CHDCM Summer Research Grant Propels Faculty Projects and Student Learning
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Underwritten by the Office of the Dean, the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media Summer Research Grant (SRG) program is an annual initiative designed to support the
scholarship and/or creative/artistic endeavors of faculty within the College.
Many faculty members prioritize work on their scholarly and creative projects throughout the summer; this program is designed to support this work through modest resource support, including a one-time stipend and research-related reimbursements for approved expenses.
The program is open to all full-time, tenured or probationary/tenure-track faculty of the College who have not received an SRG award in the last calendar year.
It is specifically intended to assist faculty among one or more of the following five factions:
- Building their dossier for tenure and promotion, or promotion to Professor.
- Moving a substantial project toward publication or premiere.
- Developing a research or creative project on a new topic.
- Collaborating on a project with a colleague across CHDCM departmental lines.
- Preparing a project for submission to an external funding agency.
The summer 2025 CHDCM SRG program will be its second iteration, following the College's inception in the fall of 2023. The Office of the Dean will award up to four proposals at full funding.
The 2024 inaugural recipients include Branden Buehler, associate professor of visual and sound media; Sadia Cheema, assistant professor of communication media and the arts; and Nicole Hansen, assistant professor of educational studies. All three recipients made tremendous inroads on their respective projects, serving as admirable stewards of the program's aim.
Hansen focused on exploring the experiences, successes and challenges that New Jersey social studies supervisors described in response to recent requirements to teach about the contributions of disabled individuals in middle and high schools.
“The summer research grant was incredibly helpful in moving my research agenda forward,” said Hansen. “It allowed me to dedicate focused time to this project during summer 2024, which can be difficult to carve out during the academic year.”
The grant helped support participant incentives, assisting with recruitment to create meaningful opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in hands-on research. Hansen noted how impactful it was to guide Seton Hall students Amanda Grace and Gianna Vaynberg through the project.
“I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work with Amanda and Gianna, who have gained valuable experience beyond what they would encounter in coursework alone,” Hansen said. “I believe that working on this project has helped them develop a deeper understanding of the real-world complexities of implementing legislation in schools.”
The trio is developing a conference proposal and plans to prepare a journal article based on their findings.
“I truly see the CHDCM summer research grant as a valuable investment in faculty and student scholarship.”
Categories: Education, Research
