The list below shows approved grants between Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 - 2025.

• FY 2025: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025
• FY 2024: July 1 2023 - June 30, 2024 
• FY 2023: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023

NOTE: The FY is different than the Academic Year (AY). 

Adaptive Athlete Experience

Nicole Eddy, Assistant Professor in Physical Therapy and Athletic Training wanted to give her Winter 2026 PT 661 Examination and Invention in Rehabilitation students hands-on experience working with individuals with various functional abilities. Specifically, Eddy wanted to provide her students with the opportunity of = "designing physical activity programs for individuals with neurological conditions as well as understanding the risks, complications, and adaptations that this would require. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many students reporting an increased interest in providing this service in the future, as well as researching their own service opportunities in this area following the event. Students found the event engaging, "eye-opening" and one that facilitated more discussion and teamwork between their cohort, which was an unintended, but positive outcome."

Pew FTLC Sandbox Learning Innovation Grant funds were used to pay a quest speaker to work with students in a seminar event. 

Family Literacy Night

Affiliate Faculty in English, Lindsey Hall, partnered with the Refugee Education Center (REC) to host a Family Literacy Night on April 15, 2026 at the Woodfield Community Center in Kentwood. Prior to the event, two REC spoke to Hall's ENG 401 sections to discuss the refugee resettlement process and how to support students and families from a refugee background. Students in Hall's ENG 401 courses researched, planned, designed, prepared, and facilitated interactive family literacy focused stations at the event. This gave GVSU ENG 401 students the opportunity to engage with multilingual immigrant students and parents primarily from a refugee background who are learning English as an additional language. GVSU students got the opportunity to put coursework theory into practice. 

Funds from the Pew FTLC's Sandbox Learning Innovation Grant were used to provide simple, culturally familiar foods (samosas, mandazi, milk tea/chai) supplied through a local female Black-owned businesswoman who is also a member of the refugee community. GVSU students and participants fully engaged in this opportunity to eat and socialize together as it promoted cross-cultural sharing and relationship building between local students, families, and GVSU students.

Testing Rare Books for Arsenic - Chemistry and Lemmen Library Student Collaboration

Visiting Faculty in the University Libraries, Andrea Van Dyke, Brad Waller (Professor of Chemistry), and 8 undergraduate Chemistry club students identified potential books in the Lemmen Library & Archives rare book collections that might contain arsenic, a popular component in the 19th century that remains dangerous to this day due to a high degree of "shedding" when the arsenic comes into contact with other objects. Van Dyke used the Sandbox Learning Innovation Grant funds to purchase MQuant Arsenic Tests. As Van Dyke described, "This kit has been used once before in a library in Germany to test books for arsenic as a cheaper alternative to XRF or other similar such technology. We wanted to use this test kit to both determine whether or not our books had arsenic; and to create a meaningful hands-on learning opportunity for STEM students to interact with rare books, and for a chemistry/art history major student to lead the testing."

Model Patient for Students to Perform a Cumulative Neurologic PT Examination

In Fall 2025, Assistant Professor, Brittany Wittry, in the College of Health Professions used the Sandbox Learning Innovation grant to bring in a model (real life!) patient for the final PT 641 Neuromuscular Examination lab. With the model patient students were able to perform a cumulative neurologic PT examination on a real patient as a group, reflect on examination techniques while providing feedback to fellow classmates, and discuss clinical implications of evaluating a patient with a chronic CVA diagnosis. As Wittry described, "students provided ample positive feedback to me regarding the high value of this experience. They noted how the techniques they learned throughout the semester finally felt solidified. They also mentioned feeling far more prepared for their upcoming clinical rotations after this lab session. Our model patient, Megan, also described feeling grateful for the opportunity to share her story and provide a learning opportunity for future physical therapists. This was a huge success for everyone involved."

Composting Unit for Independent Study

The grant provided funding for Assistant, Professor Catherine Molloseau, and senior student Stephanie Moore (who has since graduated from GVSU) to build a composting unit (see image on the right) during the student's Independent Study in the Winter 2024 semester. This involved multiple meetings with members of the Sustainable Agricultural Project (SAP), creating a 3-D model via CAD design, design reviews, and ultimately constructing a composting system to be used throughout the growing season at the SAP. For the Stephanie's final grade, she presented her work at the Padnos College of Engineering (PCEC) Student Project Day (see image on the left).

Professional Development for EXS 495

Affiliate Faculty member, Sara Agema, used funds from the Sandbox Grant in Winter 2024 to create promotional videos for students interested in Exercise Science. Each video follows a different emphasis. As Professor Agema states, "My primary goal was to increase students' clarity on their career purposes and goals. By providing access to professional spotlights, I aimed to expose students to diverse career paths and real-world experiences to help shape their professional journeys. I collaborated successfully with a videographer to produce several recorded promotional videos for the department."

Check out their videos below!

Exercise Physiology and Sports Performance - and separate hype reel

Exercise Science and Healthcare 

Physical Activity and Health 

Back to Sandbox Learning Innovation Grant Description