A&S
EB Caron, Assistant Professor of Psychology, will use the Coffin Grant to support her work to identify “active ingredients” of psychotherapy, or the critical therapist strategies and techniques that improve clients’ symptoms. The grant will provide a course release that will allow examination of therapist strategies for treating preschoolers’ depression in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy—Emotion Development (PCIT-ED), the only empirically-supported treatment for depression in this age group.
Deepa Fadnis, Associate Professor of Digital Media and Journalism will undertake a research study to critically examine the social and political context behind the legislative push to disallow commercial surrogacy and replace it with altruistic surrogacy in India. The study aims to investigate the catalysts for the highly exclusionary and discriminatory eligibility criteria for potential surrogates and intending parents outlined by the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021. She will utilize the funds from the Coffin grant to help with the expenses related to traveling and presenting her research at the International Communication Association’s annual conference in 2025.
Cindy Thomas-Charles, Assistant Professor of Biology, will expand her current research by studying the effects of phytochemicals on normal and cancerous liver cells known as hepatocytes. The study aims to determine whether phytochemicals can stimulate these cells to produce molecules that can activate an immune response. This research is significant as it may provide insights into the role of phytochemicals in preventing cancer and identify a potential mechanism for their chemo-preventative action.
Amy Weiss, Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies and History, will use the Coffin Grant for a course release during the 2024-25 academic year. She is completing her book, Interfaith Friends and Ideological Foes: American Jews, Evangelicals, and Israel, 1963–2018, which is under contract with Oxford University Press. This work argues that Jewish and evangelical communal organizations often viewed interfaith relations through the lens of public policy and social capital. They thus sacrificed ideological cohesion for political expediency to attend to pressing American domestic policies related to Israel.
CETA
Mohammadmehdi Danesh, Assistant Professor of Architecture, will use the Coffin Grant for his project entitled “Assessment of different buildings configurations to increase natural ventilation rate through Double Skin Façade.” The project aims to address issues with conventional glass facades, such as poor ventilation and high energy consumption, by employing passive glazing technology, specifically Double Skin Façade (DSF). DSF involves placing a transparent layer in front of a building's facade to enhance transparency and thermal comfort while facilitating natural ventilation. The proposal focuses on studying various building configurations to optimize natural ventilation using DSF, utilizing DesignBuilder software with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis.
Solaleh Miar, Assistant Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering will use the Coffin Grant to develop an upper airway "-on-chip" platform, aiming to improve testing of personalized medicine post-COVID-19. This platform replicates airway physiology's unique interface and cellular interactions, enabling scalable in vitro microenvironment. Advancements include active airflow for mucosal epithelium development, investigating tracheal fibrosis, and validating against tissue explants. Utilizing a multi-omics approach, this research promises to enhance understanding of physiological states, advancing personalized medicine.”
Xin Shen, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will use Coffin Grant to support his research work and the cost of presenting it at the SPIE Three-Dimensional Imaging, Visualization, and Display 2025 conference. He and his team are currently working on 3D light field depth extraction and visualization approaches using optical hardware, statistical analysis and advanced machine learning algorithms.
ENHP
Steve Charry, Assistant Professor of Prosthetics and Orthotics, will use the Coffin Grant to support his research focusing on lower extremity prosthetic socket technology. Traditional prosthetic sockets have a fixed internal volume, however, the patient’s residual limb may vary in size due to increased activity, fluid retention, or normal muscle atrophy. This increases the likelihood of developing pressure-related skin irritations and can lead to ulcerations. Newly developed technology focuses on addressing these issues, but little research has been done to prove the validity of such technology. This Coffin Grant will aid in a clinical trial, comparing newly developed socket technology against traditional methods.
Hartt
Kevin Ramsey, Theatre Division Director and Assistant Professor of Theatre, along with faculty experts and students, will produce "I Am Hartford: A Celebration of Diversity," a film documentary exploring the cultural richness within the Hartford community at large. We aim to showcase the vibrancy, foster inclusivity, empower students, and harness storytelling's transformative power. Through student-led interviews, multimedia storytelling, and community outreach, we'll delve into Hartford's uniqueness and embrace the myriad of stories that contribute to its cultural mosaic. This initiative is also generously supported by the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation.
Marcus Thomas, Associate Professor of Music and Performing Arts Management will use his Coffin grant to remix the stereo musical album Black Beautiful into an immersive platform for stereo reproduction, live performances in the round, and immersive installations. He will adapt the album to support three-dimensional audio, placing audiences “inside” emotions conveyed on the record. Immersive exhibits will move audio along four walls, the floor, and ceiling to match visuals projected onto multiple screens.
Hillyer
Karen Tejada, Associate Professor of Sociology, will use the Coffin grant funding to help with the writing of her book, Putting them on ICE: Policing Salvadoran Communities on Long Island. This three-year ethnographic project took place in both Nassau and Suffolk counties and infuses a range of diverse perspectives assessing community and policing relations to contribute to the emerging work on “crimmigration,” a term that merges the criminal justice and immigration systems, to examine how these intertwine in the policing of immigrant communities. Specifically, my book shows the collateral consequences of policing and criminalizing Salvadorans throughout a national context governed by two different presidential terms (Trump and Biden) and a pandemic.