Spring 2025 Micro Grant Recipients
Michole Biancosino, Theatre, received a grant on behalf of a project spearheaded by Michole and Professor Dan Brayton to bring the Australian theatre company, One Step at a Time Like This, to Middlebury College for a 2-week residency to workshop a unique Eco-Shakespeare theatre creation which involves a company that includes dedicated coders, programmers, lighting designers, and devisers. As part of the residency, there will be workshops related to different digital methods where the company members will lead students and community members through the co-creation of a Middlebury-centered theatre workshop.
Julia Deen, Data Services, received a grant to facilitate a roundtable discussion on interdisciplinary data management communication and strategies at the IASSIST 2025 conference this June in Bristol, UK. The goal is to collaborate on making data management strategies more accessible for a broader audience, especially early career researchers and folks who don’t necessarily see their research outputs as “data”.
Laura MacMullin, Psychology, received a grant to examine the experiences of trans youth and youth who have a trans sibling using qualitative data collection and analysis. For example, this study will include questions about trans youth’s insights on and experiences with laws and policies that impact them. Collecting qualitative data is vital in current studies because this methodology allows participants’ own words and experiences to be centered. This is especially important in the context of studying the lived experiences of trans youth and siblings of trans youth, given that these are two groups who have often not been included in research.
Zara Contractor, Economics and Germán Reyes, Economics, received a grant to create an empirical study of learning determinants. Through an in-person study, they will examine how various factors contribute to the learning process among Middlebury undergraduates. Their research aims to identify whether some specific educational inputs effectively improve academic performance, potentially informing evidence-based policies to improve learning outcomes in higher education.