Faculty and staff across Metropolitan State University of Denver are behind a wide range of newly funded projects, from student support and adult education to community-based work across Colorado.
Take a look at the latest grant awards below.
Adriann Wycoff and Robb Gallegos, faculty and staff members in Family Literacy, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
$542,727 grant from the Colorado Department of Education
Adult Education and Literacy Act (AELA)
$204,544 grant from the Colorado Department of Education
Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA)
$100,000 grant from Commerce City
Expand No-Cost GED Prep Services
$30,000 grant from the National Center for Families Learning
Statewide Family Engagement Center
Wycoff and Gallegos are leading multiple family literacy and adult education initiatives that expand access to education, workforce preparation and family engagement across Colorado. With support from the Colorado Department of Education, the city of Commerce City and the National Center for Families Learning, their work provides adult basic education, English language instruction, high school equivalency preparation and workforce-aligned skills training.
These projects represent more than $876,000 in combined funding, supporting child care for participating parents, no-cost GED preparation for Commerce City residents through the ACT Workforce Development Pathway Program, and research-based family engagement strategies designed to strengthen learning outcomes and academic success within Colorado’s school systems.
Kate Trujillo, faculty member in Social Work, College of Health and Human Sciences
$524,172 grant from the University of Louisville
Center for Workforce Equity and Leadership University Partnership Program
Through a partnership with the University of Louisville, MSU Denver received funding to expand scholarships and programming that support students preparing for careers in social work with Colorado’s children and families. The project connects MSU Denver with four partner programs to strengthen workforce pathways and increase access to training and resources for emerging social workers across the state.
Megan Scherzberg, staff member in Student Affairs, Orientation, Transfer and Reengagement
$522,627 grant from the Colorado Department of Higher Education
COSI: Finish What You Started
The Finish What You Started program helps adult learners return to college and move steadily toward completing their degrees. With support from the Colorado Department of Higher Education, the program helps adult learners return to college to complete a certificate or degree. It also reduces financial barriers by helping students cover tuition and other educational expenses so they can finish their studies without taking on more debt.
Ranjidha Rajan, faculty member in Computer Science, College of Aerospace, Computing, Engineering and Design
$495,922 grant from the Colorado Statewide Internet Portal Authority
Colorado STEM Ecosystem: Scaling STEM Collaboration Platform
Rajan and her colleagues are expanding RILE, a statewide platform that helps students and educators find STEM programs, mentorship and workforce-aligned learning opportunities across Colorado. The work brings scattered resources into a single system, making it easier for communities, particularly in rural and underserved areas, to navigate pathways into STEM education and careers.
Pamela Bentley, faculty and staff member in Student Affairs, Center for Urban Education
$467,222 grant from the U.S. Department of Education
TRIO High School Upward Bound
$86,000 grant from the city and county of Denver, Office of Children’s Affairs
21st Century College Readiness Center, Comprehensive Out-of-School-Time Services
Through these awards, the Center for Urban Education is expanding college readiness and enrichment opportunities for K-12 students across Denver. Additionally, TRIO High School Upward Bound represents Year 4 funding of a five-year, $1.85 million grant that has supported first-generation and low-income students for more than 50 years, with strong outcomes in graduation, academic performance and postsecondary persistence.
Kristy L. Duran, faculty member in Undergraduate Research
$343,327 grant from the National Institutes of Health
Genome Research Experiences to Attract Talented Undergraduates
This partnership with the University of Denver recruits and trains undergraduate students from diverse academic backgrounds to increase participation in biomedical and genomics research.
Richard MacNamee, faculty member in Cybersecurity, College of Aerospace, Computing, Engineering and Design
$246,030 grant from the Colorado Department of Law
CENTURION/Project PISCES
MSU Denver serves as the lead institution in Colorado for Project PISCES, providing no-cost cybersecurity event monitoring to small public-sector organizations while expanding experiential learning opportunities for students.
