Ottilie Schillig Special Teaching Projects Grants
Purpose
The Ottilie Schillig Special Teaching Projects grant program provides financial support for initiatives that enhance undergraduate teaching. This program funds teaching activities and materials that lack traditional financial support, creating opportunities that would not otherwise exist. Funded projects should demonstrate potential for long-term benefits to the department and college. To qualify, proposals must have a clear pedagogical focus.
Eligibility
Individuals holding a faculty rank, as defined in the Mississippi State University Faculty Handbook, are eligible to apply. This includes positions such as Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor. Lecturers, staff, and other non-faculty positions are not eligible for this program.
Groups of eligible faculty members may submit a proposal collaboratively, with one member designated as the “principal proposer.” Normally, no more than one award will be granted to a proposer within a 24-month period. Proposals are solicited each spring.
Proposal Application
The proposal narrative should be concise, with a maximum of three pages (four pages total including the cover page). Download the Schillig Cover Page and include it as the first page of your proposal. A clear, descriptive title should be provided.
The narrative should include:
- Project Description: Details of the activities and timeline.
- Impact: Explanation of how the project will enhance undergraduate teaching, including an estimate of the number of students affected annually.
- Materials: A list of materials required for the project.
- Rationale for Funding:
- How the proposed activities/materials differ from current practice.
- Budget and amount requested, organized into broad categories (e.g., travel, commodities, equipment).
- Budget Details:
- Include anticipated expenditures with sufficient detail in categories such as travel, contractual, commodities, and equipment.
- Salaries, wages, or recurring costs are not eligible.
- Total funding requested must not exceed $3,000.
- Note: Equipment purchased with grant funds will remain the property of Mississippi State University.
Proposals that leverage additional funding, such as matching or cost-share funds, will be viewed favorably. If matching or cost-share funds are included, the department head’s signature must appear on the cover page. Any travel requests must clearly demonstrate their contribution to undergraduate teaching.
Download Schillig Cover Page Schillig Cover Page
Schedule and Process
- Proposal Submission: Proposals must be submitted electronically as a PDF to SchilligAward@msstate.edu by Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
- College/School Review: Proposals will be shared with the proposer’s college or school for optional input, which will be forwarded to the evaluation committee.
- Evaluation Committee Review: The committee, composed of distinguished teachers and previous Schillig grant recipients, will conduct the primary review and scoring of proposals.
- Notification of Award: Recipients will be notified by May 8, 2025.
Reporting Requirements
Awardees must submit a final report within 30 days of project completion. The report should:
- Describe whether the project achieved its intended outcomes.
- Include a table comparing the original proposed budget and actual final expenditures.
Failure to submit the final report may disqualify recipients from future funding opportunities.
Sample Schillig Grant Proposals
Olivia Boatman - Music: Alto Flute for Pedagogy and Applied Study
Steve Elder - Agricultural & Biological Engineering: Student-designed Mechanical Testing Machines to Enhance Learning by Future Students
Christa Haney - Geosciences: Digital Microscopy Applications in the Geosciences
Caroline Hatfield - Art: Digital Fabrication for Art and Design Students
Aswathy Rai - Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, & Plant Pathology: READS: Introducing a Realtime DNA Separation, Visualization and Documentation technique for the Undergraduate Students in Molecular Biology Methods
Ashley Schulz - Forestry: Arboreal Adventures: Taking Students to New Heights with Tree Climbing, Arboriculture & Urban Forestry
