UAP Faculty NSF Grants

Grants by the National Science Foundation (NSF) were won by our very own Urban Affairs & Planning faculty: Shalini Misra, Kris Wernstedt, Steve Hankey, and Todd Schenk. The grants will enable them to conduct research on a variety of different scientific topics. 

Thanks to the $500,000 award, Dr. Hankey’s five-year project will measure pollution using various sensors and engage the public by tracking their pollution intake using a smartphone app*. Dr. Misra and Dr. Wernstedt will conduct a survey among 400 respondents in five metropolitan areas in the United States — Washington, D.C.; New York; Chicago; Houston; and Atlanta — that will track differences in risk perceptions, preferences, and self-reported behaviors within each area and compare them across locations. 

The study commenced in April, and data will be collected at multiple time points during the remainder of 2020 and through the middle of 2021**. Dr. Schenk was part of two teams that were awarded two separate NSF grants to (1) study the Freshwater Salinization Syndrome that threatens water quality, ecosystems, and drinking water supplies across the country and around the world; and (2) species conservation.

Funded projects like these play a major role in the growth and development of our programs through the research and professional development of our professors. We recognize not only the hard work of our faculty, but the potential their projects have to impact society in a meaningful way. 

*Excerpt from Virginia Tech Daily, written by Colie Touzel, published February 13, 2021 - Link article - https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2020/02/NSF-CAREER-award-Steve-Hankey.html
** Excerpt from Virginia Tech Daily, written by Barabara Micale, published October 21, 2020