Faculty Research Grant Program
The purpose of the Faculty Research Grant Program is to offer resources that allow faculty to seek advancement in their respective fields through significant scholarly achievements such as publications, creation of artistic works, research projects, manuscripts, etc. with the possible goal of capitalizing on project potential to gain future external funding. Curriculum development and instructional improvement projects are not eligible.
Successful proposed projects should either result in a tangible deliverable such as a publication, manuscript, model, artistic creation, etc. OR result in substantial gains toward external funding opportunities for research or scholarly projects.
DEADLINE: 10/9/2026; MAX AWARD: $7,000
GUIDELINES
SAMPLE CV
BUDGET JUSTIFICATION SAMPLE
ADDITIONAL BUDGET SUPPORT
EVALUATION CRITERIA
SAMPLE PROPOSALS *Note that the guidelines may have changed since these proposals were awarded
All full-time AAUP and NMUFA faculty members are eligible for Faculty Research Grants. A faculty member may be funded for only one proposal per year and not more than three within any five-year period. The applicant must agree to return to the University for one full academic year immediately following the award of the grant or repay in full all compensation paid by the University. Persons failing to file final reports by the due date will be ineligible to apply for a new grant until one year after the submission date of the belated final report.
Applicants must complete their application through the Cayuse platform. You will find instructions for submitting on this linked Cayuse platform page.
Department head signatures approving the submission will be collected by the Cayuse system after submission. The submission is due by the deadline; the approvals can come afterwards.
Final Project Report: The recipient of a grant must file a final project report no later than January 31st approximately two years after the grant was awarded. If a grant recipient fails to submit a final report, s/he may not apply for a new grant for at least one year from the submission date of the belated final report.
All reports are to be sent to the Office of Sponsored Programs (grants@nmu.edu).
FINAL REPORT GUIDELINES FOR NMU INTERNAL GRANTS
Extension: If the project lasts more than 2 years, a no-cost extension request must be submitted describing the project activities, the reason for the extension, actual budget expenditures to date, and the expected project completion date. No-cost extensions extend the project by up to 12 months and are strictly for completing the originally proposed project. PIs must make this request using this No-Cost Extension form, and it must be submitted at least 15 calendar days prior to the end of the project period.
Proposals from eligible applicants will be evaluated on the following criteria: a) scholarly/creative significance, b) soundness of the project plan, c) qualifications of the investigator and staff, d) strength of the budget and budget justification, and e) adherence to format and content requirements.
The evaluation rubric used by the Faculty Grants Committee can be found clicking on "Evaluation Criteria" above.
When all proposals have been presented and discussed, the committee will rank them. Any proposal that fails to adequately address one or more of the grant requirements will not be ranked. Some examples of reasons for not ranking a proposal include lack of an identifiable scholarly product, an ineligible faculty member applying for a grant, failure to include a copy of the most recent final report, failure to obtain letters of support from Dean and Department Head to reassign course time during the Fall or Winter term, lack of a CV, and gross violations of the formatting guidelines.
Rankings and recommendations of the committee will be forwarded to the Academic Senate, with notation made of first-time applicants. Notes concerning perceived strengths and weaknesses of each proposal will be kept by the lead reviewer during discussion of each grant.
Contact the Office of Sponsored Programs (grants@nmu.edu) for assistance with budget development.
- Salary: Remuneration for faculty time may be requested. Applicants may request up a maximum of four credits of reassigned time per semester, throughout the time period of the grant activities. Reassigned time during the fall or winter semester is calculated as the cost needed to hire an adjunct to replace the faculty member for the appropriate number of credit hours. Proposals planned for fall or winter semesters must contain a detailed description of how any request for reassigned time will be handled within the department. The department head and appropriate dean must approve requests (letter must be attached to proposal) for reassigned time when the proposal is submitted.
Remuneration requested during the summer session must not exceed the maximum amount per the AAUP master agreement exclusive of fringe benefits. Remuneration should be justified based on the estimated effort to be spent on the project. Fringe benefits must be listed at the current blended fringe rate (Contact the Office of Sponsored Programs or Kathy Frazier for additional budget information).
