Faculty cohort pitches transformative research ideas

Nine Boise State faculty across academic colleges and departments participated in the ninth ASSERT (Aligning Stakeholders and Structures to Enable Research Transformation) pitch event, sharing their research ideas and questions in three-minute pitches with members of the community. The event was the culmination to the year-long professional development for the cohort, celebrating and supporting the personal development of faculty to facilitate their readiness to conceive transformative research ideas.

The program gives Boise State faculty a space to develop original ideas, learn with colleagues and think bigger about what is possible for their research and our communities. The pitch event is a chance to see that process in action - and to help shape what comes next at Boise State. Initiated as a National Science Foundation-funded project, ASSERT is now in full partnership with the Office of the Provost and the Division of Research and Economic Development, with additional support from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Economics, the College of Education, the College of Engineering, the College of Health Sciences, the College of Innovation + Design, the School of Public Service, and the Albertsons Library.

2025 ASSERT faculty cohort

College of Arts and Sciences

• Jessica Ayers, Department of Psychology, "What is a friend?"
• Heidi Ware Carlisle, Intermountain Bird Observatory, Department of Biological Sciences, "Synching Seasons: Can Snow Save Hummingbirds?"
• Eryn Pierce, Department of Art, Design, and Visual Studies, "Designing Change"
• Bob Reinhardt, Department of History, "The Atlas of Drowned Towns"
• Gail Shuck, Department of Linguistics, "If Students' Language Backgrounds Mattered"

College of Engineering

• Karthik Srinivasan, Department of Electrical and Computing Engineering, "Sensors for Extreme Environments - A New Frontier at Boise State"
• Lan Li, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, "Quantum and Semiconductor Workforce and Innovation Nexus (Q-SWIN)"
• Anamaria Zavala, Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, "Vibrating Away Chemotherapy-associated Bone Wasting"

College of Education

• Katie Conley, Department of Teaching, Learning, and Community Engagement, "Multi-Tiered Harvest: A Framework for Leveling Up at Boise State"

Interested in being part of the next cohort? Applications for the next ASSERT cohort are now open. Faculty from all ranks and disciplines are invited. Learn more and apply. Applications close Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.

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