JWU Awards $100,000 to Support Faculty Research and Scholarship

PRESS RELEASE

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — June XX, 2021 – Johnson & Wales University (JWU) has awarded more than $100,000 to support 10 research and scholarship faculty projects for its inaugural Provost Innovation and Accelerator programs which provide seed funding for faculty to support a broad range of scholarship and professional activities. All/Some projects include student participation.

“Cultivating and celebrating faculty achievements in the area of research, scholarship and creative activities is a strategic priority essential to the academic fabric of the university and building our reputation of excellence,” said JWU Provost Kyle McInnis, Sc.D. “As the university continues to strengthen its academic programming we will continue to support faculty scholarship, especially when students are able to participate and deepen their experience at JWU and emerge ready to lead.”

In March, the university announced the establishment of its Provost Innovation Fund and Provost Accelerator Fund which provide seed funding for faculty to support a broad range of scholarship and professional activities to advance their professional goals, create a pipeline for potential future funding, and elevate Johnson & Wales’ status and reputation as a comprehensive university.

The following projects will launch this summer and in the fall:

Reducing Recidivism through Career Preparation, Counseling, and Mentoring

Nicole Amos, MBA, College of Business

• Summary: The purpose of this qualitative research study is to evaluate incarcerated persons who are preparing for release and their perspective on participating in job training, career coaching, counseling, and mentoring through a non-profit organization based in their community.

Low Cost, Bespoke, Game-Based Therapy and Assistive Devices

Nicole Urban, Ph.D., John Hazen White College of Arts & Sciences

• Summary: The purpose of this project is to address two aspects related to healthcare disparities in the U.S; (1) the affordability and availability of quality rehabilitative and assistive devices, and (2) the challenge of patient compliance with prescribed therapeutic and assistive services.

STOP THE BLEED: Train the Trainers Course

Ashley Hughes, MSPAS, College of Health & Wellness; Kyle Martin, DO; Chelsea Lacasse, MSPAS

• Summary: The ultimate goal of providing STOP THE BLEED (STB) training is to educate bystanders on proper and effective means of hemorrhage control to increase victim survival in the event of mass casualty, trauma and other causes of severe, life-threatening bleeding. This project will take place in an area of Africa where emergency response to bleeding is severely limited.

Health Equity Fellowship Program (HERP)

Samantha Rosenthal, Ph.D. and Jennifer Swanberg, Ph.D, College of Health & Wellness

• Summary: The primary purpose of the HEFP is to generate and study the effect of paid research opportunities and training focused on health equity for graduate and undergraduate students on the topic of race/ethnicity and trauma in the health or sexual and gender minorities.

Development of an Experiential Education Course for Undergraduate Research in Engineering

Nicholas DeFilippo, Ph.D., College of Engineering & Design

• Summary: This project will design a mobile robotic system with an arm and sensors capable of performing a task associated with assistive service robots, and benefit undergraduate students by exposing them to engineering research problems.

Growing Desistance in a Prison Inmate Gardening Program

Dorothy Abram, Ed.D., John Hazen White College of Arts & Sciences

• Summary: The purpose is to develop a prison gardening project in a way that offers a unique contribution to desistance theory and an original contribution to desistance programs’ effectiveness to shape prisoners’ lives toward a prosocial outcome.

Impact of a Medical Home Dietician on Health Outcomes in Adults with Diabetes: Retrospective Cohort Study

Kara Cucinotta, DCN, College of Health & Wellness

• Summary: The purpose of this study is to compare the diabetes-related health outcomes in adult patients within a single primary care site before and after including an RDN in a medical home model through retrospective chart reviews.

Practice Patterns of Upper Cervical Dysfunction

Shannon Strate, OTD, Paul Ullucci Jr., Ph.D. and Craig Baillie, MSPAS and College of Health & Wellness

• Summary: To assess clinical practice patterns pertaining to UCD in vertigo, dizziness, concussion and PCS prior to and after a comprehensive interdisciplinary education program among medical providers in the region.

Exploration of Frontiers in Remote Sensing Methodologies

Vid Sivalingam, MS, College of Engineering & Design

• Summary: This engineering and technology project investigates the question of how to produce an efficient algorithm for remote sensing and also to test the limits of existing approaches. Some of the existing approaches are Finite Difference Method (FDM), Finite Element Method (FEM) and Method of Moments (MoM).

Economic Mobility and the Entrepreneurial Mindset

Adam Smith, Ph.D.; James Woods, Ph.D., College of Arts & Sciences

• Summary: This grant has two goals of interest to the Charlotte Campus: 1) A focus group of students, staff, and faculty will jointly examine the factors that limit/enhance economic mobility in economically disadvantaged areas by utilizing a growth-based mindset and grit-based strategies combined with entrepreneurship skills as a way to gain upward mobility; and 2) Building upon the research produced by these workshops, launch an accelerated entrepreneurial development program by establishing a summer bridge program for incoming freshmen.