StAR Grants Fund 17 Initiatives that Spotlight Research Excellence and Public Impact

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 10, 2025) — The University at Albany will award $500,000 during the 2025-2026 academic year to 17 initiatives, which reflect the University’s academic and research excellence and address real-world challenges.

Designed to create opportunities that further enhance the strategic priorities of the University, the Strategic Allocation of Resources (StAR) program provides resources and funding to projects that drive innovation and make meaningful societal contributions. This year’s focus was centered around the University's commitment to engagement and service, further highlighting UAlbany’s academic and research excellence and the vital role it plays in advancing the public good.

“As a university leader, I know that great ideas come from many sources, which is why I have prioritized the StAR program to provide members of the UAlbany community with funding to bring their innovative and impactful proposals to life,” said President Havidán Rodríguez. “This year’s awarded projects all lean into our long-standing tradition of community engagement and service. UAlbany is a force for good in our community; through these initiatives and our many transformational partnerships, we will continue to advance the public good.”

Project can receive up to $50,000 and include:

a structured program of resources and workshops designed to support the success of 30 first-year, first-generation students at UAlbany
a student-run native tree nursery to supply communities with tree saplings to be planted by student and community volunteers
a comprehensive database and mapping system for unsolved murder and missing persons cases in New York State
positioning the University at the forefront of workforce development opportunities within the growing semiconductor industry

The StAR program was created to support faculty and students in leading innovative projects that exemplify UAlbany’s strategic priorities of student success, research excellence, diversity and inclusion, internationalization, and engagement and service.

LIST OF FUNDED PROJECTS

(Alphabetical order by project name)

Albany Community Engagement [ACE] Internship Program
Department of Academic Innovation and Student Success

The Albany Community Engagement Internship Program will create early professional learning experiences for UAlbany undergraduates through University-community partnerships. Housed in the Minerva Center for High-Impact Practices in Academic Innovation and Student Success, this program will allow UAlbany students to receive college credit for work with local professionals, small businesses and community organizations in the Capital District. By creating opportunities for mentoring, skill development, social networking, and community building, this program will prepare UAlbany students for successful careers and help build the Capital District’s future professionals.

Complex Case Mapping and Analysis Project (CC-MAP)
Cold Case Analysis Center at the School of Criminal Justice

Inspired by, and in support of the Cold Case Analysis Center at the School of Criminal Justice, the Complex Crime Mapping and Analysis Project (CC-MAP) is a comprehensive mapping system for unsolved murder and missing persons cases in New York State combined with information on known serial killers and repeat offenders. The CC-MAP will raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by underrepresented groups, and insights gained will inform policies designed to reduce crime in vulnerable communities and promote equity in safety and justice initiatives.

Enhancing Interprofessional Education While Serving Community Needs
College of Integrated Health Sciences

This project aims to create opportunities for students at the College of Integrated Health Sciences to engage in interprofessional education (IPE), in which they work together with individuals in other professions to complete a task or solve a problem. With this funding, the college will plan and host IPE events in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters for students in public health, social welfare, nursing and other disciplines to address a pressing health-related need in collaboration with our local community partners. These events will empower students to share the unique contributions of their discipline while highlighting the value of interprofessional partnerships and reinforcing our commitment to be of service to the local community.

Everybody Moves Series: Engaging Students in Community Radio Storytelling
Department of Sociology

The Everybody Moves Series is a project that turns research into action by involving students in producing radio stories for the “Everybody Moves” series aired on the volunteer-produced Hudson Mohawk Magazine, a program of The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy. Sociology Professor Joanna Dreby has a new book about how immigration policies shape the lives of young adult New Yorkers, and a prominent theme is the common experience of the silencing of migration stories. As an antidote, students will learn to transform people's migration interviews into stories for community radio — a platform for local community connection — by learning skills in production and storytelling that they can also utilize for their independent projects.

