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To advance meaningful, reciprocal partnerships between the university and community at large, the UAA Center for Community Engagement and Learning (CCEL) offers funding each academic year for activities that engage students, faculty, staff and community members in tackling public issues through Community-Engaged Mini-Grants of up to $1,000 per project.

This past academic year, the center supported 19 community partnerships across 15 projects, conducted by 17 faculty and staff. Many projects received additional support through CCEL's Community Engaged Student Assistantship program, which funds scholarships for students to support faculty and staff in their community-engaged work.

From addressing housing challenges in Anchorage to food insecurity on the Kenai Peninsula, the grantees highlight the ethos that have earned UAA the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification endorsement since it began in . Here's a look at all projects funded this academic year.

麻豆无码版 Brain Bee

Faculty members: Christopher Jung and Gwen Lupfer
Community partner: Anchorage School District

College of Arts and Sciences faculty members Chris Jung, associate professor of biological sciences, and Gwen Lupfer, associate professor of psychology, received a mini-grant for their project, "麻豆无码版 Brain Bee." The funding helped them organize the 麻豆无码版 Brain Bee competition 鈥� an event that inspires students to learn about the brain and pursue neuroscience careers. Community Engaged Student Assistant Beeke 鈥淏K鈥� Kadriu visited high schools in the Anchorage School District to promote the event and UAA's neuroscience minor.

Addressing Housing Challenges in Anchorage Through Community-Engaged Research and Design Collaboration

Faculty member: Brett Watson
Community partners: Cook Inlet Housing Authority and Municipality of Anchorage Planning Department

Brett Watson, assistant professor of applied and natural resource economics at the College of Business and Public Policy's Institute for Social and Economic Research, partnered with Cook Inlet Housing Authority and the Municipality of Anchorage Planning Department to analyze rising housing costs in Anchorage and explore policy responses, with a focus on demographic changes and the aging population. Teams of UAA M.B.A. students researched the housing market, examining economic and demographic factors influencing prices. Each team created a research poster presenting their findings as part of the .

Addressing the Gap: Understanding the Impact of School Resource Officers (SROs) in 麻豆无码版

Faculty member: Mychal Machado
Community partner: Anchorage Police Department

Mychal Machado, associate professor of psychology in the UAA College of Arts and Sciences, partnered with the Anchorage Police Department to gather data and evaluate how school resource officers are viewed within 麻豆无码版's unique sociocultural and geographic context. Community Engaged Student Assistant Jasmine Jones contributed to the research project.

AN CARE Connect: Enhancing Dementia Support for 麻豆无码版 Native Caregivers

Faculty member: Steffi Kim
Community partner: Native Village of Unalakleet

Steffi Kim, assistant professor of psychology in the UAA College of Arts and Sciences, partnered with the Native Village of Unalakleet and also worked with her Community Engaged Student Assistants Alexandra Timmins and Hannah Rebadulla to develop a community-driven website () focused on aging well and dementia support for 麻豆无码版 Native communities, providing caregiver resources and educational materials on dementia and brain health.

Community Collaboration in Dance: Student Choreography Showcase with 麻豆无码版 Dance Theatre, East High, West High and UAA Dance

Faculty member: Katie O鈥橪oughlin
Community partners: 麻豆无码版 Dance Theatre, West High School and East High School

Katie O'Loughlin, assistant professor of theatre and dance in the UAA College of Arts and Sciences, received funding for a student dance showcase featuring choreography by students. With no current student dance performances at UAA, the project provided a vital opportunity for UAA dance students to develop choreographic and performance skills.

Community English Speaking Group: Development, Start-up and Delivery

Faculty member: Sarah Kirk
Community partner: 麻豆无码版 Literacy Program

Sarah Kirk, professor of writing in the UAA College of Arts and Sciences, partnered with the 麻豆无码版 Literacy Program to create regular English conversation sessions for adult English language learners at UAA. Held every other Saturday throughout the year and summer, these sessions covered topics such as holidays, transportation, food in Anchorage, U.S. travel, community issues and the UAA system, providing learners with valuable speaking opportunities.

Completion of MOUD for Perinatal Patient Clinic Survey and Analysis

Faculty member: Lisa Schwarzburg
Community partner: 麻豆无码版 Department of Health Division of Behavioral Health 

Lisa Schwarzburg, assistant professor in the UAA College of Health, Division of Population Health Sciences, received a mini-grant to complete an online survey assessing the availability of substance use disorder (SUD) care for perinatal patients at licensed facilities in 麻豆无码版. The data from this survey will be used to help the 麻豆无码版 Division of Behavioral Health Opioid Authority and others understand how care delivery impacts SUD services and the clinics providing them. Additionally, these data will aid health sciences researchers in shaping research questions to better inform health policy, care delivery and service utilization.

