The Faculty Senate is pleased to announce the faculty members who have been awarded a 2026–27 Coffin Grant, along with descriptions of their projects.
2026–27 Coffin Grant Recipients & Project Descriptions
Sundeep R. Muppidi, PhD, Professor of Digital Media & Journalism, College of Arts and Sciences
Convergence and Complexity: AI, Creative Industries, and Global Media Ecologies in Hyderabad’s Digital Economy
This project investigates how artificial intelligence (AI), software development, and creative industries converge within Hyderabad’s rapidly expanding digital media ecosystem. As one of India’s foremost technology and cultural production hubs, Hyderabad provides a unique environment where film, animation, gaming, streaming media, and software innovation intersect. The project asks:
- How is AI transforming creative media workflows and labor relations?
- What happens when software engineers become media producers?
- How do local creative workers adapt to global technologies while maintaining cultural specificity?
- What new forms of storytelling and media innovation emerge from these convergences?
Thilagha Jagaiah, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Education, ENHP
Examining the Developmental Progression of Sentence Complexity and Writing Quality in Opinion Essays of Elementary School Students
This project examines how sentence complexity develops over time and how it relates to writing quality in elementary students’ opinion essays. Using a longitudinal design, the study analyzes writing samples from third- through fifth-grade students across two elementary schools, including both typically achieving students and students with disabilities. Automated linguistic analysis tools are used to examine patterns of syntactic complexity and developmental growth in sentence construction. By identifying developmental stages and variations in sentence use, the project aims to deepen understanding of how children develop more sophisticated writing skills and to inform equitable, differentiated writing instruction that supports diverse learners.
Brittany McGowan, PT, DPT, CPST, Clinical Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, ENHP
Physical Therapy Practices Following Median Sternotomy: Clinical Precautions and Protocols
This project examines current physical therapy practice patterns following median sternotomy, with a focus on how clinicians apply traditional sternal precautions versus newer, function-based approaches such as Keep Your Move in the Tube (KYMITT). Using a national, web-based survey of physical therapists across practice settings, the study aims to document clinical decision-making, identify variability in care, and explore perceived barriers and facilitators to evidence-based practice. Findings from this work will provide essential baseline data to inform future guideline development, promote safe functional recovery after cardiothoracic surgery, and support the translation of emerging evidence into clinical practice.
Dr. Abu Saleh Md Tayeen, Assistant Professor, Department of Computing Science, CETA
Reimagining Data Structure Pedagogy in the Era of Large Language Models
Data Structures is a core course in computer science, but many students find it challenging because of its complexity. At the same time, modern AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot can now generate correct code for common data structures, reducing the need for students to write everything from scratch. This creates an opportunity to rethink how Data Structures should be taught. This project will explore shifting the focus of the course from memorizing and implementing data structures to understanding how to choose, analyze, and apply them to real problems. By comparing a traditional course with a redesigned, application-focused version, the study will examine whether this approach helps students develop stronger problem-solving skills while still maintaining their foundational knowledge.
Amanda Carlson, Phd, Associate Professor of Art History, Art History, History and Philosophy, Hartford Art School
Contemporary African Art and Fashion
Contemporary African art has become fashionable, as in popular, and fashionable in the sense that many artists are placing sartorial elements into their artworks utilizing textiles, garments, and fashion imagery. Fashion and Contemporary African Art is a research project that explores the places where art and fashion meet and the cultural context within which they operate. While global fashion history is being written at a frenetic speed and often on display in museums, a more complex chapter about contemporary African art and fashion has yet to be written. My project considers how African artists might be reaching for fabrics that signify the past (tradition) with the intension of shaping the future and surpassing conversations about modernity. This speaks volumes to the way that creativity produces knowledge and change. I will travel to Senegal and Morocco (June-July 2027) to do the type of historical and ethnographic research that is the foundation of my discipline, which includes meeting with African artists and designers, collaborating with African scholars, exploring archives, and collecting local publications that are difficult to obtain from the US. I will also present a conference paper on this research at the 20th ACASA Triennial Symposium on African Art that will be held in Rabat, Morocco (Faculté des Sciences de l’Éducation – Université Mohammed V de Rabat, July 13–18, 2027).
Ahmed Bensaoud, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Computing Sciences, CETA
Securing AI Systems: Integrating wireless intrusion detection with LLM vulnerability testing
This project investigates significant security vulnerabilities at the intersection of large language models (LLMs) and wireless networks by developing a systematic framework for adversarial testing and risk assessment. Using open-source wireless monitoring tools and LLM-driven red-teaming techniques, the study will identify, categorize, and analyze cross-domain attack scenarios such as prompt injection, wireless spoofing, and data leakage. The outcomes will contribute new insights into AI-enabled cybersecurity threats and support the development of more dependable and secure AI and wireless systems, with results disseminated through peer-reviewed conferences and journals.
