The College of LAS is where curiosity drives impact, and the new Curiosity to Impact (C2I) Fund helps faculty members to do exactly that.
Announced in fall of 2025, the C2I Fund is part of the college’s Strategic Investment Program. Faculty members submit proposals for the creation or revision of courses, certificates, and programs. This year, 15 proposals were awarded a total of over $1.15 million.
Descriptions of this year’s awardees follow:
GeoAI
Submitted by Julie Cidell, geography and geographic information science, this online graduate certificate program will be the first of its kind in the U.S. dedicated to accelerating convergence of artificial intelligence and geospatial science (GeoAI). The many learning outcomes presented include recognizing the foundational concepts underlying geospatial machine learning and AI, utilizing digital imaging processing techniques to map geographical and environmental issues, and developing end-to-end GeoAI workflows for real-world applications in transportation, disaster relief, and urban analytics.
Human health biosciences: From genomics to pandemics
Submitted by Brian Allan, entomology, this online graduate certificate program will prepare working professionals and graduate learners to understand and apply bioscience knowledge across three connected scales relevant to human health: genomics and bioinformatics, environmental and toxicology, and infectious disease emergence and global pandemics.
Psychological assessment and data-informed decision-making
Submitted by Diane Beck, psychology, this online graduate certificate builds on existing courses to make a new stand-alone credential, integrating psychological assessments, measurement science, and evaluation. It will provide professionals and non-degree learners with focused graduate training in how assessment tools are developed, validated, and applied in real decision contexts.
Mathematics for grad preparation
Submitted by Victoria Prince, mathematics, this online graduate certificate is designed to formalize advanced proof-based preparation in core theoretical mathematics. The program is meant for post-baccalaureate learners preparing for graduate study in math-intensive fields, instructors seeking deeper proof-based content knowledge, and working professionals wanting a high-level credential demonstrating core theoretical mathematics mastery. The certificate will be offered through NetMath.
AI for weather and climate applications
Submitted by Alicia Klees, climate, meteorology, and atmospheric science, this online graduate certificate program will equip students with a more comprehensive understanding of machine learning models and the cutting-edge, advanced statistical tools that are revolutionizing weather and climate science, and strategies for how to pair this knowledge with generative AI tools, like AI-assisted coding, analysis, and workflows.
Indigenous Latin American languages (Q'anjob'al and Quechua)
Kasia Szremski, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, submitted a proposal for four online certificate programs. These certificates will focus on both beginning and intermediate Q'anjob'al and Quechua languages and cultures spoken throughout the Andes and in Guatemala and are designed to meet demonstrated community and workforce needs. They will be marketed to professionals who regularly serve Q'anjob'al and Quechua-speaking communities — including immigration lawyers, health care providers, clergy, educators, and small business owners — as well as to heritage speakers and community members who are interested in language learning and cultural training.
Interdisciplinary/immersive/interactive digital East Asian studies
Submitted by Shao Dan, East Asian languages and cultures, this online graduate certificate program is centered on East Asia’s histories, cultures, languages, and contemporary studies, with an emphasis on digital methods, immersive/interactive media, and the humanities stakes of artificial intelligence. Among the many learning outcomes presented include applying interdisciplinary methods to analyze region-specific questions in East Asian studies, critically assessing affordances, limitations, and ethical implications of digital tools, data practices, and AI applications, and engaging ethically and inclusively with East Asian communities, scholarship, and data sources in global contexts.
Field forward: Redevelopment of two geology courses
Cory Pettijohn, earth science and environmental change, submitted a redevelopment of two field-methodology online courses that anchor the Environmental and Engineering Geology graduate programs. Through the production of a video library and podcasts, these redesigned courses will improve online access to field-based skill development to better evaluate contamination using geologic and hydrologic evidence and reasoning, apply field-observation logic to environmental problems, integrate climate-aware perspectives into engineering geology decision-making, and use quantitative workflows to evaluate hazards.
Storymaking: Craft in the contemporary narrative arts
Submitted by Ted Sanders, English, this new general education course will be designed as an interdisciplinary effort among creative writing, English, and several other units outside of LAS concerned with the craft of making stories. The proposed course will cover universal fundamentals of narrative arts, reading of narrative texts, production of original narrative works, and storymaking as an exercise in shared human experience.
Reimagining plant biology for a changing world
Ya Min, plant biology, submitted a redevelopment and modernization of general education course IB 103. This course provides formal exposure to core concepts in plant biology, ecology, and evolution, and its redesign will better integrate laboratory and lecture, incorporate inquiry-based activities, and reinforce student understanding of plant biology fundamentals through art and design.
The social lives of bilingualism
Salvatore Callesano, Spanish and Portuguese, submitted a proposal for the development of a new hybrid general education course that would cover the fundamental concepts of sociolinguistics, particularly regarding language variation, linguistic ideologies, and language attitudes and biases. The course will also cover how bilingual language practices are policed and judged, as well as how to promote linguistic diversity and inclusivity in real-world professional settings.
Advancing forensic science education opportunities
Submitted by Cris Hughes, anthropology, this new minor will include core courses in integrative biology, anthropology, and sociology, along with advanced courses selected from offerings in forensics and related fields, and will expand our forensic science educational offerings. This new minor is made possible by the success of the Forensic Science Certificate, the newly renovated Forensic Anthropology Laboratory, and partnerships with the Illinois State Police Department through the Provost’s Initiative for the Investigative Technology Exchange.
Creation of a MA in history with a concentration in digital methods
Stefan Djordjevic, history, submitted a proposal to develop a two-year, stand-alone History MA degree that blends computational methods with sustained humanistic interpretation. This Digital Methods in History concentration will prepare students to conduct rigorous historical research while integrating digital and data-informed methodologies. The program is structured around disciplinary depth, methodological competence, ethical literacy, and professional adaptability.
Ensuring success of a new self-sustaining MS in neuroscience
Brenda Wilson, molecular and cellular biology, and collaborator Martha Gillette, neuroscience program, submitted a proposal requesting funds for an academic program coordinator to support their new Neuroscience, MS degree program. This program, once approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, will offer students either a course-based or a research-based track in neuroscience. This infrastructural support will ensure the successful establishment of this long-awaited MS program.
European Union Studies undergraduate minor
Amanda Smith, European Union Center, submitted a proposal for the conversion of an undergraduate certificate to a new interdisciplinary minor. This program in European Union Studies will equip students with an enhanced multicultural awareness, grow their intercultural competence, and sharpen their professional skills by guiding their curiosity around European and transatlantic politics, cultural issues, and history. It should also awaken new interests in students who have become accustomed to normalized, non-critical approaches to Europe or to the conflation of "Europeanness" and whiteness.
