Research Corporation for Science Advancement has made 2025 Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Awards of $25,000 each to four new projects that emerged from discussions at the 2025 Cottrell Scholar Conference.
“Proposals are evaluated on their potential impact, relevance to the current academic landscape, and the strength of the team,” said RCSA Senior Program Director Silvia Ronco, who leads the program. “This year’s projects reflect topics of continued interest to the Cottrell Scholar community: artificial intelligence, belonging and community building, inclusive STEM education, and science communication.”
Cottrell Scholars Collaborative teams are made up of Cottrell Scholars, Fulbright-Cottrell Scholars, and Robert Holland Jr. Award recipients who attend the annual conference. For their projects, they work across disciplines and sometimes in partnership with national initiatives, to develop innovative and high-impact ways to create positive change and improve undergraduate and graduate-level science education.
These projects have received 2025 Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Awards:
A Cottrell Scholars Workshop: Teaching Critical Thinking (for STEM) in an AI World
In a world of widespread misinformation and the rapid introduction of AI into academia, students need better skills to discern the accurate from the inaccurate, and the well-reasoned from the biased. Teacher-scholars also need guidelines aligning with sound scientific principles on instructing their students in critical thinking, interpretation and evaluation, and how to responsibly incorporate AI into all stages of their research, from project design to evaluation to the writing of papers. This workshop will bring together Cottrell Scholars and experts from other fields, such as the philosophy of science, to produce actionable strategies for academics, administrators, and students that the collaborative aims to share in popular media or scholarly literature.
Lead:
Claire Till, Chemistry, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt
In collaboration with:
Lucas Busta, Chemistry, University of Minnesota Duluth
Joel Destino, Chemistry, Creighton University
Christopher Durr, Chemistry, Amherst College
Adam Leibovich, Physics, University of Pittsburgh
Zachary Schulz, Chemistry, Ohio State University
Scott Shaw, Chemistry, University of Iowa
Chad Risko, Chemistry, University of Kentucky
Christopher Whidbey, Chemistry, Seattle University
Re-imagining Community, Relationality, and Belonging for RCSA Scholars
Research suggests that faculty from underrepresented backgrounds are less likely to receive mentorship, a key factor in obtaining tenure and promotion, developing a sense of support and belonging, and staying at their institutions. This project will establish a pilot peer network within the Cottrell Scholar community, bringing together scientists from diverse backgrounds, institutions, disciplines, and modes of scientific expertise (as well as external leaders) to meet monthly in a virtual format, and in-person at an annual meeting. A key component of the network will be development of the Distinguished RCSA Lecture Series, where network members will promote the scientific contributions of other scholars, especially those early in their careers, by inviting them to speak at their home institutions.
Lead:
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, Astronomy, University of California, Santa Cruz
In collaboration with:
Carlos Argüelles Delgado, Physics, Harvard University
Camille Avestruz, Physics, University of Michigan
Raychelle Burks, Chemistry, American University
Luis Colón, Chemistry, University at Buffalo
Javier Duarte, Physics, University of California, San Diego
Kevin Hewitt, Physics, Dalhousie University
Alvine Kamaha, Physics, University of California, Los Angeles
Angel Martí, Chemistry, Rice University
Charles McCrory, Chemistry, University of Michigan
Jorge Muñoz, Physics, University of Texas at El Paso
Rosario Porras-Aguilar, Physics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Liliana Rivera Sandoval, Astronomy, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Ashley Villar, Astronomy, Harvard University
Luisa Whittaker-Brooks, Chemistry, University of Utah
Introductory STEM the Cottrell Way
Selecting a major and even a career can be challenging for many college students, especially those who are first-generation or come from under-resourced high schools. This collaborative proposes to identify proposed changes to introductory chemistry and physics sequences that will help students make more informed choices about their major and future career options and minimize attrition in STEM majors. The project will consist of a one-day meeting to share current innovations and develop a set of proposals departments could pilot, followed by pilots of those ideas at selected departments. Outcomes of the pilots will be assessed and disseminated in venues such as conference presentations and journal articles.
Lead:
Michael Dennin, Physics, University of California, Irvine
In collaboration with:
Katherine Aidala, Physics, Mount Holyoke College
Gordon Berman, Physics, Emory University
Penny Beuning, Chemistry, Northeastern University
Charlie Doret, Physics, Williams College
Jordan Gerton, Physics, University of Utah
Michael Hildreth, Physics, University of Notre Dame
Adam Leibovich, Physics, University of Pittsburgh
Zachary Schulz, Chemistry, Ohio State University
Michael Strauss, Astronomy, Princeton University
Rory Waterman, Chemistry, University of Vermont
Connecting Science and People through Storytelling: A CS Writing Community to Develop, Preserve, and Broadcast Scientist Narratives
Human-centered storytelling can help build much-needed public trust and appreciation of science, science history, and scientists, but few scientists are trained in science communications, much less in writing about non-technical topics. This project aims to build a sustainable, supportive writing community for Cottrell Scholars with the ultimate goal of producing engaging, high-impact, public-facing science writing in a variety of formats, from short essays to creative nonfiction, op-eds, and oral histories. The program will include regular writing practice sessions, an in-person retreat, individualized coaching with professional publishing consultants, and the creation of an anthology of stories showcasing the voices and stories of Cottrell Scholars.
Lead: Aurora Pribram-Jones, Chemistry, University of California, Merced
In collaboration with:
Timothy Atherton, Physics, Tufts University
Camille Avestruz, Physics, University of Michigan
Tyler Engstrom, Physics, University of Northern Colorado
Jennifer Heemstra, Chemistry, Washington University in Saint Louis
Lydia Kisley, Physics, Case Western Reserve University
Roman Kogler, Physics, German Electron Synchrotron DESY
Kerstin Nordstrom, Physics, Mount Holyoke College
William Pfalzgraff, Chemistry, Chatham University
Shahir Rizk, Chemistry, Indiana University South Bend
Rory Waterman, Chemistry, University of Vermont
Christopher Whidbey, Chemistry, Seattle University