Susan Grantham, Professor, School of Communication, A&S
K-Dramas are Dismantling the Stigma of Disabilities
Viewership of Korean dramas (K-Dramas) has increased exponentially worldwide in the last decade. This study examines how the portrayal of disabilities in popular K-Drama series challenges the stereotypes often associated with them, which can help reduce societal stigma and promote understanding and acceptance. Research has shown that social cognitive theory helps explain how media portrays topics while agenda setting, media images and/or messages can activate related thoughts in an individual's mind. This can then be used to form judgments about people and influence public opinion. This study is a continuation of prior research on media effects.
Shirley Wang, Associate Professor of Management, Barney School of Business
Sustaining the spark: Longitudinal effects of AI use on student experience and motivation in higher education
Shirley Wang will be working on a longitudinal research project where she examines the use of AI tools in the classroom in shaping students’ learning experience, motivation, and engagement over time. The project follows students across a semester to see what happens when AI is used regularly in coursework and not just at one moment in time. For instance, might there be a novelty effect that wears off over time; or conversely a situation where students slowly become more proficient in AI use for that topic across the semester. As this is a popular subject across the University, she hopes to learn and collaborate with colleagues in better understanding students’ repeated experience with AI for a particular topic/class.
Colleen E. Krause, Associate Professor of Chemistry, A&S
Pancreatic Cancer Detection Platform
Colleen E. Krause will use this funding to support her ongoing research efforts for pancreatic cancer detection. When diagnosed, pancreatic cancer has a grim prognosis with 5-year survival rates less than 15% and a life expectancy of less than 5 months. Therefore, there is a desperate need for early detection. Dr. Krause and her undergraduate research team aim to detect known protein pancreatic cancer biomarkers using her novel test chips.
Shreya Malhotra, Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics, Barney School of Business
A Causal Analysis of 'Ban the Box' and Labor Market Outcomes for Marginal Groups
This project investigates the causal impact of 'Ban the Box' (BTB) policies, which restrict employers from asking about criminal histories early in hiring. Specifically, it examines whether these policies inadvertently shift young, low-skilled minority men into lower-wage, less stable sectors like construction and agriculture, away from industries such as finance and retail. The first phase involves a comprehensive literature review of existing econometric studies on BTB, specifically focusing on employment and wage outcomes. In the second phase, the research will measure the causal effects of these policies by constructing a detailed panel dataset from the American Community Survey (2005–2023) to analyze sectoral shifts, wage penalties, and changes in job quality for young, low-skilled minority men, employing a difference-in-differences design to establish a robust causal link. This phase requires rigorous econometric validation of the parallel trends assumption and control for individual-level covariates. The final phase will translate these empirical findings into a targeted set of policy recommendations, identifying which legislative and regulatory adjustments most effectively mitigate unintended negative consequences, such as employment displacement into lower-wage sectors, and outlining how future equity-oriented hiring policies can be designed to promote both fairness and economic stability.
Brian Wells, Associate Professor of Physics, A&S
Broadband 3D-Printed Metamaterial Lenses for Imaging and Sensing
This project supports the dissemination of undergraduate-driven research in the design, fabrication, and experimental validation of broadband 3D-printed metamaterial lenses and metasurfaces for imaging and sensing applications. Conducted in the University of Hartford’s Multiscale Metamaterial Research Laboratory, the work integrates electromagnetic simulation, additive manufacturing, and broadband microwave characterization to develop compact, planar alternatives to conventional curved lenses. Coffin Grant support will enable a faculty oral presentation and undergraduate poster presentations at the 2027 American Physical Society Global Physics Summit, highlighting student-led advances in applied electromagnetics while strengthening pathways toward future external funding and national visibility.
Stephanie Tavarez, Assistant Professor of Psychology, A&S
Anticipating the Future of Work: A Multi-Stakeholder Analysis of Workforce Essential Skills
A mixed-methods research initiative led by Dr. Stephanie Tavarez and the SHINE Lab that explores which competencies are most essential for career success today and how these priorities are expected to shift over the next 20 years. By gathering perspectives from students, early- and midcareer professionals, and organizational hiring leaders across industries, the study will examine where stakeholder groups converge or diverge in how they define, develop, and value workforce-critical skills such as emotional intelligence, communication, and teamwork. The project will begin with a large-scale quantitative survey followed by in-depth qualitative interviews to better understand the lived and organizational contexts shaping future workforce preparation. Positioned at the intersection of industrial-organizational psychology, education, and workforce development, this research will generate evidence-based recommendations to strengthen curricula, employee training, and leadership strategies for building the next generation of talent in an evolving world of work.