2017 Recipients of Grants to Support Research and Scholarship for Change

The Grants to Support Research and Scholarship for Change program provides an opportunity for members of the U-M community to collaborate in innovative ideas that will positively impact academia and society. Project topics may include, but are not limited to, diversifying staff, faculty, and students; transforming campus and departmental culture; leading through diverse cultural frames; addressing critical issues through intergenerational collaborations; and highlighting marginalized voices. For more information, please click here.

This year, the NCID funded nine projects, including: 

Assessing the Relationship between Early Mathematics Preparation and Subsequent STEM Performance for Middle-School Girls in Michigan

Mark Allison, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
College of Arts and Sciences, U-M Flint

This research project lays the groundwork for early intervention to advance diversity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Existing trends show middle school as the period in which girls first lose interest in STEM. This research focuses on the relationship between early mathematics preparation and girls' subsequent STEM performance. The research includes a systematic review of the literature on the topic, statistical analyses of Michigan's reported K-12 student proficiencies in math and science, and the creation of a survey instrument to test resulting hypotheses.

Baseline Evaluation of Cultural Sensitivity Among Medical Students to Inform Future Curricular Development

Brent Williams, Professor of Internal Medicine
Michigan Medicine

Michael D. Fetters, Professor of Family Medicine
Director of Japanese Family Health Program
Co-Director of Michigan Mixed Methods Research and Scholarship Program
Michigan Medicine

Tania Piotrowski, Administrative Director of Global REACH
Michigan Medicine

Carrie Ashton, Global REACH Global Visitors Coordinator
Michigan Medicine

Craig McCool, Global REACH Communications Manager
Michigan Medicine

Yucheng Hou, MA Student
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

The University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) aims to prepare future physicians for an increasingly diverse world. UMMS leaders plan to introduce formal training in cultural awareness starting with students preparing for off-campus experiences in low-resource settings. This project aims to survey students' cultural sensitivity prior to this training, establishing a baseline vital to long-term assessment. A plan includes qualitative interviews with students following electives in low-resource settings to guide training development. Findings will benefit not only medical students, but also other U-M units seeking to engage students in cross-cultural collaborations.

Campus Racial Diversity: Examining Well-Being Outcomes Among Faculty of Color

Amy Ko Westmoreland, PhD Student of Psychology
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Fiona Lee, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Psychology
Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Professional Development
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

This study examines how (a) numerical representation of faculty of color and (b) campus racial climate affect faculty's experiences of stress from discrimination, dissatisfaction of coworkers, and feelings of exclusion. Results will inform universities on effective policies to advance the well-being of faculty of color.

Building Capacity for Health Equity Leadership Research

Ebbin Dotson, Assistant Professor of Health Management & Policy
Faculty Director, Health Equity Leadership Pipeline Collaborative
Faculty Director, U-M Summer Enrichment Program
School of Public Health

Christopher A. Clarke, Program Director
University of Michigan Summer Enrichment Program (UMSEP) and
the Health Equity Leadership Pipeline Collaborative

Aaron Hopkins, MA Student in the Department of Management and Policy
School of Public Health

Judith Smith, Informationist
Taubman Health Sciences Library

To create more collaborative research opportunities, this project will develop a multilevel stackable advanced training certification in health equity research practices. The five main competencies for the training program are: Health Equity Terminology, Information Management and Ethical Use, Online Searching and Documentation, Evaluating Information, and Scholarly Writing and Publishing. The training takes a scaffolding approach and presents four levels of training designed to encourage stackable learning.

A Critical Analysis of A Major Arabic Language Textbook: A project of U-M’s Islamophobia Working Group

Evelyn Alsultany, Associate Professor of American Culture
Director of Arab and Muslim American Studies
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

This purpose of this research project is to support and disseminate research that students are conducting on the Arabic language textbook used at U-M, alKitaab (The Book). This textbook is internationally recognized as the standard in Arabic language teaching. However, students at the University of Michigan, Stanford University, Tufts University, and other campuses have noted that the textbook prepares students to work for the US State Department and thus impacts the way that Arabic is taught, compared to other languages. Students engaged in this research, under the guidance of Professor Samer Ali will present their findings at the Middle East Studies Association Conference in Washington, DC in November 2017.

Developing and Testing the Southeast Michigan Health Index for Trans-Affirming Care Providers

Brendon Holloway, MA Student
School of Social Work

Katie Doyle, Executive Director
Ozone House

The Southeast Michigan Health Index is being created to provide trans-affirming options for individuals in or near southeast Michigan who identify as transgender or non-binary. The objectives of the project are to (1) assess health facilities and their providers in southeast Michigan, (2) provide a running index of trans-affirming providers, and (3) partner with local LGBTQ organizations and U-M to publish this index for trans and non-binary people to utilize.

Understanding the Barriers to Obtaining a Washtenaw County ID for US Citizens

William Lopez, Postdoctoral Fellow
School of Social Work/National Center for Institutional Diversity

Keta Cowan, CEO
Synod Community Services

Jorge Delva, Professor of Social Work
Associate Dean of Educational Programs
School of Social Work

Maria Ibarra-Frayre, ID Project Manager and Community Liaison
Synod Community Services

Alana LeBrón, Assistant Professor of Public Health and Chicano/Latino Studies
University of California, Irvine

The Washtenaw ID (WID) is a government issued photo ID available to residents of Washtenaw County (Michigan) regardless of citizenship, residential stability, and gender presentation. Based on a national survey, approximately 43,000 Washtenaw County residents lack a government-issued ID. Since July of 2015, 1,270 Washtenaw IDs have been issued; evaluation data suggest that most of these IDs have gone to members of the immigrant community. This project investigates barriers to Washtenaw ID access among US citizens and aims to disseminate and leverage findings to increase uptake among this community.

Visible and Invisible Labor: A History of Precarious Immigration in Postwar Europe

Rita Chin, Associate Professor of History
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

This book project is a history of immigration to post-1945 Europe that emphasizes the precarious existence of migrants who arrived through unregulated channels. The study seeks to provide a critical introduction to the broader patterns of non-European workers and their settlement in Europe after World War II. Second, this book offers a comparative examination of both state-sanctioned and unregulated forms of immigration in order to illuminate the wide range of migrant experiences. Finally, it challenges the broadly accepted distinction between refugees and immigrants, which assumes that refugees are fleeing "real" threats, while immigrants are merely economic opportunists.

Campus Culture at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Betty Overton-Atkins, Clinical Professor of Higher Education
Director of the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good
School of Education

Mariama Nagbe, Graduate Research Assistant
National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good

The purpose of this research project is to obtain information about a growing set of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that are gaining in enrollments of non-Black students. This study focuses on how HBCUs continue to honor its historic roots and simultaneously diversify its student body and program offerings. This survey is being conducted for a study housed in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE) at the University of Michigan.