- Student Research Assistants Salary: Students not enrolled must be paid fringe benefits at temporary labor rates. Fringe benefits should be included in requests for student assistants where appropriate. Payment to graduate and undergraduate research assistants should be based on the current pay rates as defined in the Student Employment Handbook.
- Supplies and Services: Reasonable supplies and contractual services may be included. Office & lab supplies, postage, educational supplies, rentals, printing and duplicating, telephone, and professional services should be itemized. These are expenses over and above normal departmental support of the faculty member.
- Travel and Living Expenses: Travel and living expenses are allowable, but cannot exceed current University established rates. They must be itemized.
- Equipment: Each grant should justify the need for and cost of equipment relative to the project's objective and methodology. Any equipment purchased through a Faculty Grant is the property of the University and must be registered with the Inventory Control Department.
Past Awards
Murong Miao
Department: College of Business
Project Title: Envy in the Digital Realm: Analyzing Its Effects on Influencers' Social Networking Actions
Matt Frank
Department: Department of English
Project Title: Pre-and-Post-WWII-Era Experiences of Sephardic Jews Living in Spanish and French Basque Country: A Significant New Section of a Book-in-Progress
Russ Prather
Department: Department of English
Project Title: New Work, Two Solo Exhibitions and Two Group Exhibitions
Jon Barch
Department: Department of Psychological Science
Project Title: Social Neuroscience of Intrinsic Motivation: Using HD EEG Hyperscanning Technology to Investigate Changes in Reward Processing During Interpersonal Competition
Matt Van Grinsven
Department: Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences
Project Title: Evaluating the influence of reduced tillage practices on soil health and plant fertility in organic vegetable production systems
Yu Liu
Department: Department of Chemistry
Project Title: Make Molecular Cages Like Folding Pizza Boxes
Jeff Vickers
Department: Department of Music
Project Title: Developing Repertory for Tenor Saxophone – a Commission of Dr. Gregory Wanamaker
Josh Carlson
Department: Department of Psychological Science
Project Title: Effects of transcranial electrical stimulation on reward processing
Jongeun You
Department: Department of Political Science and Public Administration
Project Title: Generative Artificial Intelligence Policy in Higher Education
Heng-Hsuan Chu
Department: Biology
Project Title: Mineral nutrition and heavy metal toxicity in plants
Matt Frank
Department: English
Project Title: The Schindler of Japan; A New Chapter in a Hybrid Book-in-Progress of Poetry and Micro Lyric Essays
Sylvain Giroud
Department: Biology
Project Title: LInking health status to seasonal telomerase ACtivation in hibernating species (LIAC)
Thomas Isaacson
Department: Business
Project Title: American soldiers in Rome following liberation during World War II in 1944-1945; propaganda for the accidental tourists.
Liz Mandeville
Department: Biology
Project Title: Evolution of clonal, all-female Chrosomus fish hybrids in Northern Michigan
Rick Mengyan
Department: Physics
Project Title: H in BeO by RF-MuSR
Megan Nelson
Department: Health and Human Performance
Project Title: Climbing Lifestyle Intervention to Modify Physical Activity Behaviors - A Pilot Study
Robert Whalen
Department: English
Project Title: Textual Apparatus for Complete Works: Manuscripts and Collation
Jongeun You
Department: Political Science
Project Title: Evaluating Cybersecurity Capacity of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Water Sector
Jelili Abediyi
Department: Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences
Project Title: Food Security and Nutrition Outcomes of Participation in Non-Certified Organic Farming in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Nigerian Case Study
Matt Frank
Department: English
Project Title: At Depth: A Book-Length on the Amaeur Submersible Community and the Consequences of Our Obsession with the Deep Sea
Stephen Hughes
Department: Art & Design
Project Title: Re-Emergent: Solo Exhibition Development
Diana Lafferty
Department: Biology
Project Title: Covariation in mammalian microbiomes: assessing the species-specific role of phylogeny, diet, and environmental variation within a community context
Erich Ottem
Department: Biology
Project Title: Assessment of Mitochondrial Health in the Presynapse of Motorneurons using BNIP3 as a Marker of Mitophagy
Cory Toegel
Department: Psychological Science
Project Title: Investigating Laboratory Arrangements to Study Choice: Impulsivity and Self-Control
Robert Whalen
Department: English
Project Title: Textual Scholarship for Two George Herbert Editions:
Manuscripts, Article, Grant Application
Michelle Andriacchi
Department: School of Nursing
Project Title: Walking with the Wildpups
Josh Carlson & Lin Fang
Department: Psychological Sciences
Project Title: Using State of the Art Eye-Tracking and Neuroimaging Measures to Identify the Underlying Mechanisms of Attention Bias and Interpretational Bias to Emotional Information.
