Community-engaged research faculty and staff are invited to an information session Oct. 30, 10-11 a.m. via Zoom to learn about becoming an academic mentor and submitting their research projects for the 2025 Community-Academic Scholars (CAS) program. This info session will cover program benefits, project selection, and insights and Q&A with Prof. Minakshi (Mina) Raj and Dr. Meaghan McKenna about their experiences as CAS faculty mentors.
The Community-Academic Scholars program began in 2019 and is the only community-engaged research program for undergraduates at Illinois. Since its inception, it has matched over 80 undergraduate scholars with community-academic research projects that were conducted simultaneously with a 10-week summer research program that address contemporary issues affecting our community. The CAS program provides training, guidance, and a stipend to support each undergraduate’s success with their research project. The Summer 2024 cohort included 18 scholars who were selected from a pool of highly competitive applicants including Chancellor’s Scholars, I-Promise Scholars, James Scholars, students from Minority Serving Institutions, leaders of student organizations, and more. CAS Scholars are selected based on their demonstrated skills needed to work on the project, their personal connections to and passion for the issues their projects addressed, and their alignment with future educational and professional goals.
If you are conducting community-based participatory research with a community partner in Champaign County that addresses any aspect of health, poverty, and/or social inequality, please join us to learn more about this initiative and to find out how this program can support your research. Projects chosen for Summer 2024 addressed a range of issues including substance addiction recovery, postpartum pain, basalt application in vegetable crops, culturally relevant programs and services, youth development and well-being, autonomous bicycles, environmental justice, indoor air quality, assistive robots in caregiving of older adults, cultural humility and bias, middle school STEM+C learning, local food chains, and accessibility of local businesses.
If you cannot attend the info session, please register to receive a notification when the recording is available. All projects must be submitted by Jan. 12, 2025.