoT attacks, e.g., Mirai DDoS attacks, have caused considerable loss to innocent individuals and organizations. This work proposes to leverage biometrics and smart contracts to control access to IoT. Specifically, biometrics authentication first needs to be available in a smart device. Second, the IoT owner registers the smart device, IoT devices and gateway to a blockchain service, e.g., Ethereum, through a smart contact, which defines who can access the IoT devices and with a deposit of cryptocurrency. An attacker first needs to communicate with the gateway, which will contact the smart contract for verification of the attacker’s credentials. The smart contract ensures that the deposit of a malicious user will be forfeited to the owner if the verification fails during the biometric authentication process at the smart device. This solution leverages biometrics to enable high-level IoT security to benefit the IoT owner and meanwhile enforces a high penalty to deter adversarial users.
PI/PD Name: Liu, Zaoqing, Ph.D.
Department/School: School of Computer Sciences and Engineering
Project Title: Enabling Identity Assurance and Anti-Spoofing Capabilities for Non-Person Entities in a Mobile Mesh Network via an Information Centric Approach
Sponsoring Agency: NSF-CiTER/Clarkson University Sub-Award Project Period:
Project Period: 7/1/20 – 12/31/22
Total Award: $40,000 (No Indirect Costs)
Abstract
Many Non-Person Entities (NPE), e.g., drones for first response, used in DHS missions are operating in a low power, low bandwidth, and computing resource constrained networking environment. These NPE periodically collect critical information to first responders or base station, thus the NPE need to assure their identities with strong anti-spoofing capabilities. To this end, this research proposes to use a new information centric approach to achieve the goal. More specifically, data chunks in the network are identified by names, e.g., /clarkson/citer/biometrics, instead of locations, e.g., IP addresses. This way, first responders just need to express their interests with “what” without knowing “where” to retrieve the content they need. When a NPE generates the data, it signs the data via a pre-allocated public/private key pair by the first responder. Wherever the data is carried, any other entities can check its authenticity by verifying its signature. Unlike traditional approaches, which secure the communication channel between a sender and a receiver, e.g., SSH, this approach secures the data itself. Moreover, this new approach features in-network caching and stateful forwarding, which are particularly important in a mobile and intermitted networking environment where data packets may be dropped frequently.
PI/PD Name: McClary, Marion
Department/School: School of Natural Sciences, University College
Project Title: Louis Stokes STEM Pathways and Research Alliance: Garden State LSAMP – Phase III
Sponsoring Agency: Rutgers University/The National Science Foundation
Project Period: 03/1/2019 – 02/29/2024
Total Award: $183,825 (no indirect costs)
Abstract
The Garden State LSAMP (GSLSAMP) has developed a system of adopting research-based best practices and experimenting with promising home-grown activities to best suit the target population in New Jersey. This approach has proven very successful and resulted in doubling of URM STEM graduates in just 4 years and a 167% increase in 9 years. Project goals will be met by 1) retaining best-practices that are proven to work on the target population, 2) disseminating and adapting the new and promising experimental activities that are being tested on the target population and 3) developing new activities to address priority areas for this project.
FDU under the leadership of Dr. McClary will coordinate all site student STEM research opportunities in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, marine biology, physics, and general science. He will engage STEM faculty, recruit URM graduate mentors and undergraduate student mentees, utilize an agreement of commitment for each student, coordinate, and document research assignments each semester, review interim and final research progress, and coordinate presentations at the GS-LAMP Annual Conference. He is responsible for the coordination of all interim and final progress reports to the Prime Institution.
PI/PD Name: Melloy, Patricia
Department/School: Department of Biological Sciences
Project Title: ASBMS Student Chapter Outreach Program
Sponsoring Agency: American Society of Biology and Molecular Biologyh
Project Period: 1/1/2022 – 12/31/2022
Total Award: $500 (No Indirect Costs)
Cost Share: $500
Abstract
FDU ASBMB chapter will hold an outreach event consisting of guest speakers and science experiments. The goal of the event consists of spreading accurate, reliable, and timely information about molecular biology and biochemistry fields, and promoting a deeper understanding of these branches of science and careers associated with them.
PI/PD Name: Mondal, Kalyan
Co-PIs: Ravi Rao and Erdal Kose
Department/School: Gildart Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering
Project Title: Building a Sustainable Cyber Scholarship Pipeline through Outreach, Competition, Curriculum Development and Capacity Building
Sponsoring Agency: National Security Agency/Department of Defense
Project Period: 9/9/2019 – 6/30/2022 (includes NCE)
Total Award: Total Budget: $328,503 (incudes Indirect Costs of $61,869)
- Recruitment/Basic Scholarship: $178,541 (includes two scholarships and stipends of $139,936, travel $3,500 and indirect costs of $12,235.)