Maris Cinnelli
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Could This Noxious Weed be Medicine? Identification of New Alkaloids from Nightshades by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry-Based Profiling
Giuseppe Cortese
Department: Biology
Project Title: Identifying Synaptic Mechanisms of Neuronal Hyperexcitability in an In Vitro Genetic Model of Alzheimer's Disease
Ryan Stock
Department: Earch, Environmental and Geographical Sciences
Project Title: Left in the dark: a whole systems analysis of environmental injustices from solar photovoltaics in India
Jon Billman
Department: English
Project Title: Michigan's Roswell: The 1953 Knross Incident and the Cold War Over Lake Superior
Lin Fang
Department: Psychological Sciences
Project Title: The Relationship Between Cognitive Flexibility and Emotion Regulation: From Laboratory to Daily Life
Catherine Teeter
Department: Biology
Project Title: Molecular Evolution at Elevation: Adaptation in the American Pika (Ochotona Princeps)
Caroline Krzakowski
Department: English
Project Title: The Modern English Garden: Literature, Horticulture, and Empire
Christine Lenzen
Department: School of Art & Design
Project Title: On Death: Memento Mori in Platinum Palladium
James McCommons
Department: English
Project Title: Narrative Non-FicWion Book "The Great Crusade to Save Birds"
Evan Pratt
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Illuminating the distribution and dynamics of metals in living cells using fluorescent sensors
Alexander Wilson
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Drug Lead Compounds from Radical Radula and Other Leafy Liverworts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Philip Yangyuoru
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Turning G-quadruplex Nucleic Acid Structures into Biosensors for Biomarkers
Antony Aumann
Department: Philosophy
Project Title: The Art Museum Audio Guide: Essential Tool or Needless Distraction?
Matt Frank
Department: English
Project Title: Painting an Expressionless Boy: A Hybrid Book of Poetry and Micro Lyric Essays
Matt Kilgas
Department: Heath and Human Performance
Project Title: Upper-body Physical Conditioning Following Arm-Cycling with Blood Flow Restriction
Diana Lafferty
Department: Biology
Project Title: Managing mammals and their microbes: the new imperative of 21st Century conservation
Jill Leonard
Department: Biology
Project Title: Developmental biology and behavioral ecology of larval and early-juvinle burbot (Lota lota)
Yu Liu
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Magic Box: Development of New Nanocages for C60 Separation and Catalytic Reaction
Marguerite Moore
Department: Health and Human Performance
Project Title: Reliability and Validity of a Novel Sideline Concussion Test in Neurocognitive Normal 13-40 Year Olds
Erich Ottem
Department: Biology
Project Title: Assessing Differential Gene Expression as a Potential Compensatory Response in a Mouse Model of Neuromuscular Disease
David Wood
Department: English
Project Title: Debility, Disability, and Ethnicity in Fletcher and Massinger's A Very Woman
Yan Ciupak
Department: Sociology
Project Title: A Longitudinal Study of Chinese Social Stratification and Class Identity Formation
Terry Delpier
Department: School of Nursing
Project Title: Poverty Simulation: An Interprofessional Experience Qualitative Analysis
Christi Edge
Department: School of Education, Leadership and Public Service
Project Title: Making Meaning with Teachers and from Teacher Education Practices
Hugo Eyzaguirre
Department: Economics
Project Title: Human Choice: Rationality and Emotions
Jill Leonard
Department: Biology
Project Title: Effects of winter variability on native age-0 brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) growth and survival
Russell Prather
Department: English
Project Title: And the Heart is Pleased by One Thing After Another/Against Nature: Visual Art and Exhibitions
