The Explorer Challenge invites Marquette students, faculty and staff to submit proposals for up to $25,000 in seed money for innovative projects that make an impact and advance Beyond Boundaries, Marquette’s strategic plan.
The 2019-20 Explorer Challenge focused on projects that incorporated inclusive practices. Three innovative and inclusive projects were selected to receive funding:
- The Latinx Research Scholars Program
Principal investigator: Dr. Lisa Edwards, professor, director of Counselor Education and coordinator of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program
The Marquette University Latinx Research Scholars Program is an innovative program designed to provide undergraduate students with a mentored experience in community-engaged research within the Milwaukee Latinx community. A cohort of undergraduate students will receive mentorship, training, professional development and research opportunities with faculty, graduate students and community agencies.
- Project Water Internship Program
Principal investigator: Dr. Krassimira Hristova, associate professor, director of the Marquette Global Water Center
The Project Water Internship Program will expand the outreach capacity of Project Water to address the critical needs of both clean drinking water and surface water used for recreational opportunities in Milwaukee’s urban environment. Marquette undergraduate students will be challenged to develop cutting edge water filtration techniques and work with high school students to conduct innovative research aiming to reduce contamination levels in our freshwater systems.
- Community Experts in the Classroom: Enacting Humanistic Pedagogy in a Carceral Context
Principal Investigator: Marisola Xhelili Ciaccio, Ph.D. student (philosophy)
In order to create immersive community pedagogy at Marquette, this project aims to create blended courses where Marquette undergraduates and currently / formerly incarcerated individuals can study the topics of justice, freedom and identity together. These courses will invite community experts affected by incarceration to serve as co-instructors in the creation and implementation of blended courses, with the goals of offering more opportunities to the formerly incarcerated, increasing diverse leadership representation and utilizing personal experience in the carceral system as a valuable knowledge base for students.
The 2020-21 Explorer Challenge will begin on Thursday, Oct. 22, with a virtual celebration and information session.
The Explorer Challenge Kick-off Celebration will feature presentations from this year’s three awardees, as well as information on how Marquette community members can propose their own projects for the upcoming competition. This year’s competition will once again focus on incorporating inclusive practices into project proposals.