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The ������̳ awarded nearly $250,000 in research grants and awards to faculty members and undergraduate students on Thursday during its annual Achievements in Research, Creativity and Scholarship awards ceremony.

The awards presentation, hosted by the Office of Research, was on YouTube. The ceremony underscores the power of research and the opportunities that exist for UNO scholars at all levels and areas.

Representatives from the ������̳ Research Council, which reviews nominees, presented the following prizes:

Faculty Creativity, Research & Scholarship Awards

The Faculty Creativity, Research and Scholarship Awards are the most prestigious awards bestowed by the Office of Research. They are presented to innovative faculty members who have distinguished themselves in their fields and at the ������̳.

Winners receive a one-year fixed price award of $10,000 for career awards and $7,500 for early-career awards.
President John Nicklow announced the following 2021 winners of the Creativity, Research and Scholarship awards:

Creativity, Research & Scholarship Award
• Linda Flynn-Wilson, curriculum, instruction and special education

Early-Career Creativity, Research & Scholarship Award
• David Podgorski, chemistry

Creative Endeavor Opportunity (CEO): The goal of the Creative Endeavor Opportunity program is to provide support for faculty members launching programs of research, scholarship, exhibition or performance that will ultimately result in increased research and creative activity on campus. Proposal budgets are capped at $10,000.

The 2021 recipients are:
• Anthony Campbell, fine arts
• Laszlo Fulop, film and theatre
• Ariya Martin, fine arts

Stimulating Competitive Research (SCoRe): The goal is to equip principal investigators with seed money to apply for external grant opportunities. Winners are required to make a proposal to an outside agency. The budget cap is $15,000.

The 2021 recipients are:
• Shaikh Arifuzzaman, computer science
• Leszek Malkinski, physics
• Martin O’Connell, earth and environmental sciences
• Bethany Stich, planning and urban studies
• John Wiley, AMRI

Interdisciplinary Grant Development (IGD): The program requires participation from two or more colleges or departments. The aim of the program is to stimulate fundable, interdisciplinary research across substantially distinct disciplines. Winners are required to make a proposal to an outside agency. The maximum funding for this program is $17,500 per investigator with up to three investigators allowed per project.

The 2021 recipients are Thomas Soniat, biological sciences and Tamjidul Hoque, computer science.

Tolmas Scholars

UNO offers two flagship programs that introduce undergraduate students to research opportunities: the Privateer Undergraduate Research & Scholarly UNO Experience (PURSUE) and the College of Sciences Undergraduate Research Program (CoSURP).

Through these programs, undergraduates are awarded student worker positions with UNO faculty members. As these programs are generously funded in part by the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, undergraduate students who receive these positions are known as “Tolmas Scholars.”

To view the list of 2021 Tolmas Scholars and their mentors, visit the Tolmas Scholars website.