Office of Research & Sponsored Programs

The semester’s picking up speed, and so are the opportunities. Internal grants are officially open, and we’ve got plenty of events to keep your research moving forward.

This month’s issue is your go-to for funding deadlines, faculty and student highlights, and ways to get plugged in this fall—whether you're submitting a proposal or just showing up for the snacks (we see you).

Cheers to a productive and well-caffeinated month ahead!

— Your friends at ORSP

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), in partnership with The Research Center, invites SHSU faculty to participate in a two-part Grant Writing Circle designed to support researchers actively pursuing external funding.

This hands-on series offers faculty the chance to strengthen their grant writing skills, receive targeted support from ORSP specialists, and refine proposals for submission.

  📅 Event Dates & Times:

   • October 3, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

   • November 7, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

   📍 Location: To Be Determined

The first session will focus on building a strong foundation, while the second session will provide feedback on draft proposals to ensure they are polished and ready for submission. To sign up, please fill out the registration form!

The FY26 Internal Grant Cycle is now open, and you can access the updated Requests for Proposals (RFPs) on our website. Whether you're a new faculty member just getting started, an interdisciplinary team tackling big challenges, or a researcher seeking support for an ongoing project, we have funding pathways to support your work.

Weekly Office Hours — We're Coming to You!

Have questions about your internal grant application? Join us for weekly office hours, hosted both virtually and in-person across campus colleges. Whether you're just getting started or finalizing your proposal, our team is here to help with everything from eligibility and budget guidance to proposal development. No appointment necessary. Just drop in!

Brought to you through the SHSU–TEES Partnership

Faculty at Sam Houston State University are invited to take advantage of a free virtual webinar series hosted by Hanover Research and supported through our partnership with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES).

Designed to help researchers sharpen their grant writing skills and navigate today’s evolving funding landscape, each one-hour session delivers practical strategies for crafting more competitive proposals.

📅 Fall 2025 Webinar Schedule

(3rd Thursday of each month | 10:00–11:00 a.m. CT):

- September 18 – Creative Grant Seeking in a Challenging Landscape

- October 16 – Artificial Intelligence and Federal Grantmakers

- November 20 – Deciphering Feedback from Grant Reviewers

Free to attend — registration required
Can’t make it live? Register anyway to receive the recording and slides!
🔖 Referral Code: TEES (be sure to include this when registering)

For questions or more information, contact Laura Brittain at TEESRegionalDivision@tamu.edu.

As research projects ramp up, many of you may be looking to hire students to assist with your ongoing work, and we're here to help you do it right.

If you're a faculty or staff PI planning to hire undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral students to work on a grant, it's essential that each student is set up with the correct payroll funding source before they begin. This means completing an EPAF (Electronic Personnel Action Form) for every student researcher, regardless of whether they are hourly or salaried.

Why does this matter?
✔️ Ensures students are paid from the correct grant fund
✔️ Prevents the need for messy retroactive budget adjustments
✔️ Keeps your grant fund balances accurate and up to date

Important Reminder: Only students listed in the approved grant budget may be hired. If you're planning to revise the number of student workers or adjust pay rates, these changes must be approved in advance. Reach out to ORA for guidance before making updates.

Have questions or need help with EPAFs or student payroll on grants? Don’t hesitate to contact us, we’re here to support you!

At SHSU, partnerships fuel progress. Each month, we highlight the people, places, and programs working alongside our university to strengthen communities and expand opportunities.

This month: The LEAP Center, Center for Community Engagement, Walker County, the City of Huntsville—four partners driving collaboration, civic leadership, and growth across our region.

Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics (LEAP) – Leadership in Action

Through an interdisciplinary mix of law, politics, fine arts, history, civil rights, and more, SHSU’s LEAP Center fosters civic leadership with programs, internships, pre-law advising, and community engagement. With 2,500 students involved annually in 150+ events, LEAP creates wide-reaching impact, led by its dedicated student ambassadors.

🔗 Learn more

Center for Community Engagement (CCE) – Partnering for Change

SHSU’s Center for Community Engagement enhances student learning through partnerships, initiatives, and research that meet community needs while building civic awareness. The CCE also supports faculty through training, grant development, and collaboration on community-engaged projects, such as the five-year Gulf Scholars Program, funded by the National Academies of Sciences.

🔗 Learn more

Walker County – Building a Resilient Future

Walker County is committed to building a strong, resilient community that balances economic growth with quality of life. Current priorities include investing in infrastructure, workforce development in partnership with SHSU, and strengthening public safety and emergency management. Recent efforts, like the launch of the Walker County Economic Development Corporation, reflect a focus on creating quality jobs and preparing for long-term growth.

🔗 Learn more

City of Huntsville – Where History Meets Innovation

As home to SHSU and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Huntsville plays a vital role in the Houston region. The City is building strong partnerships with the County, SHSU, and the Chamber of Commerce to drive economic development, including its collaboration with the Walker County Economic Development Corporation

🔗 Learn more

Working Together to Drive Innovation

From countywide initiatives to campus centers, these partners each bring unique strengths to SHSU’s civic and innovation landscape. Together, they foster economic growth, civic leadership, and community engagement, ensuring students and residents alike benefit from a thriving, connected region.