Emily Spayde - Mechanical Engineering: An Individual Hands-on Approach to Teaching & Learning PLCs by Addition of a Virtual Laboratory
Ottilie Schillig Teaching Project Award Recipients
Zhiqian Chen - BCOE - Computer Science & Engineering
Project: Enhancing AI Pedagogy with Interactive Educational Tools
Award: $2,994.50
Renee Clary - Arts & Sciences - Geosciences
Project: 3D Printed Specimens in Introductory Geology Laboratories
Award: $1,878.83
Padmanava Dash - Arts & Sciences - Geosciences
Project: Flight to Insight: Hands-on Geoscience with Drone Remote Sensing
Award: $3,000.00
Daniel Jost - Ag & Life Sciences - Landscape Architecture & Environmental Design
Project: Learning to Create "Messy Ecosystems" in "Orderly Frames": A Proposal for a Teaching Garden
Award: $3,000.00
Kristy McAndrew - Forest Resources - Forestry
Project: Miniature forests for maximum impact
Award: $2,808.00
Saeed Rokooei - Architecture, Art, & Design - Building Construction Science
Project: AI-Powered Weed Identification and Mapping for Undergraduate Education
Award: $3,000.00
Kim Smith - Education - Teacher Education and Leadership
Project: Empowering Future Educators: The Multimodal Literacy Lab
Award: $3,000.00
Gregory Thorn - Arts & Sciences - Communication
Project: Teaching Industry Standard Protocols through the Modernization of DMX Control Signal Flow Equipment
Award: $3,000.00
Lara Threet - Education - Industrial Technology, Instructional Design, and Community College Leadership
Project: 3D Printing for Pedagogy and Applied Study
Award: $2,989.83
Jian Zhao - Engineering - Mechanical Engineering
Project: An Education Platform to Enable Experiential Learning for Emerging Energy Technologies
Award: $3,000.00
Olivia Boatman - COE - Music
Project: Alto Flute for Pedagogy and Applied Study
Award: $3,000.00
Marty Bray, COE - Industrial Tech., Instructional Design, and CC Leadership
Project: Integrating Stem Activities in Instructional Technology Courses through a Mobile Raspberry PI Lab
Award: $2,986.33
Angel Fason, CALS - School of Human Sciences
Project: Child Advocacy Studies Experiential Learning Opportunities
Award: $3,000.00
Ellen Haas, CALS - Animal and Dairy Sciences
Project: Swine Litter Processing Simulator Kit
Award: $2,556.27
Mohammed Heshmati - BCOE - Swalm School of Chemical Engineering
Project: Energy and Environmental Sustainability Education for First Year Engineering Students via Hands-on Projects
Award: $3,000.00
Molly Nicodemus - CALS - Animal and Dairy Sciences
Project: Equine Facilitated Mental Health: Quantitative Assessment of Equine Interactive Programming for Test Anxiety
Award: $2,692.00
Ashley Schulz - CFR - Forestry
Project: Arboreal Adventures: Taking Students to New Heights with Tree Climbing, Arboriculture, and Urban Forestry
Award: $2,998.58
James Sobaskie - COE - Music
Project: Dante Option Card for the Avantis Recording Console
Award: $3,000.00
Emily Stinson - CAS - English
Project: Improving First-Year Writing with Interactive Brightlink Projector in Carpenter 307
Award: $3,000.00
Ryan Walker - CPCS
Project: Engage VR Creator Micro-credential
Award: $3,000.00
Kelsey Crane, CAS - Geosciences
Project: Learning by Teaching, Doing, and Building: Improving Undergraduate Educational Outcomes with Collaborative Student Engagement in an Earth Science Garden
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided to acquire landscaping materials for undergraduate student projects at West Elementary School. Students from Geosciences, Agricultural Education, and Landscape Architecture will create multiple gardens for the school.
Katie Doughty, CAS - English
Project: Enrichment Resources for Developmental English Courses
Award: $2,797.00
Funding provided to acquire 250 academic planners, sticky notes pads, and annotation pens for students in developmental English programs.
Steve Elder, BCE - Agricultural & Biological Engineering
Project: Student-Designed Mechanical Testing Machines to Enhance Learning by Future Students
Award: $3,000.00
Joshua Granger, CFR - Forestry
Project: Exploring Woody Plant Biodiversity Through Plants Collection
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided to acquire 45 Forestry Suppliers Professional Plant Presses for students in Dendrology & Introduction to Forest Communities (FO 3012) and Taxonomy of Rare and Unusual Woody Species in the souther U.S. (FO 8990).
