Faculty and Staff Grants January 2026

Training and Treatment Integration Research for Virtue and Flourishing in Mental Healthcare: A Team Science Project

• Jesse Owen, Morgridge College Of Education
• Funder: Boston University (subaward John Templeton Foundation)
• Abstract: This project has three overall aims: Aim I: Develop and evaluate a diverse set of virtue‑based publicly‑accessible clinical training tools and approaches integrated with clinical practice. Aim II: Increase understanding of the role of relational virtues and related mechanisms of change in both clinical training and treatment (i.e., among therapists and clients). Aim III: Identify virtue‑based strategies for reducing burnout and increasing flourishing among therapists.

Living Words, Living Futures: Embedding Indigenous Knowledge at the University of Denver

• Kelly Fayard & Angela Parker, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
• Funder: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
• Abstract: This grant from the Mellon Foundation aims to embed Indigenous knowledge, pedagogy, and language into its core curriculum over three years. Grounded in the findings of DU's John Evans Report, the project establishes a Native and Indigenous Studies minor and specialized graduate certificate, an Indigenous Pedagogy Collaborative (which includes recruiting professors who would like to add Indigenous content to their classes), and a Living Words Project (which involves teaching Indigenous languages for credit) to institutionalize durable, community‑engaged curricular change.

Quantum Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy and Sensing

• Mark Siemens, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
• Funder: National Science Foundation
• Abstract: The project proposes a new way to study very low‑energy vibrations and particles in materials (in the terahertz, or THz, range). Instead of using one low‑energy photon, it uses two linked (“entangled”) photons whose energy difference matches the energy of the material’s resonance. By tuning the energies of the two photons, researchers can probe resonances from 1–100 THz. This method could be 10–100× more sensitive than current techniques and may allow detection of single quantum events such as magnons, phonons, or electrons in advanced materials at very low temperatures.

OSPI

• Alissa Rausch, Morgridge College Of Education
• Funder: State of Washington
• Abstract: As OSPI moves to integrate systems and connect work across early childhood and K‑12, the University of Denver offers opportunities to align initiatives by focusing on children, families, and providers’ experiences of belonging. The Building Blocks for Belonging (BB4B) framework is applicable across early childhood and K‑12 systems and service delivery models, including program leadership, collaborative teaming, itinerant service delivery, coaching and classroom practices. The proposed work scope offers two strands aligned to support implementation of inclusion and belonging as well as connection to the larger K‑12 system and the IPTN.

Pre‑Clinical Computational Assessment of TKR

• Paul Rullkoetter, Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering & Computer Science
• Funder: Medionnect
• Abstract: The aim of the project is to assess the mechanics of a prototype total knee replacement, in terms of the inherent implant stability/laxity, and performance during simulated activities of daily living, including stance‑phase gait, deep knee bending, and stair descent.

DPP Program Evaluation: Project III

• Kristin Klopfenstein, Colorado Evaluation Action Lab
• Funder: Denver Preschool Program
• Abstract: The evaluation team proposes a three‑year mixed‑methods operations evaluation grounded in the Integrative Model of Child Development, Critical Race Theory, and the Access Framework to measure equitable access to high‑quality early childhood education.