Friday Knights at UAlbany: Community Recreation Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
School of Education

The Friday Knights Supported Recreation Program for youth with autism spectrum disorders provides an opportunity for participants to enjoy activities and social engagement with same-age peers through collaboration with UAlbany student volunteers from across the University and volunteers from the community. On five Friday evenings each semester, participants will engage in activities, such as music and movement, art, STEM and games. Youth with all levels of autism spectrum disorder are welcome and volunteers will provide a fun, welcoming, inclusive and highly supported environment to facilitate communication, relationship building and engagement in activities. Parents are also invited to stay on campus during the program, where they can participate in informational sessions and connect with other parents for support and resources. This University-wide program for community service and engagement is supported by the School of Education, Department of Educational & Counseling Psychology and Division of Special Education.

Future Leaders in Information, Security and Technology Ambassadors
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity

The Future Leaders in Information, Security and Technology Ambassadors program empowers current students to represent the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity Dean’s Office through outreach, mentorship and community engagement in partnership with our departments in Cybersecurity, Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and Information Sciences and Technology. Ambassadors will inspire future scholars through hands-on visits to elementary and middle schools, and spark interest among prospective and admitted students through targeted outreach to high schools and community colleges. By fostering early engagement and strengthening community partnerships, the program supports UAlbany’s strategic priorities of diversity and inclusion and engagement and service.

Great Danes Youth Summer Basketball League
Athletics

The Athletics Department will launch the inaugural Great Danes Youth Basketball Summer league on campus this year. Children under the age of 11 will have the opportunity to compete in games at UAlbany’s athletic facilities. The department has created a program that stimulates community engagement, bringing local children to campus and introducing them to the University, which we hope they may one day call “home.”

ITECA Student-Run Tree Nursery and Urban Soil Lab for Ecosystem-based Climate Adaptation and Urban Forestry in Albany
Department of Geography, Planning and Sustainability

UAlbany's Institute for Transformational and Ecosystem-based Climate Adaptation (ITECA) received StAR funding to develop a new student-run native tree nursery that will supply native, climate-adapted tree saplings to be planted in local communities to strengthen urban climate resilience to extreme heat, flooding, wildfire smoke and storms. As part of ITECA’s Urban Café Day initiative, funded by the USDA Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forest program, students will grow tree seedlings in UAlbany’s on-campus greenhouse and an approved campus plot. Students will also work with community volunteers to plant trees in local communities and will develop an urban soil lab to test soils and create soil amendments to support young trees. ITECA’s ecoregional think tank of faculty, students and alumni will generate policy guidance to support upstart tree nursery small businesses as part of a local sustainable bioeconomy.

Local News Initiative
Journalism Program

In October 2024, SUNY Chancellor John B. King launched a statewide initiative to address the decline of local news outlets and its impact on democracy by fostering college-student-produced content and academic collaboration. That same semester, the Journalism Program partnered with Spotlight News, a Capital Region publication that has been informing local communities since 1955. With the StAR grant, the Journalism Program aims to expand this partnership by involving students from other academic majors to contribute to social media messaging, data visualizations, multimedia projects and community forums, as well as broaden news coverage. These efforts will strengthen local news outlets as vital spaces for civic engagement, reinforcing the social ties and shared community identity that sustain a functioning democracy.

Mentorship Training for UAlbany Graduate Students: To provide research experiences for Community College and High School students
Department of Chemistry

The StAR award will support the training of graduate Chemistry students in mentoring best-practices, which will enable them to provide high-impact research experiences to potential transfer students from HVCC as well as regional high school students involved in the STEP and UAlbany in the High School programs. As a research university, UAlbany is uniquely able to provide authentic research experiences for students in the surrounding communities, which are crucial for their eventual success in a STEM career; however, there are limited numbers of mentors available to supervise these potential future UAlbany students. This award will fund “Mentorship Excellence” awards for Chemistry Graduate students who both complete a course on effective mentoring (provided by Catherine Showalter at UAlbany’s Minerva Center) and agree to supervise an HVCC or HS student for a mentored lab research experience.