Marcus Robyns
Department: Library
Project Title: Regional Digitization and Digital Curation Service: Data Gathering and Needs Assessment Project
William Tireman
Department: Physics
Project Title: Measuring the Neuron Electric Form Factor with a Novel Charge-Exchange Polarimeter
Maria Arenillas
Department: Moderan Languages
Project Title: Indigenous People of Austral Patagonia: Images, Memory, Activism
Gabriel Brahm
Department: English
Project Title: Anti-Anti-Zionism: In Defense of Jewish Nationalism
Jon Billman
Department: English
Project Title: The Cold Vanish: Missing Persons on America’s Wildlands and a Father’s Quest to Find His Son
Michael Broadway & Robert Legg
Department: Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences
Project Title: Café Culture and Social Engagement in the Borderlands: A Comparison of Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC
Scott Demel
Department: Sociology
Project Title: Archaeological Analyses of Cultural Food Procurement Strategies at a Late Woodland Coastal Encampment on Beaver Island, Lake Michigan – The MPS-Isla de Castor Site: 20CX59
Kurt Galbreath
Department: Biology
Project Title: Expedition to the Intermountain West: Field Collections Supporting Research on Mammal/Parasite Biodiversity and Life History
Brandon Gerig
Department: Biology
Project Title: Use of Novel and Non-Traditional Tissue Types to Determine the Food Web Position and Energy Source of Brook Trout and Walleye in Michigan Waters using Stable Isotope Analysis
Marek Haltof
Department: English
Project Title: Screen as Battlefield: Contested Memories in Central European Cinema after 1989
Steven Hughes
Department: School of Art & Design
Project Title: Landscape Painting and the Upper Peninsula
Matthew Jennings
Department: School of Clinical Sciences
Project Title: Development of a Rapid, Colorimetric Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Determination of Mutational Status in Glioblastoma
Lesley Larkin
Department: English
Project Title: Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Fiction 1980-2020
Alec Lindsay
Department: Biology
Project Title: The JP Chickadee Project
Gabriel Brahm
Department: English
Project Title: Intellectual terrorism and counterterrorism: Fighting antisemitism on the battlefield of ideas
Yu Liu
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Turning waste into wealth: Development of new catalysts for the production of plastics from carbon dioxide
Guomundur Oddsson
Department: Sociology
Project Title: Grasping our unequal world: The power of sociology
Kia Richmond
Department: English
Project Title: Mental Illness in young adult fiction in the 21st century
Jaspal Singh
Department: English
Project Title: Narrating the new nation and Violence and resistance in Sikh gendered identity
Josh Thompson
Department: Math and Computer Sciences
Project Title: Marquette Trial Study
Josh Carlson
Department: Psychological Sciences
Project Title: An Assessment of Prefrontal Cortex (De)Activity Following Concussion in Collegiate Athletes: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study (2 of 2)
Matt Frank
Department: English
Project Title: Plutarch’s Influence on the Contemporary American Essay
Marek Haltof
Department: English
Project Title: Polish National Cinema. Second Edition
Valerie Hedges
Department: Biology
Project Title: Determination of Sex Differences in Tuf1 Protein Expression and Function in Syrian Hamsters
Caroline Krzakowski
Department: English
Project Title: The Work of Diplomacy in British Fiction and Film 1935-1970
Marguerite Moore
Department: Health and Human Performance
Project Title: An Assessment of Prefrontal Cortex (De)Activity Following Concussion in Collegiate Athletes: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study (1 of 2)
Erich Ottem
Department: Biology
Project Title: Assessing Retrograde Transport Mechanisms in a Transgenic Mouse Model that Mimics the Pathology Associated with Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis
