Featured Research

Godage Receives NSF Career Award

March 2021
College of Computing and Digital Media
Isuru S. Godage, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the College of Computing and Digital Media has received an National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development award, totaling $529,999. With this funding, Dr. Godage will introduce a novel systematic approach to combining simple soft robotic modules into sophisticated cyber-physical systems, capable of performing complex manipulation and locomotion tasks. Read more.

Virtual Reality Film Hominidae Gains Recognition at Film Festivals

March 2021
College of Computing and Digital Media
College of Computing and Digital Media Assistant Professor Brian Andrews and colleagues virtual reality film, Hominidae, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020, was featured at the Festival de Cannes in the XR Development Showcase, and is currently in an international film festival run including 7 Academy Award qualifying festivals. Noteworthy, all the lead creative roles in Hominidae were filled by DePaul faculty and professionals; the entire production crew was made up by students in the School of Cinematic Arts Animation and Film & Television programs. The project was truly interdisciplinary with the cast drawn from DePaul’s Theater School and recorded in the School of Music.  

Link:  https://www.sundance.org/projects/hominidae

Tzoumis Edits Reference Book on Toxic Chemicals

March 2021
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Professor Kelly Tzoumis’ reference book entitled Toxic Chemicals in America: Controversies in Human and Environmental Health has been released. The two-volume book, edited by Tzoumis, contains information on ​the use and management of select toxic chemicals and substances. Featured toxic chemicals and substances are placed into historical and policy context for understanding the science and health impacts to human health and the ecosystem. Tzoumis has also authored several other recent scholarly publications related to environmental diplomacy and has worked with colleagues on the application of virtual reality (360/3d) experiences and game simulations to environmental conflict and diplomacy education.

Media Engagement Lab Uses Biometric Research to Inform Marketing Decisions

March 2021
The College of Communication
The College of Communication’s Media Engagement Lab, provides a multidisciplinary space for faculty and students interested in marketing communication research focused on Advertising, Public Relations, and Media Psychology. The lab uses Biometric research techniques, to back creative decisions with unbiased data about how humans experience exposure to marketing communication materials. Assistant Professor Juan Mundel in the College of Communication reports, among the lab’s projects are a robust research agenda on consumer response to marijuana products as the result of the legalization in the State of Illinois. Researcher’s interested in the Lab are encouraged to contact Assistant Professor Juan Mundel in the College of Communication. Additional information on the research projects and services of the Lab can be found here.

Studham Explores Decolonization of Theatrical Production Practice

October 2020
The Theatre School
With funding from the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation, as part of the Fulbright Scholar Program, DePaul School of Theatre faculty member, Susan Studham will explore the decolonization of theatrical production practice, tracing specific hybrid practices and practical innovations through an examination of the uniqueness of the Balinese approach to performance management.

Kiel’s OIPL Help’s Educators Refine Remote Teaching Skills

September 2020
College of Education
Dr. Donna Kiel, of the Office of Innovative Professional Learning in the College of Education, has been awarded a grant from Little Black Pearl (LBP). Kiel and colleagues will assist LBP with the development of practices and strategies that integrate their vision of teaching and engagement within the remote teaching context. Learn more about Dr. Donna Kiel's Teaching Through Tough Times project here.

Montgomery Investigates Strategies to Retain STEM Students

August 2020
College of Science and Health
Dr. James Montgomery, Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, in the College of Science and Health has been awarded a $1 million grant from National Science Foundation to investigate strategies to recruit and retain science undergraduates. The project will conduct research to increase knowledge about the effects of learning communities on non-cognitive factors generally associated with students' academic persistence and outcomes. Understanding of the academic persistence of STEM scholars is viewed by NSF as critical to addressing national shortages in the nation’s STEM workforce. Read more.

Rasin Targets Techniques for Detecting Clandestine Database Access

August 2020
College of Computing and Digital Media
Dr. Alexander Rasin, Associate Professor in DePaul University’s College of Computing and Digital Media, received a $249,870 NSF grant for a project to develop and evaluate techniques for detecting clandestine access to the contents of stored databases. As recent news indicates, data breaches have become an epidemic threat to businesses, governments, and society. As increasing amounts of personal, private, and proprietary data are being stored electronically, our lack of adequate means to prevent or detect breaches becomes increasingly concerning.

Bombard's Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Grant Supports Partnership with Kenya's Tangaza University College

July 2020
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
DePaul received a $1.5 million gift from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to support its ongoing partnership with Tangaza University College in Kenta. The initiative, lead by Sister Patricia Bombard, B.V.M., in the School of Public Service will help DePaul University in its efforts to deliver an array of continuing education and leadership training programs to Catholic sisters in Africa over the next three years. Read more.

Bucking Team Documents the Archeological Landscape at Beni Hassan

July 2020
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Associate Professor of History Scott Bucking is undertaking the first comprehensive effort aimed at documenting the complex archaeological landscape south of the Middle Kingdom necropolis at Beni Hassan, with funding from the American Research Center in Egypt/USAID's Antiquities Endowment Fund. Working collaboratively with the Egyptian ministry and Manila University, the project team will carry out urgent documentation and conservation on the archaeology at greatest risk due to illicit digging and agricultural development. The project also lays an important foundation for a large-scale preservation initiative that draws attention to the rich, multicultural heritage of the region and increases awareness of the significance of this region in multiple periods of Egyptian history.

Robinson Tests School-Based Intervention to Reduce Violence

March 2021
College of Science and Health
Professor of Psychology W. LaVome Robinson and team are conducting a large-scale randomized controlled trial of Robinson's "Success Over Stress" preventive intervention with a $6.6M NIH grant received by DePaul in 2019. In partnership with the Chicago Public Schools, Rush University, and the University of Chicago, the team is testing the effectiveness of a culturally adapted stress reduction and suicide prevention intervention for urban, African American high school students living in low-resourced communities. Read more.

Renko Studies Entrepreneurship Among Low-Income Youth

April 2020
College of Business
Dr. Maija Renko, Professor and the Coleman Chair of Entrepreneurship at the Driehaus College of Business, received $248,879 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the project “Promoting Entrepreneurship Among Low-Income Youth”. Together with colleagues from the University of Illinois at Chicago, she will develop an evaluation and research tool for qualitative interview data collection and analysis of entrepreneurs’ experiences in support of this study of low-income youth with disabilities.

Mundel Lab Explores Link Between Age Identification and Purchase Intentions

October 2019
College of Communication
Dr. Juan Mundel, Assistant Professor in the College of Communication, will investigate the effects of models' age in ads promoting plants in his project, “Age Identification for Plant Shoppers.” With funding from Michigan State University, Mundel’s lab will participate in a study to investigate if younger vs. older models in plant advertisements result in stronger purchase intentions.