2014-15 Funded Projects

Pilot Projects

Digital to Letterpress Collaborative Print Lab

Contact: Jeremy Chen, assistant professor of art

This project will set up a contemporary and heritage print technology lab. The letterpress lab and polymer platemaking system will facilitate innovative and applied learning across disciplines and support the development of collaborative curricula.

Expanding Student Learning Communities: External Respondents for Multi-Student MAPs

Contacts: Edward Cohn, assistant professor of history; Caleb Elfenbein, assistant professor of history and religious studies 

This project will bring scholars from outside the Grinnell campus to provide commentary on student Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) papers, respond to student MAP public presentations, deliver public lectures, and provide feedback on student research to the Dean's Office and research mentors.

Grinnell-in-China: A Digital History Documentation Project

Contacts: Matthew Johnson, assistant professor of history; Richard Fyffe, Samuel R. & Marie-Louise Rosenthal Librarian; Chris Jones, assistant professor, library, Special Collections librarian and archivist; Cecilia Knight, associate professor, library; Becky Yoose, assistant professor, library

This project is the first stage of creating a pedagogically directed collection of materials related to the history of Grinnell College's engagement with China. Faculty, staff, and students will collaborate to collect materials, transcribe and develop metadata, and exhibit materials online.

Integrating Off-Campus Study Experiences with Academic Learning and Career Goals

Contact: Jonathan Larson, assistant director of off-campus study  

This project will develop a predeparture course and an online course to assist students in preparing for off-campus study experiences and to facilitate integration with other coursework and future career plans.

ALSO Online

Contact: Claire Moisan, director of the ALSO program and senior lecturer in French

This project will blend instruction in language classes in the Alternate Language Study Option program. It will build instructional modules, script lesson plans for tutors, and assess student learning using standardized oral proficiency assessment mechanisms. It will also assess the chosen technologies using student surveys.

The Grinnell Virtual Choir

Contact: John Rommereim, Blanche Johnson Professor of Music

This project facilitates a new type of choral performance in which videos submitted by individual singers are combined to create a unified ensemble performance that is viewable online. The Grinnell Virtual Choir will enable alumni to collaborate artistically with one another and with current students. It will expand the work of current student ensembles by providing an individualized testing mechanism and adding a new avenue for choral singing beyond that of concert performances.

Interdisciplinary Use of X-ray Fluorescent Spectroscopy

Contact: Lee Sharpe, associate professor of chemistry

This project will set up an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer, an instrument that can quickly determine the elemental composition of solid, powder, and liquid samples with little preparation. The XRF will be used across multiple disciplines (including chemistry, anthropology, and geochemistry) and for research and community outreach projects.

Planning Projects

Languages for Life Center

Contacts: Todd Armstrong, professor of Russian; Claire Moisan

This planning project will explore the development of a Languages for Life Center (L4L Center), including lab development, workshop/orientation planning, staffing, and peer tutoring.

Staff Think Tank for Staff Development & Cocurricular Innovation

Contacts: Narren Brown, director of intercultural strategic analysis and engagement; Jen Jacobsen '95, wellness director 

This planning project will explore the possibility of establishing a Staff Think Tank to provide innovation in student learning and positively impact the retention and recruitment of talented staff. The planning grant will allow the proposers to research and collect campus information and create a map/analysis of current practices. Ideas for a future Staff Think Tank might include support for student research assistants for conference travel and presentation and staff support to present professional research at conferences and on-campus symposia.

The Computational Turn: High-Performance Computing at Grinnell

Contacts: Elaine Marzluff, professor of chemistry; Richard Fyffe; Mark Schneider, associate dean

This planning project will explore high-performance computing needs on campus and propose innovative solutions and applications. Research will be collected on kinds of high performance computing systems and support that will address needs in the categories of big data handling, parallel processing, and raw computing speed. Comparisons will be conducted on outsourced solutions and stand-alone, high-performance desktop systems.

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