SaMin Han, CALS - Landscape Architecture
Project: Bridging the Gap Between Vulnerable Communities on the Mississippi Coast and Resilient Design
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided to acquire geospatial drones and support student projects of the Landscape Architecture Design Studio during the Community Design Charrette for communities on the MS Gulf Coast.
Christa Haney, CAS - Geosciences
Project: Digital Microscopy Applications in the Geosciences
Award: $1,190.00
Funding provided to acquire ten handheld digital Flinn Scientific microscopes for student use in Geomorphology, Forensic Geosciences, and Earth Science I.
Caroline Hatfield, CAAD - Art
Project: Digital Fabrication for Art and Design Students
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided to acquire Makerbot and Mill Right Carve King equipment for students to use in digital fabrication and object design.
Lu He, Business - Department of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis, & Business Law
Project: Supply Chain Field Trip Recording: A Proposal for Providing a Common Contextual Experience to Enhance Supply Chain Student Learning
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided for charter bus rental for 56 students participating in a regional supply chain management field trip for International Supply Chain Management (MKT 4333).
Richard Human, COE - Music
Project: Microphones and Accessories Needed for the Department of Music Recording Studio
Award: $2,766.00
Funding provided to acquire microphones, pop filters, headphones, and cables for students in Technology for Music (MUE 1151) and Computer Skills for Musicians (MU 1553).
Aswathy Rai, CALS - Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology
Project: READS: Introducing a Realtime DNA Separation, Visualization and Documentation Technique
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided for FlashGel system, DNA starter kit, & FlashGel DNA cassettes for student use in BCH 4804 Molecular Biology Methods teaching lab.
Vaidyanathan Sivaraman, CAS - Mathematics and Statistics
Project: Using Games and Puzzles to Enhance Active Learning in Mathematics Courses
Award: $2,540.00
Funding provided to acquire 20 SET games, 10 chess sets, 50 Rubik's cubes, puzzles, and game texts to be used in three upper level mathematics courses.
Jason Baker, COE - Music
Project: Technology for Electroacoustic Performance and Pedagogy
Award: $2,479.53
Funding provided for speakers, audio interface, and connecting cables to provide students with electroacoustic music in various pedagogical situations.
Robin Carroll, CAAD - Interior Design
Project: Lighting Choices
Award: $2,669.94
Funding provided for light meters to collect color properties of LED lights in order to determine appropriate color tuning in lighting design.
Kristine Evans, CFR - Wildlife and Fisheries
Project: Improving Animal Behavior Experiential Learning Labs through an Aviary Camera System
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided for one open-eye overhead camera system for data collection and monitoring of birds in the Avian Science Center.
Charles Freeman, CALS - School of Human Sciences
Project: Learning Labs through an Aviary Camera System
Award: $2,910.00
Funding provided for textile testing lab equipment to research & test materials to be used in wet and humid conditions for the manufacturing and use of wearable technology.
Matthew Haislip. COE - Music
Project: A Pair of Natural Horns for Pedagogy, Applied Study, and Performance
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided for two natural brass horns allowing music majors to experience and demonstrate the physics of an all brass instrument.
James Adam Jones, BCOE - Computer Science Engineering
Project: VXR- Virtual and Extended Reality Software Development
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided to purchase 10 Meta/Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets and accessories to be used in developing and testing VR software programs.
Natraj Krishnan, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology & Plant Pathology
Project: PREPARE: Engaging Undergraduate Students of Biochemistry in Protein Analysis Techniques
Award: $3,000.00
Funded provided for one Trans-Blot SD Semi-Dry Transfer Cell.
Nazanin Morshedlou, BCOE - Industrial Systems Engineering
Project: Teaching Linear Programing with Virtual Reality Games: Bringing Large Scale Problems to the Classroom
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided for 60 seat licenses for Unity platform Anylogic software to be used in VR technology to solve linear programming problems.
