Synopsis of GU Retirees Grant Applications for 2025-26

Research Grants

Michael Collins

English
Cultural encounters: Books that have made a difference

Funds are requested to pay for an index for a book that Professor Collins is editing with a Georgetown colleague, their third in a series. The book includes chapters written by Professor Collins and other Georgetown professors. The chapters are “essays on cultural encounters in scripture, literature, and society.” The book is an outcome of Georgetown’s Future of Humanities Project.

Professor Collins received at GU Retirees research grant for 2023-24 for a similar purpose whose outcome was achieved.

Cynthia Farley

School of Nursing
How the US compares to four other nations in midwifery student confidence for supporting normal birth

Funds are requested to support travel to a conference to which abstracts for three papers that report completed research have been submitted. In addition, two manuscripts have been submitted to journals that have publication fees. Alternatively, the funds would be used to pay for publication costs. The study finds differences in the degree of confidence across these countries that midwifery students had in their education depending on their interactions with preceptors and the birth environment.
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Professor emerita Farley has published papers in these journals previously. She retired in December 2024. Her two co-authors are not retired.

Lawrence Kromer

School of Medicine, Neuroscience
Do developmental changes in expression of axon guidance molecules alter brain circuits associated with autism, attention deficits, and learning/memory function?

Funds are requested to support acquisition of research materials and data sets, and to support costs of presentation at a conference and publication of findings obtained from work under this grant. Professor Kromer maintains a small lab and continues to mentor students. He has previously made conference presentations and published articles in this field. His research is focused on genetic disruptions that impair juvenile disorders.

Professor Kromer received a GU Retirees research grant last year 2024-25 in a similar area of study.

David S. Painter

History and School of Foreign Service
Access to oil: Perspectives from the NATO and OECD archives

Funds are requested to pay for travel to conduct research at NATO in Brussels and OECD in Paris. The research is part of Professor Painter’s larger study of oil and world power in the 20th century that is under contract with Oxford University Press. This study seeks to understand how these two multilateral organizations approached the transition from coal to oil imported from the Middle East into Europe after WWII to the 1970s.

Professor Painter received GU Retirees research grants in each of the three previous years. Last year, Professor Painter organized an externally funded conference in Calgary on the oil crises of the 1970s and chaired a panel discussion on energy futures.

Charles Weiss

School of Foreign Service
An updated framework for US science policy

Funds are requested to pay for a research assistant to review and summarize documents about the history of US science and technology policy, especially how it has adapted to changing political circumstances. Professor Weiss will write an essay to focus on the differences between direct government support for the science and technology ecosystem versus how these policies are affected by broader government economic and competition policies.

Professor Weiss has received GU Retirees research grants previously, including two years ago. This proposed research continues his contributions to US science and technology policy.

Personal Development for Community Service

Summary of Funded Projects for 2026

The purposes of this GU Retirees stipend program are to enable the recipient to further his or her own growth and development, and to contribute to the welfare of the local or global community.
This year’s recipients are:

Rosemary Sokas

Professor Emerita, Human Sciences

Building Skills to Strengthen Community Engagement with Xavier Jesuit School in Liberia

Ms. Sokas will collaborate with the Xavier Jesuit School in Liberia to supply materials for a first aid kit with first aid training for teachers, and to facilitate a discussion of a Ghanian-authored book on environmental topics. The school’s needs were identified by Fr Kevin Oodo, S.J., who is the principal of the school. Georgetown GERMS students will assist in the training. Ms. Sokas, who is an internist and occupational health specialist, will increase her knowledge of childhood health by applying her medical expertise with older students to a younger audience.

Elizabeth (Betsi) Hervey Stephen

Professor Emerita, School of Foreign Service (Demography)

Planting the Pollinator Garden

Ms Stephen will use the stipend to acquire plants and support maintenance for the Pollinator Garden on Bald Head Island, N.C., where she is year-round resident and home owner since 2016 on this barrier island. Ms Stephen will deepen the community of 700-time residents while she aids the population of bees and butterflies. Ms. Stephen began the Pollinator Garden with the village council in 2023. She heads a team of eight volunteers and has been commended by the head of the village council for her work for the island that includes organizing social and educational events.

John C. Wright

Counseling and Psychiatric Service, Center for Multicultural Equity and Access, Georgetown – Qatar

Cultural Enrichment Outreach Program for Horace Mann Elementary School

Mr. Wright will purchase books and brain teaser puzzles for 25 underserved students at Horace Mann Elementary School, a DC public school near American University. These materials will be used in a new enrichment program organized by the school with Mr. Wright, and in consultation with a UDC professor of psychology and counseling. The program will include field trips to the African-American Museum. The objective of the program is to increase the motivation and academic success of underserved youth in a mostly-white school. Mr. Wright’s own personal development arises from the transference his experience with university students to elementary school students.