Mira Luna, faculty member in the Health Institute, College of Health and Human Sciences
$154,000 grant from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing
National Mental Health Workforce Acceleration Collaborative
This project expands access to mental health and substance use care by increasing the number of qualified licensed clinicians while building a workforce reflective of the communities it serves.
Emily Ragan, Jon Dyhr and Brian Healy, faculty and staff members in Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biology, and Communication Studies, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
$100,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Higher Education
Open Educational Resources: Incentives for Widespread Adoption, 2026–27
$47,500 grant from the Colorado Department of Higher Education
Open Roadrunners General Incentive Fund
The awards advance zero-textbook-cost pathways by expanding the use of open educational resources, reducing costs and improving access for students.
Jess Retrum, faculty member in Social Work, College of Health and Human Sciences
$90,000 subgrant through Reach University
MSU x NCAD Partnership
This funding supports job-embedded learning through tuition assistance and emergency funding to help students persist in an apprenticeship-degree pathway.
Sonia Falcon and Abbie Kell, staff members in the Student Care Center, Student Affairs, Student Life Office
$88,109 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Hunger Free Colorado Partnership: SNAP PEAS Outreach Program
This funding supports SNAP outreach and application assistance to help food-insecure residents across the Denver metro region connect to food resources.
Dorothy Shapland and Andy Thyrring, faculty members in Early Childhood Education, School of Education
$84,500 grant from the Colorado Department of Higher Education
Scholarships for Early Childhood Educators
This funding supports scholarships that reduce financial barriers for early childhood educators pursuing professional advancement.
Richard MacNamee and Adam Webber, faculty members in Cybersecurity, College of Aerospace, Computing, Engineering and Design
$63,013 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense
Project SANDRINGHAM
This funding supports a retention scholarship and registered apprenticeship program strengthening pathways into the Department of Defense cyber workforce.
Caitlin Fine, Ph.D., faculty member in the School of Education, Elementary Education and Literacy
$49,058.50 grant from the Colorado Department of Higher Education
Colorado Open Educational Resources Grant Program
This project is producing an OER video collection highlighting translanguaging practices in K-12 science learning environments.
Adriann Wycoff, faculty member in Family Literacy, College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
$28,000 grant from Parent Possible (Tony Grampas Youth Services)
Parents as Teachers (PAT) Program, 2025–26
Through the Parents as Teachers program, this award supports Wycoff’s work with families from pregnancy through kindergarten by providing individualized guidance and activities that strengthen early learning and parent-child relationships.
Alfred Tatum, Ph.D., faculty and staff member in the Literacy Center, School of Education
$16,000 grant from The Juice LLC
Independent Efficacy Study
This funding supports an independent 20-week study evaluating the impact of a digital reading platform on student outcomes.
Brendan Fry, faculty member in Mathematics and Statistics, College of Aerospace, Computing, Engineering and Design
$10,800 grant from the American Mathematical Society
Simons Research Enhancement Grant
This three-year award supports research travel and scholarly activity.
Charlie Buckley, Ph.D., faculty member in Special Education, Early Childhood, and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education, School of Education
$7,860 grant from the Colorado Department of Higher Education
Open Educational Resources Program
This subaward supports collaboration with the University of Northern Colorado to design the ConnectEd Framework in PressBooks.
Austin Elsey, faculty member in Finance, School of Business
$5,000 grant from the Risk Management Association
Research Award
This one-year award supports research examining bank performance ratios grouped by primary regulators.
Cassandra Bailey, faculty member in Psychology, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
$5,000 grant from the American Psychology-Law Society
An Open-Access Screener for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
This funding supports research to improve the identification of potential victims of sexual abuse and trafficking among Spanish-speaking populations.
Kathryn Young, faculty member in Secondary Education, School of Education
$4,800 grant from Pinnacle Charter School
Trauma-Informed Practices Facilitation Services
This funding supports professional learning that helps educators deepen trauma-informed, equitable teaching practices.
Learn more about grants at the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs.
