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FDR Winner's Circle

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Current:FDR Winner's Circle

Finish It Grant, $1,000, Christopher Dudley, History and Geography, Voters in the Early Eighteenth Century

I seek funding to travel to Newcastle in the UK to present a paper at the Political Participation and Electoral Culture in Britain in the Long Eighteenth Century conference in July 2022. My paper, “Voters in the Eighteenth Century: A Loyal and Volatile Electorate,” is the result of extensive data collection and research on elections in early eighteenth-century Britain. I am particularly excited to present at this conference because the organizers are part of a major UK grant and are interested in incorporating my work into their public facing web database. This would allow students and scholars around the world to use the data I have collected, which would be a huge step in my scholarly career. Although no students are directly involved, attending this conference and advancing my scholarship will benefit a number of courses I teach both in terms of historical content and research methodology.

Start It Grant, $977, Jeyaprakash Chelladurai, Computer Science, Receiving Professional Certification in the areas of Virtual Reality and Human Computer Interaction

Virtual Reality (VR) refers to a computer-generated simulated Metaverse world. The concept of virtual reality is built on the natural combination of two words: the virtual and the real. The former means “nearly” or” conceptually” giving an experience that is near to reality with this technology. Since I have solid research and teaching experience in computer graphics, simulation, and modeling experience at the University of Calgary, Lock Haven University and East Stroudsburg University, learning virtual reality technologies and human computer interaction are a natural extension to my skill set. Since computer science is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) area, this project will help me to learn new hardware and software technologies, and programming languages for professional development. This grant will support my online training specialization: Virtual Reality and Human Computer Interaction Specialization at Coursera.

Grow It Grant, $6,251, Frederick (Chuck) Meitner, Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism, The Winery Cluster in Pocono area of Pennsylvania – Analysis of Porter’s Cluster Theory with Kano Model

Many wine regions contain a mix of large, global companies and smaller, local wine producers. The wine industry as a whole is growing due to high customer demand and a high profit margin relative to other agricultural products. On the other hand, wine producers must defend against competitors who are eager to enter an attractive market. Additionally, winery tasting rooms must share customer dollars with other tourism operators such as resorts, restaurants, and other attractions. The Pocono Mountain Region has developed a unique market niche over the past decade and tourism to the area contributes significantly to the region’s economy. However, the winery cluster in this region is not clear due to its early stage of development. Local wineries try to attract customers using their own marketing efforts as well as those of tourism associations and government sectors. The nascent wine market in the area requires further study to identify best practices and inform resource allocation decisions.

The current research aims to understand the early stage of the winery cluster by utilizing Porter’s Clusters Theory. This theory has been widely examined in empirical research however results have been contradictory, particularly in the winery studies, and consensus has not yet been attained. Kano’s model will be used to assess the attributes of Porter’s Cluster Theory such as a winery’s satisfaction, resource needs, importance of local government support, and community support.

Finish It Grant, $1,000, Liz Azukas, Professional and Secondary Education, Using Virtual Simulations in Teacher Education to Develop Equitable Teaching Strategies

Classrooms are becoming more diverse as society becomes more diverse. Preparing teachers to encounter and effectively teach in diverse environments is important. However, providing teacher preparation candidates the opportunity to encounter these experiences in a real classroom is often challenging or impossible. Virtual teaching simulations are becoming more widespread in the teacher preparation programs and allow multiple experiences with a wide variety of learners while providing valuable feedback for improvement. This Finish It Grant would support my travel to present my research on the use of a virtual classroom simulation to promote students’ locus of control and self-efficacy with the goal of developing equitable teaching strategies as a part of an expert panel at the Society for Technology and Teacher Education Conference.

Please contact the Office of Sponsored Projects and Research with any questions.

Contact Information

Campus Address: ESU Innovation Center, 562 Independence Road
Phone:: (570) 422-7920
Fax:: (570) 422-7951 (Fax)

Title of Department Leader: Director Office of Sponsored Projects and Research, Assistant to the Provost for Research
Name: Christina McDonald
E:: cmcdonald9@esu.edu
Phone:: (570) 422-7954

FDR Winner's Circle

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