Ashley Schultz, CFR - Forestry
Project: Trees on Display: Enhancing Student Learning Through Permanent Displays
Award: $2,999.86
Funding provided for 13 extra deep display cases and card stock to house student created exhibits of ecologically & economically import woody plant species.
Brandi Sumrall, COE - Meridian Division of Education
Project: Data-Driven Decision Making Experiences for Pre-Service Special Education Majors
Award: $1,240.80
Funding provided for a BRIGANCE Early Childhood kit and BRIGANCE Transition Inventory & Activities kit for teacher candidates to determine students' appropriate grade level skills and assist in developing transition plans for IEPs for students with disabilities.
Kathleen Thomas, Business - Finance and Economics
Project: Acquisition of Swell Form Graphics Machine to Support Low-Vision Learners at MSU
Award: $3,000.00
Funding provided for a Swell Form Graphics Machine to be housed in the Mitchell Memorial Library for shared faculty use in transforming images and graphs into tactile objects for low-vision students.
Kim Walters, CAS - Math
Project: Secret Success: Study & Organization Skills
Award: $1,029.00
Funding provided for notebooks and paper to encourage note taking for at risk students in intermediate Algebra.
Maryam Mirabolghasemi, BCOE-Chemical Engineering
Project: Improving the Learning Experience of Drilling Engineering Course Students by Using a Drilling Simulator
Award: $3000
Funding provided for shipping DrillSI:50 consoles that will provide unique active learning opportunities to enhance students' learning experience in the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering, acquiring software license, and covering travel expenses of technician traveling to MSU to install and configure the system and train the faculty users.
Kateryna Malaia, CAAD-Architecture
Project: Evicted: Housing Insecurity Research in Mississippi
Award: $3000
Funding provided for audio recording equipment necessary to collect interviews to establish an oral history laboratory dedicated to giving students a hands-on experience of architectural research and introducing them to the challenge of housing insecurity in Mississippi.
Caroline Kobia, CALS-Human Sciences
Project: Building a Digital Repository of Interviews from Fashion Entrepreneurs
Award: $3000
Funding provided for Virtual Sustainability Conference Speaker fees for 10 interviews with fashion entrepreneurs to build a digital repository to serve as a permanent online and face-to-face resource for the Fashion Design and Merchandising Program at MSU.
Scott DiGiulio, CAS, Classical and Modern Languages and LIteratures
Project: Money Talks! Teaching Ancient History and Culture through Coins
Award: $1500
Funding provided to acquire a set of museum-quality replica coins to form the core of a teaching collection of numismatic material, greatly enriching the pedagogy of ancient history, culture and archaeology courses taught at MSU.
Sanna King, CAS-Sociology, Criminology, and Social Work
Project: The Real Monopoly: America's Racial Wealth Divide
Award: $500
Funding provided for 20 Monopoly Classic Game Board Sets to use in classrooms to introduce students to the concepts of social stratification based on multiple dimensions of inequality, including the racial wealth gap and injustices.
Shawn Lambert, CAS-Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures
Project: Visualizing Heritage: Incorporating 3D Handheld Laser Scanners for Tactile Pedagogy
Award: $3000
Funding provided for purchase (with cost-share) of a handheld laser scanner to provide increased portability and an engaging user interface that will allow the continuation of tactile pedagogy in current classes and facilitate the introduction of tactile pedagogical methods in other courses within AMEC.
Krishna Poudel, CFR-Forestry
Project: Bringing Forests to the Classroom
Award: $2998.75
Funding provided to purchase 4500 miniature mixed model trees, 1m x 1m Plexiglass sheets, and supplies and tools to construct a forested field with Plexiglass to enhance the learning experience of sophomore, junior, and senior students in Forest Measurements, Forest Biometrics, and Environmental Measurements by using an artificial forest diorama to demonstrate different sampling and estimation techniques that are commonly used in the survey of natural resources.
