Best Practices in Trumpet Teaching and Performing

Raquel Samayoa, Instrumental Studies

Project Summary: Dr. Raquel Samayoa will work with Ms. Mary Bowden (Shenandoah Conservatory) in a productive cross-institutional mentoring association that will focus on three primary objectives. First, they will discuss, evaluate, and strategize approaches to improving the quality of instruction in applied trumpet studios, effective recruitment and retention efforts, and motivation and team building. Second, Ms. Bowden will function as a career mentor to Dr. Samayoa and provide feedback regarding Dr. Samayoa’s creative and scholarly work, teaching philosophies and methods, and best practices that can be shared between the two programs. Third, each will travel to the other’s university for a visit that will include performances, master classes, and career mentoring sessions with graduate students. These visits will assist in fostering a positive relationship between the programs that will benefit their trumpet students.

Enabling Additive Manufacturing Capability to UNT's NASA BIG Idea Challenge 2023

Ravi Sankar Haridas, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Project Summary: NASA is steadfastly advancing its efforts to enhance exploration capabilities on the lunar surface through the Artemis program and the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative, aiming to establish a sustained human presence on the moon. As part of the Artemis mission, building a base camp on south pole for astronauts to land, live, and explore has been planned. The SIMPLE (Solid-state Integrated Manufacturing Process for Lunar Environment) concept, developed by a dedicated group of students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MTSE) under the guidance of Dr. Haridas, was chosen as one of the seven finalists in the “NASA BIG Idea Challenge 2023: Lunar Forge” and received the ‘Path to Flight’ award at the NASA BIG Idea Forum 2023. This innovative technology proposes an integrated manufacturing process for lunar environments, featuring extrusion capabilities for multiple end products along with additive manufacturing (AM). Dr. Haridas will use the grant to visit Enabled Engineering (EE) in Blacksburg, VA, to learn about the design and operation of their patented SolidStir AM technology and to collaborate with Dr. Kumar Kandasamy, CEO of EE. By incorporating AM capabilities into the existing equipment, UNT will become the first academic institution to have SolidStir AM technology. This project will also allow Dr. Haridas to foster student mentorship at UNT and establish long-term research collaborations with NASA and EE through SBIR/STTR programs, advancing UNT's involvement in space research and supporting NASA’s Artemis mission.

From Insight to Impact: Leveraging Mentorship to Advance Housing Affordability Studies

Hanchen Jiang, Economics

Project Summary: This project connects me with leading scholars in housing affordability, supports visits to external institutions to present my work, and facilitates comprehensive research and career development feedback.

Junior Faculty Mentorship and Anthropology of Latin American

Karine Lopes Narahara, Anthropology

Project Summary: This proposal aims to initiate the creation of a space of sustainable mentorship between a Tenure-Track Junior Faculty (the author of this proposal) and a Full Professor Faculty external to the University of North Texas (UNT). The project includes mentoring sessions and a visit from a senior Brazilian Faculty, based in the US, to campus. With this grant, I envision consolidating not just a sustainable path toward tenure but also being able to solidify my international trajectory as a member of the UNT faculty body. The projects also help internationalize UNT research programs and teaching.

Legacy: A Centennial Celebration of JJ Johnson’s Brass Orchestra Works

Nicholas Finzer, Jazz Studies

Project Summary: The Brass Orchestra: Rediscovering J.J. Johnson's Legacy is a groundbreaking project set to revitalize the underappreciated works of jazz trombonist and composer J.J. Johnson while pushing the boundaries of large ensemble jazz. This unique concert experience, scheduled for October 1st 2024, will feature rarely heard excerpts from Johnson's seminal works "Perceptions" and "Poem for Brass," alongside the world premiere of a new commissioned piece by Finzer for brass orchestra inspired by Johnson's innovative orchestrations. The project brings together jazz and classical musicians, fostering creative exchange and bridging genres under the mentorship of GRAMMY award-winning composer/producer Ryan Truesdell, who will also guest conduct. Don't miss the extraordinary opportunity to hear the rich, powerful sound of a full brass orchestra in a jazz context, as we honor J.J. Johnson's pioneering spirit and explore the under appreciated realms of large ensemble jazz.