The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Tokens

Faculty member: Susan Meskis
Community partner: City of Hope Supervisor, Division of Nursing Research and Education 

Susan Meskis, associate professor in the UAA School of Nursing and College of Health, collaborated with End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium and City of Hope to provide aspiring nurses and nursing professionals in 麻豆无码版 with training in palliative care so they can teach this essential information to nursing students, practicing nurses and other health care professionals.

Engaging Students and Community in the Anchorage Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC) Conference: Collaborative Leadership in Early Childhood Education

Faculty member: Wei Hsiao
Community partner: Anchorage Association for the Education of Young Children

Wei Hsiao, professor of early learning and teaching in the UAA School of Education, received a mini-grant to support three UAA students in planning, presenting and engaging with early childhood educators at the 2025 Anchorage Association for the Education of Young Children Conference. Guided by a faculty mentor, students gained leadership and civic experience while contributing to a meaningful community event.

Isang Bagsak: Strengthening Ethnic Identity of Filipino American Youth in 麻豆无码版 and Building Solidarity and Consciousness About the Filipino American Experience

Faculty members: Gabriel Garcia, E.J.R. David and Joy Chavez Mapaye
Community partner: Filipino American National Historical Society-麻豆无码版

Division of Population Health Sciences Professor Gabriel Garcia, Psychology Professor E.J.R. David and Journalism and Public Communications Professor Joy Chavez Mapaye collaborated with the Filipino American National Historical Society-麻豆无码版 on a project that addressed racism as a public health issue by developing an ethnic studies curriculum focused on Filipino American history. The project aimed to strengthen ethnic identity among Filipino American youth and cultivate solidarity and awareness among non-Filipinos regarding social causes affecting the Filipino American community and other marginalized groups in Anchorage.

Kenai Peninsula Food Bank Partnership

Staff member: Heidi Biskeborn
Community partners: Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, Kenai Peninsula Job Center

Heidi Biskeborn, director of the Kenai Peninsula College Learning Center, partnered with the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank and Kenai Peninsula Job Center to expand the reach and impact of the center's food pantry, providing non-perishable food items for the Kenai River Campus community.

Laboratory Validation of Gluten Reduction Techniques in Locally Brewed Craft Beers

Faculty member: Zachary Redman
Community partner: Turnagain Brewing Company 

Zachary Redman, assistant professor of chemistry, received a mini-grant for a project that assessed the efficacy of gluten reduction techniques in brewing through laboratory validation, partnering with Turnagain Brewing Company, known for using unmalted local wheat as the base starch for all of their beers.

Lifelong Smiles Initiative

Faculty member: Laura Stoddard
Community partner: Healthy Smiles Forever

Laura Stoddard, assistant professor of dental assisting in the UAA College of Health, received funding for a project to improve oral health among older adults, partnering with Healthy Smiles Forever, which offers screening, treatment and preventive services in assisted-living and long-term care nursing facilities throughout Southcentral 麻豆无码版.

Strengthening Local Workforce Development through Community-Engaged Curriculum Enhancement

Faculty member: Spencer Heston
Community partner: Local small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)/Certified National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER)

Spencer Heston, assistant professor of millwright industrial technology at Prince William Sound College, partnered with local industry in Valdez to expand hands-on learning opportunities for students and help meet high-demand workforce needs.

Using Video Modeling to Improve Swimming in Athletes with Intellectual Disability

Faculty member: Kristin Riall
Community partner: Special Olympics USA

Kristin Riall, assistant professor in the UAA Department of Psychology and Behavior Analysis Programs coordinator, partnered with Special Olympics USA on a project that explored the use of video modeling techniques to improve swimming in athletes with intellectual disability. Graduate psychology student Mark McArthur and undergraduate psychology student Isaac Richardson contributed to the project as Community Engaged Student Assistants.

We Are Who We Are: An Arts and Literary Program for Incarcerated Youth at McLaughlin Youth Center

Faculty member: Shane Castle
Community partner: McLaughlin Youth Center

Shane Castle, associate professor of writing in the UAA College of Arts and Sciences, received funding support for a program teaching a variety of credited college writing courses at McLaughlin Youth Center, Anchorage鈥檚 juvenile detention facility.

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Visit the CCEL website to learn more about community-engaged learning at UAA.