The following foundations have funded various projects at Allegheny College. We invite you to explore this section regularly to view the progress of these programs.
Corporation for National and Community Service
Allegheny College, Edinboro University, Gannon University and Mercyhurst College are collaborating on an AmeriCorps VISTA project, sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service. This project partners 21 VISTAs (Volunteers in Service to America) with 21 social service agencies in Crawford and Erie counties that are dedicated to working with children and youth. These agencies match student volunteers with mentoring and tutoring programs that assist children and youth who are marginalized because of economic circumstances and insufficient support from families. The AmeriCorps VISTA project addresses the needs of underserved children and youth, building on the trust and good will already established between the colleges and the service partners. The VISTAs create new programs and improve the effectiveness of existing programs that use student volunteers in impacting children and youth in the region. Two more VISTAs serve as leaders of the Crawford and Erie county efforts.
Contact: David Roncolato, Director of Community Service
The Fulbright Scholar Program
Administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars at the U.S. State Department.
Christopher Bakken, associate professor of English, served as a Fulbright Scholar in American Studies at the University of Bucharest, Romania, during the 2007-08 academic year. He taught two courses in American Studies, both of which introduced Romanian undergraduates to contemporary American literature. In addition, he gave several public readings and lectures, at University of Transylvania in Brasov, in Baia Mare on the border with Ukraine, and at an international writers' conference on the Black Sea coast sponsored by the Romanian Writers Union.
Melissa Comber, assistant professor of political science, received a Fulbright Scholar Junior Lecturing award to spend the 2007-08 academic year in Germany. She taught American Studies classes in the Department of Anglophone Studies at the Universitat Duisburg-Essen in Essen. She also lectured on American civic participation and American public policies at different German univerisites as part of their Fulbright Lecture Series.
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Allegheny's Environmental Science Department was awarded a grant of $300,000 by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to develop a student-centered global environmental problem-solving program that will internationalize its curriculum and support Allegheny's institutional efforts to enhance diversity on campus. The program will cultivate international awareness and opportunities for our students and faculty.
Contact: Terry Bensel, Associate Professor of Environmental Science
National Science Foundation
Professor of Chemistry Martin Serra has been awarded a research grant of $203,115 by the National Science Foundation to fund his project Thermodynamics of RNA Structural Motifs. This federal funding represents 100% of the total project cost.
Contact: Martin Serra, Professor of Chemistry
Professor of Physics Daniel Willey has been awarded a research grant of $164,727 by the National Science Foundation for his project Low Temperature Energy Transfer Studies of Interstellar Species. About 10 students will be involved in this project through summer research positions and senior projects. This federal funding represents 100% of the total project cost.
Contact: Daniel Willey, Professor of Physics
Associate Professor of Biology Ann Kleinschmidt has been awarded a grant of $111,259 by the National Science Foundation to develop a semester-long research project for the laboratory component of a molecular biology course focused on class III plant peroxidases. About 32 students each year will be exposed to the research in this teaching laboratory. This federal funding represents 100% of the total project cost.
Contact: Ann Kleinschmidt, Associate Professor of Biology, Biochemistry and Neuroscience
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Allegheny's Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) received a DEP Growing Greener grant of $25,000 to conduct an environmental assessment and prepare an environmental report for Mill Run in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The report will be used to determine if impairments exist along Mill Run and to establish Total Daily Maximum Levels for the stream, data essential for establishing funding opportunities for stream restorations. The report also will provide recommendations for stream restorations that focus on environmental improvements, economic development and aesthetic improvements along Mill Run. Allegheny faculty and students are working in collaboration with an environmental consultant on this assessment, in addition to hosting community meetings and securing easements.
In addition, CEED received a second DEP grant of $67,500 through the County Environmental Initiative program to fund implementation of a demonstration project at
Shadybrook Park. The project will include construction of a stormwater filter to improve water quality and other environmental and aesthetic enhancements, including riparian restoration, stream bank stabilization, and landscape enhancements along two areas where erosion is most significant. A trail will be constructed through the park, as will a
small footbridge, reminiscent of those that used to exist at the park. The grant also will assist in planning for playground enhancements at the park.
Contact: Amara Geffen, Professor of Art and Director of the Center for Economic and Environmental Development