Russell Prather
Department: English
Project Title: The Cut Worm Forgives the Plow: New Visual Art Work Exhibitions
Eugene Wichenheiser
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Synthesis and Assessment of New MRI Cancer Contrast Agents
Robert Belton
Department: Biology
Project Title: Characterization of Basigin as a Potential Cancer Stem Cell Marker in Glioblastoma Mutiforme Tumors
Josh Carlson
Department: Psychological Sciences
Project Title: Fearless Minds! Measuring the Efficacy of Cellphone Based Anxiety Reduction Training with Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Charles Ganzert
Department: CAPS
Project Title: Nautanki and the Carnatic Music of Sothern India
Thomas Getman
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Separation of the Isomers of B12H10(SMe2)2 by Selective Complexation with ß-Cyclodextrin
Valerie Hedges
Department: Biology
Project Title: Investigation of the Novel Neuropeptide, TUF1, Following Ovarian Hormone Administration and Sexual Experience
Jill Leonard
Department: Biology
Project Title: Development and Application of Larval Fish Culture Practices for Two Species of Native Fish at Northern Michigan University
Alec Lindsay
Department: Biology
Project Title: Common Loon Transcriptomics
Madison Ngafeeso
Department: College of Business
Project Title: Testing User Resistance to Electronic Health Records: Taking Healthcare Information Technology Adoption One Step Further
Rachel Nye
Department: School of Nursing
Project Title: Oral Health Literacy
Katherine Teeter
Department: Biology
Project Title: Molecular Evolution in the American Pika (Ochotona princeps): Adaptations to Hypoxia and Cold
Renxin Yang
Department: Sociology
Project Title: Poetry Collection: Light & Shadows
Dwight Brady
Department: CAPS
Project Title: Recording Upper Michigan’s Music
Brandon Canfield
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Secondary Metabolic Characterization in Thimbleberry
Josh Carlson
Department: Psychological Sciences
Project Title: Neuroplasticity mediates the efficacy of Attention Bias Modification training
Neil Cumberlidge
Department: Biology
Project Title: New Species from forests in East Africa enable a comprehensive study of Uganda’s freshwater crab fauna
Nathaniel Greenberg
Department: English
Project Title: New Narrative Dimensions of the Arab Uprisings
Yu Liu
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Development of a Recyclable Catalyst for the Preparation of Chiral Epoxides
Jaspal Singh
Department: English
Project Title: Narrating the New Nation: South African Indian Writing
Katherine Teeter
Department: Biology
Project Title: An investigation of epigenetic disruptions in Mus Hybrids
Robert Whalen
Department: English
Project Title: The Complete Works of George Herbert: A digital Scholarly Edition
Renxin Yang
Department: Sociology
Project Title: Poetry Collection : The Native Spirit
Josh Sharp
Department: Biology
Project Title: Polynuceotide Phosphorolase in the opportunistic pathogen Psudomonas aeuriginosa: essential gene or virulence regulator?
Erich Ottem
Department: Biology
Project Title: Investigating the Influence of Exercise on the Neuroendrocrine Regulation of Feeding Behavior in Mice on a High Fat Diet
Rebecca Mead
Department: History
Project Title: Hiding in Plain Sight
Michael Loukinen
Department: Anthropology
Project Title: Winona, a Ghost Town Documentary
JIll Leonard
Department: Biology
Project Title: Linking Metabolic Physiology to Movement Behavior in Brook Trout
Kurt Galbreath
Department: Biology
Project Title: Diversity and Biogeography of Northern Michigan’s Mammals and their Parasites
Scott Demel
Department: Sociology
Project Title: Beaver Island Ethno- Historical Archival Research
John Anderton
Department: Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences
Project Title: 20MQ140, The goose Lake Outlet #3 Site: Archeological Analysis of Cultural Remains