The Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach has awarded four grants under the Poverty and the Economy Faculty Research Grants Program.
Sponsored by the UGA Research Foundation, Inc., the grant program provides seed funding to support and encourage applied research and creative scholarship related to poverty and the economy in Georgia.
This year’s grants will support research projects that include investigations of the linkages between persistent poverty and asset building, the town-and-gown relationship, math education and strengthening the family unit.
“I am continually impressed with how UGA faculty are engaging in research of the causes and consequences of persistent poverty,” said Art Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach. “The research that will result from this year’s grants reflects collaboration across our academic and service units, builds upon UGA’s strong traditions of teaching, research and service, and has great potential for future extramural support. Most importantly, the research funded through this year’s grants informs how we can more appropriately deal with persistent poverty here in Georgia.”
Grant award amounts range from $19,000 to $30,000.
Grant recipients, their unit and projects are:
• Pamela Orpinas, College of Public Health, “ ‘Familias Fuertes’: A Program to Strengthen Latino Families;”
• Andrea Knapp, department of mathematics and science education, “University of Georgia Math and Parent Partnership: A Collaborative Approach to Poverty Mitigation through Education;”
• David O. Okech, School of Social Work, “Asset Building Among Low-Income Households in Athens: The Role of Household Characteristics and Institutional Factors;” and
• Janet Rechtman, Fanning Institute, “Partnering Across Disparities: Improving Prospects for Partnership When Poverty Divides Town from Gown.”
