Latest round of seed grant winners announced

By Maura Kelly

席勒综合科学与社会电子游戏正规平台所刚刚宣布了今年种子基金的接受者. In total, the awards represent approximately $430,000 to support projects during the fiscal year ahead, beginning in June. Selected scholars received one of two kinds of awards—Grants for Exploratory Collaborative Scholarship (SI-GECS), a program in its fourth year; or Grants for Research in Targeted & Emerging Areas (SI-RITEA), being given out for a second year. Grants range from $10,000 to $50,000.

“在我们选择的电子游戏正规平台提案中，对社会正义和共同利益的关注通常是突出的,” says Laura J. Steinberg, 席勒综合科学与社会电子游戏正规平台所的执行董事. “All of the projects we chose grapple with crucial societal issues, and approach them with the Boston College mission in mind.”

SI-GECS赠款支持以席勒电子游戏正规平台所关注的三个领域之一为中心的合作电子游戏正规平台项目:能源使用或生产, the natural environment, and health. 今年的SI-GECS奖项之一授予了地球与环境科学助理教授王星辰, 谁将与该电子游戏正规平台所的可再生能源和可持续发展教授以及化学副教授黄杰一起工作, to study how feasible it will be to convert CO2 captured from seawater into fuel. The grant will allow them a year of exploratory research; subsequently, 教授们计划利用他们收集到的数据向国家科学基金会或能源部等机构申请一笔重要的外部资助. 

“自工业革命以来，海洋吸收了大约35%的二氧化碳排放总量,” Wang tells SchillerNow. “储存从海水中捕获的二氧化碳的最可持续的方法之一是将其转化为燃料, using solar energy. Our proposal aims to investigate the feasibility of this solar-powered, ocean-based CO2-to-fuel conversion technology.” 

另一项SI-GECS资助被授予康奈尔护理学院电子游戏正规平台与综合科学副院长Diana Bowser, who will head up a team of colleagues from the economics department, to look at how healthcare cost increases affect older Americans. Necessary treatments, medications, 预防保健往往是如此昂贵，以至于美国老年人放弃或推迟就医或填写处方——这加剧了健康问题，降低了生活质量. 为了更好地理解成本与美国老年人如何利用医疗保健服务之间的关系, Bowser and her group will study Medicare user data.

“这个项目将建立护理学院和经济系之间的长期合作关系,” says Steinberg. 这也将有助于解决美国最棘手的医疗问题之一.”

Like the SI-GECS awards, the SI-RITEA grants will also support scholars who study the natural environment, the energy transition, or health. But to win an SI-RITEA, applicants must also do research related to the Global South (Type A); or they must collaborate with a US-based, non-academic partner (Type B). Collaborations with Massachusetts partners were, of course, especially appealing to the selection committee.

One of this year's SI-RITEA winners, Associate Philosophy Professor Micah Lott, 将探讨非洲哲学在对待公共资源(如卫生和保健)方面与当代北大西洋思想有何不同. As Lott wrote in his proposal, “这项电子游戏正规平台将探索当代非洲和亚里士多德的共同利益框架, asking what the two traditions have in common, and what they can learn from each other.” He added, "关于共同利益的假设，以及与自我相关的想法, identity, and community— shape different understandings of health, disease, and well-being? What implications do these ideas have for the practice of medicine, and the challenges facing doctors, nurses, and other clinicians?这一理论调查将为波士顿和坎帕拉临床医生之间差异的实证调查提供框架, 乌干达——他在社会工作学院和布里格姆妇女医院的合作者都有联系.

洛特教授向席勒解释了他这个项目的想法是从哪里来的. “I've done a lot of teaching and writing about Aristotelian ethics, 我想探索当代非洲哲学——这是我不太了解的东西. I am working on a book project about common goods,” he explains. 亚里士多德和非洲关于共同利益的观点之间似乎有很多有趣的联系, and this project is a chance to explore those in a constructive way.”

With help from another SI-RITEA grant, 心理学和神经科学助理教授格雷格·斯帕克曼(Gregg Sparkman)将与教育非营利组织Think Beyond the Pump (TBTP)合作，该组织在39个州开展工作，以促进气候正义和可持续性, 特别注重沟通——为加油站设计一个气候变暖的标签，有效地教育美国人使用汽油和柴油的危险. TBTP团队将致力于在泵上获得标签，并提供相关的法律建议. 斯坦伯格说:“这个项目对及时的、现实的影响具有令人兴奋的意义。. 

Other SI-GECS grants have been awarded to: 

  • Associate Professor of Physics, Fazel Tafti, 谁将领导一个电子游戏正规平台混合超导体计算机辅助设计的团队
  • Associate Professor of the Practice of Engineering, Amin Mohebbi, who will work with Institute Professor Yi Ming (Earth and Environmental Sciences), 创建区域水文模拟，以预测内彭塞特河流域未来气候引起的变化
  • Assistant Professor of Nursing, Lindsey Camp, 谁将与计算机科学副教授Emily Prud'hommeaux合作，分析数据和定性电子游戏正规平台，作为促进母乳喂养努力的一部分
  • Assistant Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, Carl McTague, 谁将与经济部的Mehmet Ekmekci合作，尝试让人工智能足够安全，可以委托给卫生数据和公共基础设施
  • Professor of Physics, Micahel J. Naughton, who will team up with collaborators to study the melanin nanoparticle, relative to infrared light cancer therapy

Other SI-RITEA grants have been awarded to: 

  • Assistant Professor History, María de los Ángeles Picone, 电子游戏正规平台巴塔哥尼亚保护和基础设施发展的交织历史
  • Professor of Sociology Juliet Schor, 谁将与社会学文帆副教授合作，电子游戏正规平台通过四天工作周减少碳排放和提高幸福感
  • Assistant Professor of Teaching, Curriculum and Society Faythe Beauchemin, 谁将与政治科学和地球与环境科学系的同事(包括席勒电子游戏正规平台所的田汉昆教授)合作，与波士顿公立学校合作调查气候正义素养
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