On October 30, the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) hosted an information session for community-engaged research faculty and staff at Illinois to learn how to become an academic mentor and submit research projects to the 2025 Community-Academic Scholars (CAS) program. The 10-week summer program selects undergraduate students from disciplines across campus to work with an academic mentor and a community mentor on a research project designed to directly benefit community members served by the partner organization. Presentation slides and a recording are available.
The info session kicked off with an overview of the program structure, application processes, and project selection, exploring program benefits and examples from past projects. Minakshi (Mina) Rah, a professor of health and kinesiology, and Meagan McKenna, a professor of speech and hearing science, shared insights about their experiences as academic mentors in last year’s CAS program. They emphasized the value of matching scholars with projects based on their unique personal experiences, passions, and backgrounds, which are often quite different than their own, the enduring community relationships cultivated as a result, and the support provided by the CAS team to mentors, including proposal development support, workshop offerings, and additional connections to faculty and community collaborators.
Matched with 2024 Community-Academic Scholar Elenna Claudio-Deutsch, Raj partnered with Clark Lindsey Village to examine knowledge, awareness, and self-efficacy of culturally diverse seasonings among long-term care (LTC) food and nutrition personnel.
Elenna wanted to get more involved in working with Clark Lindsey Village, and both residents and community partner were very happy with the outcome. Creating a meticulously researched database of herbs and spices from around the world in different cuisines and culinary traditions, Elenna organized a tasting workshop for Clark Lindsey residents, introducing culturally diverse herbs and spices. Raj’s team will continue to use the comprehensive database Elenna created to develop technology and other types of educational interventions. Survey findings will inform an educational workshop on seasonings for LTC personnel in Central Illinois in 2025.
“Elenna's intellectual curiosity, willingness to learn, critical thinking skills, and communication skills were outstanding. She was comfortable asking questions – and those questions were learning opportunities for all of us,” Raj said. “She did a lot of work creating new partnerships and leading a session that really helped us get on the ground with the community.”
Matched with 2024 Community-Academic Scholar Sophie Chiewtrakoon, McKenna partnered with Danville Public Schools to introduce and evaluate a writing intervention for students from kindergarten to second grade. Collaborating with McKenna and elementary teachers about the strategies and resources needed for feedback, Sophie created visually captivating materials to make learning an adventure for young students, which Danville teachers gratefully embraced to enrich the curriculum and spark a wave of creativity among students.
“Sophie is a student from outside of my home department and I really appreciated the perspective she offered our project. She is extremely talented in graphic design and assisted with creating classroom visuals and putting lessons together in an interactive format,” McKenna said. “When researchers work with undergraduates, we can learn with them. My experience as a CAS academic mentor helped me form a closer relationship with the district that I look forward to collaborating with long term.”
Following the discussion from previous mentors, attendees were actively engaged in a Q&A session on topics such as mentor eligibility, scholar commitments, and application timelines.
“Our team has the capability to provide support for projects and for scholars, both prior to the program starting during the summer period, as well as after the summer is over and you’re continuing with your research projects,” said IHSI Community-Academic Partnerships Research Development Manager and CAS Co-Lead Celina Trujillo. “I encourage community-engaged researchers from any discipline to consider applying and reach out if they have questions or need extra support.”
As the session ended, the spirit of collaboration was passed on to the next wave of hopeful CAS participants, and the seeds of partnership, community, and learning took root, ready to flourish in the coming year.
“I'm interested in applying for the Community-Academic Scholars program as an opportunity to engage students in research and deploy projects within a fixed timeline,” said Catalina Alzate, a professor of graphic design, following the event. “The CAS information session was instrumental in helping me to understand the program, its processes, and answering all my questions about students' involvement and research design.”
Submit projects for the 2025 Community-Academic Scholars program
The academic mentor application for the 2025 CAS program is open for project submissions. If you are conducting community-based participatory research in partnership with a community organization in the Champaign-Urbana area, please submit your project by Jan. 12 to be matched with a scholar eager to make an impact in the community. Once 2025 CAS projects are selected, the application for Illinois undergraduates will open Jan. 23 with a Feb. 6 deadline. Scholars will begin work on their projects beginning May 28.
“I’m excited to see project submissions and student applications for this upcoming cohort, as the benefits of participating are really apparent for the student, faculty, and community partner,” said Visiting Research Project Coordinator and CAS Co-Lead Max Wallace. “Each are gaining valuable experience, engaging in community-driven problem-solving, and building connections.”
Approaching its seventh year, IHSI’s CAS program has provided this unique opportunity to 58 academic mentors from 20 departments and eight colleges at Illinois to work with 83 undergraduate scholars and nearly 50 community partners on 75 community-engaged research projects. For more information, subscribe to the IHSI e-newsletter and visit the IHSI website. Contact CAS Program Directors Celina Trujillo and Max Wallace with questions.