STEM Mini-Grant Submission to Enhance Coal Creek Trail
Published: April 19, 2021 | Author: Lawrence Mbaki | Read Time: 2 minutes
To support the active learning of students, visitors, and community members along the Coal Creek Trail near Cedar City, Utah, Casey Webb recently submitted a Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) mini-grant to the Office of Outdoor Recreation. In association with Southern Utah University’s STEM Center for Teaching and Learning, if funded, the Active Learning for All on the Coal Creek Trail project would improve the trail by adding natural rock, bark, and seven specific trail markers and unique corresponding signs that provide information about the surrounding area. These trail markers provide QR codes that connect to additional curriculum-based learning for students.
Webb, a lecturer of geology, has been at SUU for four years and currently teaches within the Physical Science Department. This was his first time as the principal investigator (PI) of an external grant submission through SUU’s Sponsored Programs, Agreements, Research, and Contracts (SPARC) office. PI is a term specific to the field of grant research administration, denoting the person in charge of the project if it gets funded.
“The most difficult part of preparing the application was to plan out the entire project upfront,” said Webb. “I really appreciated the team I work with—including Charlene Busch, SUU’s STEM Center; Kelly Goonan, assistant professor of outdoor recreation; Sara McAfee, Iron County STEM coordinator; and Jenn Stewart, SPARC office.”
Each year Utah’s outdoor recreation department offers a variety of grants based on the project and budget—mostly those that follow their mission to ensure Utahns can live a healthy and active lifestyle through outdoor recreation. We are grateful to Casey Webb and his team for putting forth the work on this mini-grant submission. If funded, this grant will have an effect on the community that is anything but “mini” as it provides outdoor active learning opportunities for all.
Produced by the SPARC Office
SUU’s Sponsored Programs, Agreements, Research, and Contracts office provides assistance to faculty, staff, and administrators seeking external funding for their projects and programs, from concept development and planning through implementation and management of funded projects.
Tags: SPARC Geology Geosciences