Mentorship for HDA Graduate Program Coordination

Benedict Jikong, Rehabilitation and Health Services

Project Summary: Professional faculty members find it challenging to maintain their identity as teachers especially after transitioning from the industry to academia. Teacher identity exerts a powerful influence on professional identity, academic roles, and responsibilities. As a full-time faculty in the Department of Rehabilitation and Health Services, the Individual Mentoring Grant will help me grow, develop a professional identity, skills, in addition to building networks to benefit  the Health Data Analytics MS Program and the Department, under the mentorship of Professor Jator, Samuel Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at Lamar University Beaumont, Texas. The Mentoring program will include: Establishing regular in-person and online coaching, workshops and networking events, and enhancing program coordination effectiveness.

Welfare Programs and Their Impacts on Household Financial Well-being

Xi Yang, Economics

Project Summary: Supported by the UNT Individual Mentoring Grant, Dr. Xi Yang will visit the Institute for Research in Labor and Employment (IRLE) at UC Berkeley hosted by Dr. Hilary Hoynes during the fall of 2024 as part of her faculty development leave. The primary goal of this trip is to enhance Dr. Xi Yang's research ability and career development and build stronger academic networks between UNT and other institutions.

Mentoring the Medical Humanities at UNT 

Jakob Burnham, History; Rachel Moran, History; Lisa Henry, Anthropology; Anna Hinton, English

Project Summary: UNT is the third-largest university in Texas, yet unlike many of its peer institutions statewide has no Medical Humanities program. The Medical Humanities is an interdisciplinary approach to the history and social role of medicine across cultures, time periods, and national traditions. It has become a popular academic pathway for those pursuing the medical professions, as it highlights critical questions about medical ethics, medical communication, and health values. Our grant seeks to address this missing and untapped educational opportunity by bringing together a group of interdisciplinary faculty across CLASS, who will work towards developing such a program on campus. Over the course of the grant, our group will invite scholars and faculty in Medical Humanities programs across the country to campus. While on campus, these expert-mentors will not only present their research in public talks for our academic community, but also participate in a dialogue with our team members about the curricular and administrative aspects of building a sustaining and accessible program. UNT already has the key elements for successful Medical Humanities programming on campus. This grant only serves as the first step to its formal establishment.

Vertically Integrated Research Mentorship in Musicology

Rebecca Geoffroy-Schwinden, Tamar Sella, Beth Synder, and Barbara Deitlinger, Music History, Theory, and Ethnomusicology

Project Summary: This project supports early and mid-career professional development in the Music History and Ethnomusicology areas of UNT's College of Music. Three tenure-track faculty members will participate in book proposal and manuscript workshops with both external and internal mentors. By participating in these events, the three internal faculty, who are recently or nearly tenured, will gain opportunities to refine their peer mentorship skills.

Enhancing Project-Based Learning Experiences at UNT and Beyond through Faculty Mentorship

Pamela Scott Bracey, LeeAnn Derdeyn, and Leslie Stanaland, Multidisciplinary Innovation

Project Summary: This project supports the creation of a faculty mentoring program through the development of a Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Mentoring Center housed on UNT’s Frisco Landing campus, as well as the expansion and enhancement of the UNT Department of Multidisciplinary Innovation's previously established PBL Symposium. This initiative will reach hundreds of UNT and community college faculty but will specifically identify and engage a maximum of 10 CACS/DMI faculty members to serve as voluntary PBL mentors.  Drs. Bracey, Stanaland, and Derdyn also seek to develop inter-/cross-disciplinary research collaborations on data-driven learning outcomes impacted through the application of PBL in the Higher-Ed classrooms.