Center for Community Engagement funds research projects The Center for Community Engagement has announced that five new faculty and community research collaborations have been funded that will benefit Grand Forks and the region. This is the third year the Center has funded research partnerships through its Public Scholarship Program, notes Center director Lana Rakow. The selected projects had to involve a community partner and produce public benefits. Funding for these projects was provided by the office of the vice president for research. The newly funded projects will explore alternative schooling options in rural North Dakota, evaluate a high school mentoring program in Grand Forks to reduce risky behavior, design a space learning curriculum for young people, create a community-based research journal, and study the possible role of radon and other factors in the development of multiple sclerosis. This year’s projects include the following: (1) Educational Opportunities for At-Risk Students in Rural Communities — $1,000 for a project with the Grand Forks Public Schools, United Way, Grand Forks Sheriff’s Department, local rural communities, and UND faculty members Brenda Kallio, associate professor of educational leadership, and Katherine Anderson, assistant professor of teaching and learning. (2) Student Mentoring Program: Building Character and Health Protection for Children — $1,000 for a project with the Grand Forks Public School System and Nuananong (Lek) Seal, assistant professor of family and community nursing; Sandy Geddes, counselor in the UND Counseling Center; and Chandice Covington, dean of the College of Nursing, to research the effectiveness of a student mentoring program between nursing students and local area youth. (3) Beyond Earth — $6,000 for a project with the Dakota Science Center and UND faculty Tim Young, physics, and Mark Guy, teaching and learning, to develop a UND-based summer youth space learning program. (4) Developing Innovative Avenues for Community-Based Research — $6,000 for a project with the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, People’s Diversity Forum, Cultural Diversity Resources, and the Immigrant Development Center, and the following UND faculty and staff —Greg Gagnon, associate professor of Indian Studies; Monique Vondall Rieke, director of the Native Media Center; and Diana Nastasia, graduate teaching assistant in the School of Communication, to research and produce the area’s first university/community-based research journal. (5) Multiple Sclerosis, Vitamin D, Metal and Radon — $6,000 for a project with the Grand Forks Red River Valley Multiple Sclerosis Education and Support Group and UND faculty Glenn Lykken, physics; David Marshall, English; and Berislav Momcilovic, physics, to collect information from area subjects with multiple sclerosis. -- Lana Rakow, Director, Center for Community Engagement.