The 2016 Innovative Seed Grant Competition resulted in 23 new grants for a total of $1 million being awarded to CU Boulder faculty across all disciplines, including $250,000 for six grants supporting work directly connected to the CU Boulder Grand Challenge. There were 96 submissions and 23 projects were funded.

2016 Funded Projects

Grooms, Ian Applied Mathematics A data-driven investigation of the dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation
Dupre, Jill ATLAS Aligning Incentives—Promoting Values and Innovation in UAS Research
Jimenez, Jose L. Chem & BioChem Demonstration of a high-signal soft-ionization quantitative method for on-line aerosol mass spectrometry
Kuchta, Robert Chem & BioChem Generation of Novel Electronically Reconfigurable Nanomaterials
Shirts, Michael Chemical Engineering Understanding the Molecular Details of Protein Binding Plasticity  Through Atomistic Computer Simulation
Balaji, Rajagopalan Civil Environmental and Architectural Engineering Climate change and political instability in the Middle East: A recurring historical pattern?
Szafir, Danielle CMCI FieldView: Using Mobile Devices to Blend Data Collection and Analysis for Field Research
Kane, Shaun Computer Science Increasing the Accessibility of Interactive Physics Simulations Using Actuated Tangible Interactions
Shapiro, R. Benjamin Computer Science Empowering American Indian Youth through Computer Music & Dance
Popovic, Milos Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering Microphotonic Circuits for High Performance, Low Size, Weight and Power Sensing for Space Applications:  Toward Single-Chip Radio-Frequency Photonic Receivers for Space Radiometers
Mcleod, Robert Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering Liquid Crystal Polymer masks: A new optical element
Dilling, Lisa Environmental Studies Grand Challenge Seed Grant: Bringing Innovative Data Science Down to Earth
Hartter, Joel Environmental Studies Improving Access to Agricultural Knowledge Through Mobile Phones: Exploring the Potential for Technology Adoption in Africa
Ferme, Valerio French and Italian Wonder, Space, and the Arts
Leyk, Stefan Geography Earth Lab’s Human Dimension: Integrating Fine-Grained Data on Human Activity for Advanced Understanding of Environmental Change
Noah Molotch INSTAAR Multi-Scale Modeling and Measurement of Ecosystem Sensitivity to Water and Energy Availability
Broussard, Josiane Integrative Physiology Role of the skin as a tool to assess circadian rhythms and function of peripheral metabolic tissues
Xiao, Jianliang Mechanical Engineering Smart Morphing Electronics for Soft Robots and Biomedical Applications
Rentschler, Mark Mechanical Engineering Enabling Interactive Control of In vivo Robots
Rogers, Charles Physics Levitation and cooling of gallium nitride nanowires
Munakata, Yuko Psychology Connecting Everyday Experience and Cognitive Development:  The Case of Less-Structured Time and Children’s Self-directed Executive Function
Shneer, David Religious Studies CU Project in Post Holocaust American Judaism, Going Online
Catlos, Brian Religious Studies Mediterranean Studies at CU Boulder