10 Faculty Receive UMD Independent Scholarship, Research, and Creativity Awards

The University of Maryland’s Office of the Provost and Office of the Vice President for Research have announced the 10 recipients of this year’s Independent Scholarship, Research, and Creativity Awards (ISRCA). Now in its fifth year, the program provides grant funding to support a diverse range of research and scholarly projects, including studies on climate change, the ethics of artificial intelligence and ancient European history.

“This pivotal program highlights our faculty’s creativity and expertise across diverse disciplines in many exciting forms and innovative ways,” said Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice. “We look forward to seeing the results of these compelling projects brought to fruition.”

Launched in 2019, the ISRCA program aims to advance the professional development of faculty engaged in scholarly and creative work. Eligible projects may use historical, humanistic, interpretive or ethnographic approaches; explore aesthetic, ethical, and/or cultural values and their roles in society; conduct critical or rhetorical analysis; engage in archival and/or field research; and develop or produce creative works. Awardees are selected based on peer review of the quality of the proposed project, the degree to which the project will lead to the applicant’s professional advancement, and the potential academic and societal impact of the project.

The 2025 awardees, representing five colleges and nine departments across campus, will each receive up to $10,000 to support their research endeavors and associated expenses.

“I am happy to see the continued strong interest and engagement in this program from our faculty, as well as the broad spectrum of subjects that the research and scholarship supported by these grants will explore,” said Vice President for Research Gregory F. Ball.

This year’s awards support the following projects:

“Waving: From Space to Ocean,” an immersive, interactive artwork by Assistant Professor of art Mollye Bendell that invites viewers to interact with data from NASA’s new PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite through their own physical gestures.

“The Rise of the Viceregal Metropolis: Architecture and Urbanism in Enlightenment-Era Mexico City (1750s-1810s),” a book project by Assistant Professor of architecture Juan Burke that examines the city’s dramatic transformation into the most populous and dynamic urban center in the Americas.

“The Hotel of Babel,” a linked short story collection by Associate Professor of English Gabrielle Fuentes that reimagines Cuban history and Cuban-U.S. relations using the fantastical setting of an impossibly large, constantly morphing and possibly sentient hotel and its many different inhabitants over the centuries, exploring issues of exile, immigration, political oppression, over-tourism and climate crisis.

“Ballistic Middens: Investigating the Norse Middens of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland” by Associate Professor of anthropology George Hambrech, research to fill a gap in our understanding of Norse expansion and long-term human-environment and human-marine interactions in the North Atlantic region.

“Racialized Democracy: The Electoral Politics of Race in Latin America,” a book by government and politics Assistant Professor Marcus Johnson.

“The Canary in the Vineyard: Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss in Italian Viniculture,” in which anthropology Associate Professor Kathryn Lafrenz Samuels studies wine grape cultivation in three areas of Italy, exploring the social value placed on biodiversity, and what is lost with biodiversity loss.

“Machines as Moral Experts? AI-powered Ethical Reasoning in Biomedical Research Oversight,” in which philosophy Assistant Professor Nicholas Laskowski helps to document the gap between machine ethics and human ethics, the risks of outsourcing ethical reasoning in high-stakes use cases, and the possible benefits of some AI-powered decision support tools to reduce burdens on ethics professionals and biomedical researchers.

“#RiotsNotDiets: Fat-Positive Worldmaking in the Body Positivity Movement, ”a book by Assistant Professor of communication Hailey Otis that weaves rhetorical analysis, critical autoethnography and oral histories.

“EMPOWER: Disseminating the Findings of the Empower Study on Transphobia-Driven Intimate Partner Violence Through Art to Empower Marginalized Transgender Communities,” a graphic novel by behavioral and community health Assistant Professor Sarah Peitzmeier that will share research findings and improve understanding of the increased risks of intimate partner violence for trans and nonbinary people and support trans survivors.

“Is Cognitive Development Universal? Critical Approaches to Cognition,” in which Richard Prather, associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, will produce resources for researchers and students who are interested in the topic.