Teaching innovation requires time and resources that may not be available to instructors without additional support. The Grove Center supports instructors in identifying opportunities for additional support at the college, University, and national level. The Grove Center can provide matching funds of $500 for educational seminar speakers or travel for instructors to present their teaching innovation work at national science education conference. These funds must be requested via the Teaching Innovation Awards form.
Eberly College of Science Support
Eberly College of Science Teaching Innovation Awards
The Teaching Innovation Awards provide an opportunity for instructors in the college to request support to accomplish innovative ideas for their science and math courses and programs.
Projects might include adoption of new pedagogies; design of new materials, modules, technology, or assessments; using/trying tools and interventions for improving student success; science education research design/study; development of a new course, and more!
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and evaluated three times each year.
Deadlines to apply: April 15, July 15, and November 15, 2025
Previous Awards:
Link to Application: Teaching Innovation Awards
2023–2024
Project Title: Empowering the Incoming First Year, First Gen, Low-Income Students in Uncovering Their Skillset and Academic Preparedness for College Level Math and Chemistry Courses
Fellows: Lisa Funari and Kathryn Stewart
Departments: Chemistry, Mathematics
Project Title: Incorporating Open Educational Resources in General Chemistry Instruction and Exploring Their Educational Benefits
Fellow: Scott Showalter
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Characterizing Students’ Experiences with Standards-Based/Specifications Grading (SBG) Grading Systems Fellow: Louis Leblond
Department: Physics
Project Title: Providing Eberly College of Science Students an Opportunity to Explore Health Disparities, Social Determinants of Health, and Their Impacts on Health Literacy, Income Equality, and Other Institutional and Social Structures Through an Opportunity to Be Servant Leaders in the City of Philadelphia
Fellows: John Moses-Brownson and Samia Cooperider
Departments: Science/Pre-medicine Advising, Diversity and Inclusion
Project Title: Using MyOpenMath to Develop Online Content to Support the Specifications Grading Versions of MATH 140B and MATH 141B
Fellows: Russ deForest, Michael Steward, and Samantha Pezzimenti
Departments: mathematics, Penn State Brandywine
Project Title: Implementing a New Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) as Part of the BMB Curriculum
Fellow: Denise Okafor
Department: Biochemistry and Molecular biology
Project Title: Assessing the Impacts of Specifications Grading on Both Cognitive and Affective Outcomes
Fellow: Joseph Houck
Department: Chemistry
2021-2022
Project Title: I Study Black Holes Too
Fellows: Ana Matković
Department: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Project Title: Impact of a two-semester CURE on Change of Campus Students
Fellow: Emily Bell
Department: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Project Title: Development of CHEM 210B & Implementation of Specifications Grading
Fellow: Joe Houck
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Redesign of STAT 460 to STAT 360
Fellow: Pat Buchanan
Department: Statistics
Project Title: Development of CHEM 111 FRI
Fellow: Angela Bischof
Department: Chemistry
Project Title: Hybrid Version of Math 140B/141B
Fellows: Russ deForest and Michael Steward
Department: Mathematics
Project Title: Student Led Projects in PHYS 402
Fellows: Stephanie Wissel
Department: Physics
Project Title: PChem Math Foundation Modules
Fellows: Linlin Jensen
Department: Chemistry
Martarano Leadership Fellows
The Martarano Leadership Fellows Program (formerly known as the Tombros Fellows Program) is intended to provide professional development opportunities for faculty in the Eberly College of Science.
The professional development programs supported by this fund are to broaden faculty members' perspectives and experiences in academic leadership, gain insight into the management of the Eberly College of Science, and/or have the opportunity to develop new programs.
2024 (Martarano Fellowship)
Fellow: Louis Leblond
Department: physics
Previous Fellows
2018–2019 (Tombros Fellowship)
Project Title: Amplifying Active Learning Strategies in Calculus Through Focus in Metacognition and Two Generative Processing Strategies
Fellows: Eric Simring, Andrew Baxter, and Amine Benkiran
Department: mathematics
2016–2017 (Tombros Fellowship)
Project Title: Comprehensive Assessment of Learning Outcomes for the Undergraduate Statistics Major
Fellow: Matthew Beckman
Department: statistics
2015–2016 (Tombros Fellowship)
Project Title: Developing “CHEM 110H: Constructing Molecular Models” an Experiment-First Freshman Chemistry Course
Fellow: Philip Bevilacqua
Department: chemistry
Project Title: Fast Farming: An Integrated Undergraduate Science Education and Research Program for Sustainable Agriculture at Penn State
Fellow: Charles T. Anderson
Department: biology
Project Title: Revamp STAT 250: Introduction to Biostatistics
Fellow: Kari Lock-Morgan
Department: statistics
Project Title: Online Introductory Physics with Active Hands-On Laboratories
Fellow: Louis Leblond, Office of Digital Learning Fellow
Department: physics
2013–2014 (Tombros Fellowship)
Project Title: Development of Tools to Encourage the Growth and Effective Use of the Learning Assistant (LA) Program across Eberly College and Specifically Within the BMB Department
Fellow: Meredith Defelice
Department: biochemistry and molecular biology
2012–2013 (Tombros Fellowship)
Project Title: Infusing Physics Education Research (PER) in the Introductory Physics Course Sequence
Fellow: Steven Van Hook
Department: physics
Project Title: Integrating Research and Learning
Fellows: Ken Keiler and Sarah Ades
Department: biochemistry and molecular biology
Schreyer Institute Support
The Schreyer Institute has a portfolio of grants that support teaching and learning innovation that includes advancing equity and inclusion, teaching and learning scholarship grants, external grant collaborations, teaching community grants, peer review of teaching grants. for more information on any of these grant programs, please visit the Schreyer Institute website grant page.
