UND CONNECT serves as a way for faculty and students to perform community-based research, development and outreach while partnering with local and regional organizations.
Established in 2024 and funded by the North Dakota Economic Diversification Research Grant Fund, UND CONNECT projects must positively and tangibly impact the community and/or the state of North Dakota. Several College of Arts & Sciences (A&S) faculty have been awarded grants for their projects in the first two rounds of awards.
The Forensic Science Bootcamp at Turtle River State Park, organized alongside the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, will provide hands-on training and certification in crime scene investigation. The program will enhance students’ career prospects and strengthen community safety by preparing well-trained forensic professionals.
Lee and the city of Grand Forks plan to archive unique stories of new Americans in North Dakota and showcase their journeys toward naturalization through photo and video exhibitions during the week of Constitution Day 2025, to welcome them to local and state communities.
Amount funded: $4,997.
Valley News Live Video – Dr. Lee and Kiera Musil discuss the project on North Dakota Today
Lo and the Listen Center in Grand Forks are creating the Sensory Family Concert Series to create concert environments at UND which welcome people from diverse backgrounds and with varied abilities.
Partnering with the F5 Project in Fargo, Bartholomay’s project aims to raise awareness and influence policies to support transitional housing and recovery programs in North Dakota. “Voices of the Home” will give people residing in transitional housing, including those formerly incarcerated or recovering from addiction, the opportunity to use photographs and narratives to document their reintegration experiences.
Monthly Spanish Storytime at the Grand Forks Public Library will bring UND students and members of the Grand Forks Latinx community together. The goal is to provide experiential learning opportunities for students while also providing space for Spanish-speaking residents to value and celebrate the language.
Partnering with the Grand Forks chapter of PFLAG, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, Dahl, Russell and their students will create evidence-based resource toolkits and trainings for business owners focused on creating inclusive and welcoming environments for sexual and gender minorities in North Dakota communities.
Expand Grand Forks Public Library’s digital radon detector lending program to the Fargo Public Library and provide her students with an experiential learning opportunity in the process.
UND’s 2025 Digital Storytelling Summit – a weeklong program that brings high school students to UND to learn about journalism and multimedia storytelling – Lee will fund UND student interns to help facilitate activities.
The trio of music professors will create a series of online piano lessons and basic music theory classes for students at Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt, N.D.