- Capacity Building: Subprojects A & B: $149,962 (includes IC $49,634)
Abstract
The Basic Scholarship proposal describes the process we adopted to advertise and recruit current eligible students from a large pool of CS, IT and Electrical Engineering majors. For this proposal, we envisage improving our recruitment and retention process of cyber scholars by enhancing our existing outreach, admissions, and retention processes. We plan to extend our Computing and Security Enrichment and Outreach Program (CSEOP) to a larger number of high school students to help build the “cyber student pipeline.” The Cyber Outreach Coordinator will help the PI in identifying schools and community colleges for further outreach and the CSC in publicizing and managing the DoD CySP on both NJ campuses and providing support to the awardees.
PI/PD Name: Mondal, Kalyan
Co-PIs: Ihab Darwish, Ravi Rao, Erdal Kose and Yaoqing Liu
Department/School: Gildart Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering
Project Title: Growing a Sustainable Cyber Scholarship Pipeline through Outreach and Curriculum Enhancement
Sponsoring Agency: National Security Agency/Department of Defense
Project Period: 9/3/2021 – 12/31/2022
Total Award: Total Budget: $375,376 (includes $15,937 in indirect costs)
Abstract
The Basic Scholarship proposal describes the process we adopted to advertise and recruit current eligible students from a large pool of CS and IT majors. We will identify high schools to extend our Computing and Security Enrichment and Outreach Program (CSEOP) to greater numbers, and work with community colleges for further outreach and articulations. PI Mondal and co-PI Darwish will be publicizing and managing the DoD CySP on both NJ campuses and providing support to the student CySP Scholars.
PI/PD Name: Raffaele-Mendez, Linda
Department/School: School of Psychology
Project Title: Building Supportive School Communities through Integrating Trauma-Informed Care and Tiered System of Mental Health Support
Sponsoring Agency: The US Department of Education via the Newark Public Schools District
Project Period: 10/1/2019 – 9/30/2024
Total Award: $833,079 (including $123,426 indirect costs)
Abstract
Overall, youth in the Newark Board of Education (NBOE) schools face many challenges, including poverty, violence, victimization, and trauma. Many live in environments where trauma and traumatic stress are part of everyday life. The NBOE will use this grant to develop six trauma-informed demonstration schools and provide tiered systems of mental health support to help children heal and be available for learning. Importantly, this initiative will bring more mental health service providers into the NBOE through a school mental health partnership with FDU, increasing the number of individuals who are able to provide evidence-based group and individual counseling and addressing the substantial shortage of school psychologists in districts like the NPS. This will allow many youths in Newark to access much needed mental health care within their own schools. For youth whose needs exceed the mental health care that can be delivered in schools, the district will collaborate with key community partners, including Rutgers UBHC and Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health, to provide access to mental health services for youth with the greatest levels of need.
PI/PD Name: Scorza, Jason
Department/School: Provost’s Office
Project Title: Diversifying Study Abroad by Increasing Participation of STEM Majors
Sponsoring Agency/Award: Department of State
Project Period: 07/06/2019 – 08/31/2022
Total Award: $34,980 ($3,180 Indirect Costs)
Cost Share: $17,456
Abstract: The main objective of this project is to diversify study abroad at FDU by increasing participation of underrepresented STEM students and expanding opportunities for them to study abroad in less frequently visited destinations. FDU will accomplish this by developing four new short-term faculty-led study abroad programs designed to meet the needs of STEM majors. These programs will be developed by teams of STEM faculty from four academic clusters; each will substantively incorporate a U.S. foreign policy priority identified in the RFGP; and each will be hosted by an international partner in a country less frequently visited by FDU students.
PI/PD Name: Traba, Christian
Department/School: Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics
Project Title: Antibiotic-Free Anti-Infection Polymer Brush Biocoatings
Sponsoring Agency: The National Institute of (NIBIB/NIH)
Award No: R15 EB029710 AREA Grant
Project Period: 9/15/2020 – 9/14/2023
Total Award: $366,593 (includes $66,593 in Indirect Costs)
Abstract
Each year there are over two million healthcare-associated infections as a result of indwelling device infections in the United States alone, from which approximately 99,000 people die. Antibiotic-resistant biofilms thus create numerous problems in both medical and biomedical applications and have profound negative implications for public health. To tackle this problem, “smart”, antibiotic-free, anti-infection polymer brush biocoatings (sPBBs), designed specifically for catheters have been developed. These smart biocoatings consist of ammonium polymer brushes that sense bacteria and biofilms and effectively target the infectious organisms discriminately, while promoting tissue cell growth. We propose that our anti-infection biocoatings may be the future for the prevention of medical and biomedical implant contaminations. Preliminary data suggest that sPBBs are efficacious for eradicating antibiotic-resistant, biofilm-forming bacteria including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Escherichia coli on biomaterials used to make catheters, in vitro.
