The Institute of Diversity Sciences (IDS) at UMass Amherst recently awarded four $15,000 grants to interdisciplinary teams of faculty and student researchers through its annual seed grant competition. The goal of these grants is to support STEM research that addresses pressing social problems and advances public interest. Researchers supported by these grants come from nine departments across campus.

In the 2026 funding cycle, IDS is supporting projects that expand access in tourism and in the classroom; help communities develop equitable energy infrastructure in the face of climate-related disruptions; and two projects that examine public perceptions of higher education. Together, they show what IDS seed grants are designed to support: research that is ambitious, interdisciplinary and committed to the public good.

“At a time when so much about higher education feels uncertain, it’s easy to focus on what we can’t control,” said Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta, director of IDS. “Our seed grants reflect what we can do—bring together faculty and students from different disciplines to develop research that responds to the needs of our communities. These projects demonstrate how scientific collaboration can create meaningful impact.”

Grants were awarded to the following projects:

"Education Embodied: Measuring Student Engagement Through Physiology"

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Universities are investing heavily in more inclusive teaching—but which classroom practices actually help students feel engaged and supported? This project will explore whether physiological indicators can provide a more immediate and inclusive way to measure student engagement in active learning environments.

 

"Power, Heat, and Health: Rethinking Community Safety During Outages"

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As power outages and extreme heat become more common, losing electricity can quickly become a health emergency for older adults and people who rely on medical devices at home. This project explores whether community energy resilience hubs could help fill that gap, combining community input with engineering to design solutions that are practical, trusted and equitable. 

 

"With Colleges at a Crossroads, What Do Americans Want from Higher Education?"

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Public confidence in higher education appears to be declining, raising questions about access, opportunity and the role of colleges and universities in civic life. This project will examine what Americans think about higher education, how they respond to recent political pressures on it and what changes they believe could make it more accessible, responsive and equitable.

"Designing A Robotic Guide Dog for Inclusive Tourism"

For many blind and low-vision (BLV) visitors, tourism can be stressful, exhausting and difficult to navigate independently. But what if technology could help change that—for instance, through a robotic guide dog? Focusing on the Boston Freedom Trail, the team will test whether robotics can make historic sites easier to move through, more informative and more welcoming for BLV travelers.

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