Announcing the 2020-21 ISSR Scholars

Image

The Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) is pleased to announce the 2020-21 ISSR Scholars, who represent five colleges and six departments across the UMass Amherst campus. 

Joya Misra, director of the Institute for Social Science Research, notes, “Social science is a critical part of shaping better outcomes in our world, and we are delighted to support important research carried out by this group of varied and dynamic social scientists.”

ISSR Scholars have emerged from all of the UMass colleges, and have obtained an unprecedented funding success rate of over 70% since 2012.

ISSR Scholars participate in a year-long biweekly seminar that helps each of them develop a strong research grant proposal. In addition to attending in-depth sessions on grant writing and receiving valuable peer feedback on their proposals, ISSR Scholars are given unique opportunities to consult with nationally recognized experts about their proposals.

This year, the Scholars program will give faculty from the College of Education, the College of Natural Sciences, the College of Nursing, the College of Social and Behavior Sciences and the School of Public Health and Health Sciences the time and support necessary to develop a successful large grant proposal. This group includes faculty members from geosciences and political science explicitly working to develop new insights through their interdisciplinary collaboration. Yet, all of the faculty benefit from the interdisciplinary communication and learning that occurs as part of the program.

The mission of ISSR is to promote excellence in social science research. One of its most important goals, served by the Scholars Program, is to strengthen existing social science infrastructure on campus in order to stimulate high-quality scholarship. 

The 2020-21 scholars are:

Jeanne Brunner
Assistant professor
Department of teacher education and curriculum studies
College of Education
Project title: Supporting the Teaching of Nature of Science in Elementary Grades with Read-Alouds

Xiaoxue Sherry Gao
Assistant professor
Department of resource economics
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Project title: Aging Stereotypes: Effects on Mental Health, Preference and Health Behavior

Karen Giuliano
Associate professor
College of Nursing
Institute for Advanced Life Sciences
Project title: Supporting Early Mobility in Acute/Critical Care Using Real-Time Feedback

Megan Gross
Assistant professor
Department of communication disorders
School of Public Health and Health Sciences
Project title: Predictors of Cognitive and Linguistic Skills in Bilingual Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Dual-Language Input

Regine Spector
Associate professor
Department of political science
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Project title: Ambiguities of Renewable Energy: Rethinking Electricity Markets, Green Development and Sustainability in Massachusetts (Co-Scholar Eve Vogel)

Eve Vogel
Associate professor
Department of geosciences
College of Natural Sciences
Project title: Ambiguities of Renewable Energy: Rethinking Electricity Markets, Green Development and Sustainability in Massachusetts (Co-Scholar Regine Spector)

Learn more about the ISSR Scholars program.