PI/PD Name: Viezel, Kathleen
Department/School: School of Psychology and Counseling
Project Title: Practitioner Errors on the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ IV COG)
Sponsoring Agency/Award: Woodcock Institute (Texas Women’s University)
Project Period: 01/01/2022 – 12/31/2022
Total Award: $13,963 (No Indirect Costs)
Abstract
Error-free administration of cognitive assessments is essential to obtaining valid and usable scores. Research has repeatedly shown that graduate students learning to administer these assessments make errors, as part of a learning curve, although one would hope that errors would not be found in protocols completed by practitioners in the field. Other studies examining assessments, such as the Wechsler scales, have found that practitioners also maker errors with unfortunate frequency. This study proposes to be the first to examine practitioner error on the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ IV COG). This study will examine the most common errors made by practitioners, i.e., how many errors are typically found per protocol and per test, whether certain tests have a higher average number of errors, and whether practitioner errors on the WJ IV COG occur less frequently than errors found on the Wechsler tests.
PI/PD Name: Woolley, Peter
Department/School: School of Public and Global Affairs
Sponsoring Agency: NJ Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE)
Project Title: Newark Campus Political Science Program
Project Period: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2022
Total Award: $250,000 (inclusive of $18,519 in Indirect Costs)
Note: 3rd Year of consecutive funding
Abstract
To provide community leadership and professional development programming as well as Master’s degree options in Public Administration and Global Affairs, linking upcoming and aspiring leaders in the international city of Newark to students and professors at FDU’s campuses in Vancouver, BC and Oxfordshire, UK, approaching local problems and challenges as global ones, and global problems and challenges as local ones. The establishment of vibrant community leadership center to include regular leadership workshops, graduate degree courses, and undergraduate degree completion, all linked to an international student body.
PI/PD Name: Winters, Georgia
Department/School: School of Psychology
Project Title: Sexual Grooming Behaviors Experienced by Victims of Clergy Child Sexual Abuse
Project Period: 11/15/2021 – 11/14/2022
Sponsoring Agency: American Psychology – Law Society
Total Award: $2,500 (No Indirect Costs)
Abstract
Sexual grooming tactics are used by a child sexual abuser to prepare a child for the impending abuse and prevent detection or disclosure. Following reports of large-scale child sexual abuse (CSA) within the U.S. Catholic Church in the early 2000s, it was postulated that many of these cases went unreported because the abusive clergy used sexual grooming behaviors in the perpetration of the abuse. Indeed, studies using archival data revealed that clergy accused of CSA frequently used sexual grooming tactics in the offense process; however, no studies have examined victims’ perceptions of these tactics or the impact these have on the victim. The present study aims to: a) investigate the perceptions and experiences of sexual grooming by victims of clergy CSA based on a content-validated model of sexual grooming (Sexual Grooming Model; Winters et al., 2020), and b) examine the resulting impact that sexual grooming has on a victim’s psychological well-being. Adult victims of clergy CSA will be invited to complete an online self-report survey regarding the sexual grooming behaviors they experienced and their psychological health.
PI/PD Name: Wright-Kim, Jeremy
Department/School: School of Education
Project Title: Equity Implications & Impact of ESS Funding Project
Project Period: 07/01/2021 – 12/31/2022
Sponsoring Agency: California Community College Chancellor’s Office
Total Award: $106,385 (includes off-campus Indirect Costs of $14,753)
Abstract
This project outlines a thorough research agenda to better understand the nature and characteristics of the select funding streams currently allocated by the ESS Division and the extent to which current funding and allocation structures are aligned with, and support, the goals outlined in the system’s Vision for Success. In addition to program characteristics, this project proposes deliverables that explore “how” institutions are using these funds across their various functions to support student success; project deliverables also include insight into the potential impacts of select ESS Division funding programs on institutional practice and student success. It includes several lines of inquiry including: 1) Descriptive Analysis of ESS Funding by Institution; 2) Equity Implications of Current Funding Structures; 3) Use of Funds Case Study Analysis; 4) Impact Indicators Inventory; and 5) Impact Study of Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG).