Grants and fellowships offered, all or in part, by the Ground Connections Team, part of Digital Media Commons. Please visit the DC Grants and Funding page for other funding opportunities available from our partners within the Duderstadt Center.
Experiments in Translation
Experiments in Translation grants are awarded to collaborative projects that bring Duderstadt Center technologies to bear in response to a communications challenge. Projects that respond to the prompt: “It is difficult to convey ________ to _______.”
Projects are expected to be completed within one year, during which time awardees may participate in strategic workshops, discussions and other events to support their progress. Final projects are publicly presented.
Current opportunities: On hold, please check back for updates.
Featured Project: Microbial Masterpieces, the 2020 Experiments in Translation grant recipient, is a continuously evolving project aiming to communicate the importance of microorganisms to humanity and the planet.
Micro-Fellowships
Micro-fellowships bring strategic support to students who are developing unique skills as leaders and/or researchers, using Ground Connections resources. In addition to benefiting the participants, these focused relationships inform ongoing programs and services, develop communities of interest, and draw new students and faculty to the Duderstadt Center.
Individual graduate or undergraduate students may propose to lead a project that significantly engages Ground Connections public spaces, expertise or technologies. Proposals are considered for research or community projects that explore emerging technologies and their application and/or bring people together in conversation. Micro-fellowships award $750 for 1-semester projects.
Current opportunities: On hold, please check back for updates.
Featured Project: Michelle’s Meme Machine (2019). This weekly discussion, held in Design Lab 1 throughout Winter Semester 2019, was about memes and their role in modern internet culture and in online discourse in general. The Canvas site shares the slides from those discussions, serving both as an archive and as a resource for any who would like to host similar discussions.
Projects-in-Residence
Projects that would substantially benefit from special access to Ground Connections resources may apply for Project in Residence status. PIR’s are selected according to our capacity to accommodate them and their potential to contribute to the community knowledge base. Team members may receive special access to technology and staff expertise, dedicated workspace, and/or storage space. In turn, they contribute insights into workflows, approaches, design problems or technology solutions. At the start their residency, PIR participants will work with DC staff members to 1) clarify details the residency and 2) identify and schedule opportunities to share their key findings with the community — through blog posts, workshops, presentations or other means.
Current opportunities: On hold, please check back for updates.
Featured PIR: LuCelegans, “The first 3D interactive C. elegans nervous system prototype” is currently in progress in Design Lab 1, where team members have access to large work surfaces and relevant tools to build out the model’s electronics and structural frame.