Reimagining English Studies at UAlbany: Developing Digital Arts, New Media, and Multimedia Assignments in Literature, Rhetoric, and Creative Writing
Department of English

StAR funds will be used by the Department of English to support professional development for instructors. The department will invite leading scholars of digital media in English studies to help re-envision assignment design in a new media landscape, one that involves students in the public work of the humanities through the development of projects like podcasts and digital archives. The project will provide further support to students interested in working across media and genres as they develop the critical reading and writing skills central to study in English today.

RISE (Research and Innovators Startup Exchange) Fellowship
Office of Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, and Industry Partnerships

The RISE Fellowship program aims to inspire students — particularly those from underrepresented groups — to pursue careers driven by STEM research. Fellows must be open to learning about STEM-based academic research projects and exploring business strategies to reduce the risks of commercializing that research. Through this practical educational experience, participants will engage in the innovation and commercialization processes related to real STEM-based research projects. Selected fellows will also receive a stipend as part of the program. The primary department sponsor is the Office of Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, and Industry Partnerships in collaboration with International Student and Scholar Services, Center for International Education & Global Strategy, and Massry School of Business.

RNA StARs: Enriching training and research excellence through community engagement and service
College of Arts & Sciences’ RNA Institute

This project by the UAlbany RNA Institute seeks to break down barriers to access between the University's strong science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs and the surrounding community through direct community engagement and communication. The project will support Institute-run summer training camps, create opportunities to build an RNA-related STEM education exhibit with a local education partner and offer the community guided tours of the RNA Institute throughout the year and during its annual RNA Day celebration in August. As a research and training hub that spans departments, colleges, and New York State institutions — the RNA Institute is uniquely suited to showcase how UAlbany’s STEM programs directly benefit the community so that together we can all achieve greatness.

Share the Knowledge: A Program for Doctoral Student Public Engagement
The Graduate School

UAlbany doctoral students generate cutting-edge research findings across a variety of disciplines that are critically important to society and to our local community. This StAR program will provide doctoral students with the opportunity to share their expertise with our local community partners, highlighting the exciting advances our students make but that rarely get seen by the public. The program will provide students with training in communicating research to general audiences, a skill that is vital to their future careers.

Sharing, Learning and Creating: Engaging the community through experiential learning and making
University Libraries

The project, under the Academic Success Division of University Libraries and in partnership with Albany Public Library, will provide funds for graduate internships focusing on sharing Library resources and expertise in accessible ways with the broader Albany Community via public events and hands on workshops. Exact processes covered will be determined by academic stakeholders but potential mediums include interactive software and VR, podcasts, 3D printing, graphic/comic storytelling and book making, coding/programing small scale robotics and other makerspace-adjacent technologies.

Supporting Empowerment Engagement & Development (SEED) for First-Generation Great Danes
Academic Support Center and the Community and Public Service Program

The SEED initiative, in partnership with the Academic Support Center and the Community and Public Service Program, supports 30 first-year, first-generation college students at UAlbany. Participants take a First-Gen First Year Experience course in their first semester and RSSW 390 in their second, completing volunteer work aligned with their academic goals. SEED offers eight skill-building workshops in collaboration with campus partners, covering topics such as public speaking and resume-building. The service focused initiative concludes with a presentation at the UAlbany Showcase, where students reflect on their service and experience with SEED. Successful participants are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship or stipend. The SEED initiative develops professional skills and fosters connections with campus and community networks for UAlbany first-gen students.

SWIFT Gateway for Rapid Response to CHIPS and Science Workforce Development Opportunities
College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering

The College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering has recognized that developing new education and workforce training programs that support the growing semiconductor and chip industry in Tech Valley and New York more broadly is a very important focus in the near term. We are therefore creating the SWIFT (Semiconductor Workforce Innovation and Future Talent) Gateway that will be our point of contact for all new outreach, training, and educational programs that are linked to the needs of the semiconductor industry. This will provide the necessary focus and initial support for the rapid deployment of these initiatives that is expected by our industry and government partners.