Franklin Forward Research Grants

The Franklin College announced the latest round of funding through the Franklin Forward graduate student seed grant program. In the spring 2025 cycle, six projects were funded, with donor support.

The six Franklin Forward recipients for spring 2025, and their projects:

• Carsynn Miller, doctoral student, industrial/Organizational Psychology: Effective Talent Management Strategies for Autistic Employees
• Sloan Garner, doctoral student,Theatre and Film Studies: Theatre History in Atlanta – construction of its identity through performance in the New South era (ca. 1865-1954)
• Kendall Sanders, graduate student, Sociology: Root Causes of Educational Inequality in Athens-Clarke County – how non-profit organizations and school leadership can collaborate to create a more equitable educational experience
• Saja Yim, doctoral candidate in Art Education, Lamar Dodd School of Art: Empowering Children – creating counternarratives through bookmaking
• Hao Yang, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography: Uncovering Social and Spatial Disparities in Cancer Mortality – An AI and Spatial Analysis in Georgia
• Hannah Nichols, Ph.D. Candidate in Biology Education, Cellular Biology: Active Learning Strategies – how to further improve the experiences of undergraduate students in active learning science classrooms

“Our graduate students continue to engage in research that seamlessly crosses disciplines," said Marshall Shepherd, Franklin College Associate Dean for Research and Partnerships. "These grants advance critical research that benefits all Georgians in every corner of the state, and we are grateful for our generous donors who enable these opportunities.”

Image: View of a campus transit bus on South Jackson Street framed by sunlight filtering through early spring blooming flowers. photo by Dorthy Kozlowski