Whether it’s advancing workforce development in Walker County, shaping policy awareness through LEAP, or driving partnerships with the City of Huntsville and the CCE, collaboration is at the heart of progress.

Get Involved: To learn more about these partnerships or connect with one of our community leaders, reach out to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and stay tuned for future features.

This summer, Rachel Barker, an undergraduate student in SHSU’s Master of Public Health 4+1 Program, teamed up with the Department of Agriculture to help lead the Smart Food Consumption Workshop—an 8-week program designed to improve nutrition awareness, budgeting habits, and food choices in adolescents aged 11–17.

Through lectures, field trips, and real-world shopping experiences using USDA tools like MyPlate and the Thrifty Food Plan, Rachel and the team guided 21 participants in developing healthier habits. Topics included food security, waste reduction, nutrition label literacy, meal planning, and budget-conscious grocery shopping. The results spoke for themselves: increased purchases of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; more frequent use of nutrition labels; decreased spending on non-essential items; and greater confidence in meal planning.

As an intern, Rachel played a key role in collecting data, guiding participants, and even delivering her own lecture on food shopping behaviors, which focused on affordable ways to improve nutrition and maintain a balanced diet. After the program, she completed a final report and poster presentation to document the workshop’s success.

Rachel extends her heartfelt thanks to Dr. Danhong Chen, Dr. Berna Rahi, Dr. Lawrence Wolfskill, and Seth McAdow for their mentorship and support throughout the experience.

Curious about research but not sure where to begin? Join us for this introductory session designed to help students explore the benefits of engaging in research during their undergraduate journey.

Whether you're in STEM, the arts, social sciences, or any other field, this session will walk you through how to get involved, why it matters, and how research can elevate your academic and professional goals.

📅 Reserve your spot: Register here
📩 Contact: Seth McAdow | 4-1626 | ugresearch@shsu.edu

Big ideas, bold research. These recently awarded grants highlight the creativity and impact of research happening at SHSU. Congratulations to all PIs!

Sponsor: Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership
Award: $10,000
Developing an autonomous drone system with modular sensors to monitor environmental conditions from utility pole base stations, enabling real-time data collection and review.

Sponsor: Learning Policy Institute
Award: $53,000
Examining rural campus leaders’ perspectives on year-long teacher residency programs and their impact on student achievement, teacher retention, and school sustainability across Texas.

Sponsor: Texas Department of Public Safety
Award: $1,800,000
The Institute for Forensic Research, Training and Innovation (IFRTI) is continuing its partnership with the Texas DPS to provide cutting-edge training, research, and services that strengthen forensic science across the state.

The Office of Assessment is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025–2026 Assessment Mini-Grants, awarded to faculty and staff for innovative, assessment-related projects across campus. These grants support initiatives that enhance teaching, learning, and student success through meaningful assessment practices.

🎉 Awardees include:

 - Dallin Adams – Department of Mass Communication

 - Andrea Beerwinkle & Rebecca Wentworth – School of Teaching and Learning

 - Ashley Brittain & Saphon Ren-Ven – School of Teaching and Learning & College of Criminal Justice

 - Min Kim – Department of Kinesiology

 - Kimberly LaPrairie – Department of Library Science and Technology

 - Tabbetha Lopez – Department of Human Sciences

 - Ashly Smith & Lindsay Clar – Department of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship

 - Kendis Smith – Academic Success Center

 - Patrick Smith – SHSU Online Operations

 - Euijin Yang – Department of Engineering Technology

Congratulations to all recipients for their outstanding contributions to SHSU’s culture of continuous improvement!

SHSU Grant Activity as of August 2025

FY25 (YTD)

222 Proposals submitted for $117,181,378

53 Proposals awarded for $11,608,943

FY24 (YTD)

238 Proposals submitted for $116,615,100

97 Proposals awarded for $32,196,553

Note: The figures above represent tentative data for August, which also reflects all of FY25. Over the next few weeks, our team will review and validate the full FY25 dataset before releasing official numbers.

Explore our Opportunities Spotlight—a curated database of grant opportunities to support your research and projects. Stay ahead with the latest funding calls and find the right fit for your work!

Updated weekly—because the best funding matches keep rolling in!
Find it anytime on our Find Funding page.

Explore our collection of webinars, trainings, templates, and other tools to support your research. We’re committed to continuous improvement, so feel free to share any feedback or suggestions for new resources.

Our team is always accessible, and ready to support you at any stage of your research endeavors.

If you are still in the ideation stage or looking for funding opportunities, reach out to our Research and Proposal Development team.

If you have already identified a grant and are ready to begin developing your proposal, submit a Pre-Proposal Notification (PPN) form, and our team will reach out to assist you with preparation and submission.

Do you have a project, event, or success story you'd like to share with the SHSU community? We're always looking to highlight the incredible work happening across campus. Submit a content request form and your story could be featured in our next newsletter!

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