Internal Awards Summary
Western Michigan University's Office of Research and Innovation offers several awards annually to support research and creative activities at WMU. Internal support is also available from individual colleges and offices at the University.
INTERNAL AWARD SUMMARY 2021-22
| Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award | $113,795 |
| Faculty Research Travel Fund | $141,781 |
| Publication of Papers and Exhibition of Creative Works | $31,580 |
| Support for Faculty Scholars Award | $15,259 |
| Technology Development Fund | $50,000 |
| Undergraduate Research Excellence Award | $12,580 |
| Total | $364,995 |
Award amounts have been rounded to the nearest dollar.
View previous statistics of internal award summaries.
Past award recipients
Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award
Support for Faculty Scholars Award
Technology Development Fund
Undergraduate Research Excellence Award
Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award
The Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award supports WMU faculty in significant research, rigorous scientific inquiry, original artistic activity and inventive technology.
2021-22 FRACAA
| Name | Department | Project Title |
| Ari-Gur, Pnina; Elise DeDoncker | Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering | Artificial Intelligence for Smarter Additive Manufacturing |
| Asumadu, Johnson | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Magnetic Nanoparticle-based Gyroscopic Sensor |
| Atilhan, Mert | Chemical and Paper Engineering | Novel Solvents for Biomass Treatment in Pulp and Paper Industries |
| Beasley, William | Economics | Michigan Coastal Management: Erosion Damage and Spillovers |
| Bhattacharjee, Shameek | Computer Science | Towards a Unified Framework for Preserving Security and Privacy of Smart Home IoT |
| Chapleau, Ann | Occupational Therapy | Goal Scaling Solutions CARE for Students (GSS CARES) |
| Crotchett, Cat | Frostic School of Art | Tethered – intangible relationships realized through abstracted pattern |
| Devanga, Suma | Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences | Feasibility of Group Collaborative Referencing Intervention for Aphasia |
| Durbin, Steve | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Investigation of Disorder in Niobium Based Superconductors |
| Gupta, Ajay | Computer Science | NAS De Novo Peptide Sequencing |
| Heasley, Lynne | Institute of the Environment and Sustainability | Environmental Histories in the Alvar Landscapes of Drummond and Manitoulin Islands: Toward new insights on relationships between biodiversity protection and environmental justice in the Great Lakes |
| Holtzman, Jon | Anthropology/IIAS | Contradictions of Peace: A Comparative Study of War and Memory in Three Contexts |
| Christian, Sue Ellen | Communications | The Media and News Literacy Museum Project |
| Kim, Jinseok | Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering | Determining the Material Properties of Metallic Components Using an Instrumented Micro-Indentation Test and Machine Learning Technique |
| Lu, Yan | Biological Sciences | Functions of NFU-type Iron-Sulfur Carriers in the Mitochondrion |
| Owen, Ginger | Frostic School of Art | Heritage Habitats: fusing Eastern and Western methods of storytelling |
| Pietras, Cynthia | Psychology | Effects of Nature Imagery on Human Decision Making and Pro-environmental Choices |
| Smith, Brooke | Psychology | The Interaction of Fear and Avoidance as an Avenue to Improving Treatment of Anxiety |
| The, Yu-Lien | School of Music | Diversifying the Repertoire of Teaching Pieces for Young Pianists |
| Weller, Bridget | Social Work | A Behavioral Intervention to Promote Mental Health Among Multiracial Emerging Adults |
View additional FRACAA award recipients
Support for Faculty Scholars Award
The Support for Faculty Scholars Award supports creative activities and research that may not lead to external funding but enhance and sustain the scholarly reputation of WMU and the faculty principal investigators.
2022 SFSA
| Name | Department | Project title |
Cat Crotchett | Art | Golden Foundation for the Arts Residency |
| Angela Groves | Nursing | A hypertension feasibility study for African American women |
| Daniel Macfarlane | Environment and Sustainability | The Lowest Great Lake: An Environmental History of Lake Ontario |
| Tabitha Mingus | Mathematics | Using Student Feedback to Improve the Value of Desmos Activities for Students |
| Maria RocheDean | Nursing | Recruiting Racial and Ethnic Minority Nurses for Stress Research Measured via Hair Cortisol Concentration |
| Gail Rouscher | Aviation | Student learning in laboratory setting: Does the outcome change with mode of viewing medium? |
| Eli Rubin | History | History Arc of Destruction: War and Urban Space in Germany 1937-1945--Chapter Four "An Everyday Life and Spatial History of the Taking of Berlin" |
| Chen Wang | Management | What does it mean to be authentic in the workplace? |
View additional SFSA award recipients
Technology Development Fund
WMU research supports commercialization efforts at WMU through the Technology Development Fund.
2021 TDF
| Name | Project Title | Funded |
| Gomez, Pablo | Development of Transmission Line Fault Location Technology for Electric Power Systems | $25,000 |
| Sawalha, Lina | Optimization of Hybrid 3D Metal Printer Process Using Machine Learning | $25,000 |
View additional TDF award recipients
Undergraduate Research Excellence Award
The Undergraduate Research Excellence Award provides undergraduate students at WMU with opportunities to take part in mentored research or creative activities with an externally funded faculty member.
Summer II & FALL 2022 UREA
| Applicant | Major | Faculty Mentor | Mentor's Department | Proposal Title |
| Alexander Anthony | Mechanical Engineering | Muralidhar Ghantasala | MAE | Formula SAE Suspension Research and Validation |
| David Boktor | Mechanical Engineering | Bade Shrestha | ME | Maglev Garage Door |
| Sean Davey | EDMM | Pavel Ikonomov | EDMM | Update of Welder on 3D Hybrid Metal Printer |
| Austin Fecteau | Mechanical Engineering | Parviz Merati | ME | Sonar Doppler Blood Flow Sensor |
| John Getson | Biochemistry | Gellert Mezei | Chemistry | Synthesis of pyrazole based macrocycle |
| Katherine Giustino | Speech Pathology and Audiology | Suma Devanga | SLHS | Feasibility of Group Collaborative Referencing Intervention for Aphasia |
| Collin Howard | Mechanical Engineering | Claudia Fajardo-Hansford | MAE | FSAE Engine Research |
| Jared Hughes | Electrical Engineering | Massood Atashbar | ECE | Wireless Smart Sticker |
| Mitch MacDermaid | Mechanical Engineering | Muralidhar Ghantasala | MAE | FSAE Instrumentation and Validation |
| Samantha Mazurkiewicz | MAE | Bade Shrestha | MAE | Optimization of ACS Closing Machine |
| Emmanuel Oladipupo | Mechanical Engineering | Pnina Ari-Gur | ME | White Cane: Shoe Sole Module |
| Tyler Piske | Chemistry | Frederick Stull | Biochemistry | The Kinetic Profile of NicA2 at Varying pH |
| Victoria Schreck | Flute Performance | Martha Councell-Vargas | Flute | In Bloom: Mixed Media Junior Flute Recital |
| Connor Seifert | Mechanical Engineering | Jinseok Kim | MAE | Garage Door with Maglev Technology |
| Samuel Sinicki | Engineering Design Technology | Pavel Ikonomov | EDMM | Automatic Welding Tool Changer |
| Firzana Syazania | Psychology | Amy Damashek | Psychology | Impact of Cultural Perceptions of Education on Mental Health Outcomes Among Asian and Asian American Students |
| Nuha Terkan | Computer Engineering | Massood Atashbar | ECE | Smart Insole for Gait and Mobility Analysis |