Craig Aarhus, COLLED-Music
Project: eFlip Folders for the Famous Maroon Band
Award: $3000
Funding provided for secure eflip devices (with cost-share from university band) for members of the Famous Maroon Band to access their music digitally using smart phones instead of paper copies, providing a more modern method for students to read music at rehearsals and athletic events and a more cost-effective way for the band program to distribute music to students.
Roza Tulyaganova, COLLED-Music
Project: Breaking the Sound Barrier: The Benefits of Electronic Amplification for Future Music Educators
Award: $3000
Funding provided for a portable PS system including 8 wireless cavalier microphones; 3 dynamic handheld microphones; cables; stands; and carrying cases. This system will give students the opportunity to perform at locations beyond MSU, including outdoor performances to benefit the community and help to promote the MSU Music Department.
John Wyatt, COLLED-Instructional Systems and Workforce Development
Project: Development of Interactive Teaching Methods for Hands-On Technical Courses
Award: $1550
Funding provided to complet the equipping of a studio with a high quality still/video DSLR camera, additional lighting, backdrops, microphones, recording cart, and soundproofing for the stationary lab. This equipment will help instructors in the ISWD department to create multimedia lectures, demonstrations, and interactive content and will allow the instructional design faculty to demonstrate best practices in instructional design multimedia.
Joshua Smith, BCOE-Mechanical Engineering
Project: A Steam Engine Rediscovery Experience for Mechanical Engineers
Award: $2400
Funding provided for materials and manufacturing costs of three working models to be designed and built by ME students and used in a re-discovery activity centered on James Watt’s steam engine design piloted in the Fall of 2020 on the Gulf Coast campus, then modified for use on the Starkville campus in Spring of 2021.
Dominic Lippillo, CAAD-Art
Project: Exhibition of Student Work made with Digital Technology
Award: $3000
Funding provided for various digital equipment to showcase student work in a gallery setting to gain real-world perspective on creating art work for public display.
Saeed Rokooei, CAAD-Building Construction Science
Project: Improving Learning and Teaching in the Building Construction Science Safety Studio through Virtual Reality Application
Award: $3000
Funding provided for 3D and VR equipment and models to develop and apply educational modules in a virtual reality environment to “enhance teaching quality and student learning experience” in the studio.
Florencia Meyer, CALS-Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology
Project: Can you "see" the fingerprints?
Award: $3000
Funding provided for updating a forensic equipment that allows students to enhance invisible fingerprints deposited on objects to be able to photograph and analyze them.
Molly Nicodemus, CALS-Animal and Dairy Science
Project: Benefits of animal assisted psychotherapy and learning taught through participation in an equine therapy program
Award: $3000
Funding provided for technology and arena equipment to expand the current therapy program to accommodate the size of student involvement from larger ADS classes.
Rinat Gabitov and Brenda Kirkland, CAS-Geosciences
Project: Engaged, Hands-on Learning of Minerals and Rocks using Microscopes and Thin Sections pared with Hand Samples in Foundational Geology Courses
Award: $2803
Funding provided for thin sections and microscopy accessories to allow for upgrading of labs to better engage students and improve hands-on learning experiences.
Ashley Vancil-Leap, CAS-Gender Studies
Project: The Game of Social Life: A Multi-Dimensional Poverty Simulation
Award: $529.32
Funding provided for materials to create and produce materials necessary to assemble the poverty simulation game.
Austin Himes, CFR-FWRC
Project: Improving Student Learning by Establishing a Campus Nature Trail with an Augmented Reality Experience
Award: $3000
Funding provided for arboretum wood plant tags and signs with QR codes and information text to enhance the instruction of FO2213 Dendrology.
Chih-Chia Chen, COE-Kinesiology
Project: Increasing Experimental Learning Experience in Human Movement Study
Award: $3000
Funding provided for portable laboratory equipment to allow hands-on experience to PE3223 and PE4853 students.