A small community engagement grant kickstarted Innovation Ambassador research
The Music for Listeners with Autism project, which has been selected as a pilot project of the NSF’s Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program at UD, has roots in student-driven, community-based research.
Developed by University of Delaware researchers Daniel Stevens, professor of music theory and director of the School of Music within the College of Arts and Sciences, Matthew Mauriello, assistant professor of computer and information sciences in the College of Engineering, and their respective students, the project now aims to develop a web-based music listening, interaction and data collection platform that features modular arrangements of children’s songs designed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
In 2021, Stevens and Mauriello’s interdisciplinary research on autism, music and technology received $5,000 of seed funding from the Partnership for Arts and Culture. In collaboration with Autism Delaware, the team tested a prototype controller and modular arrangements of children’s songs at a sensory space—with input from Autism Delaware—at the Route 9 Library and Innovation Center specifically designed to help children with autism focus on reading.
The research has since received support through the College of Health Sciences Maggie E. Neumann Fund and most recently through the Institute for Engineering Driven Health.
“These larger grants would not have been possible were it not for the seed funding this project received through the Partnership for Arts and Culture,” said Stevens.
“The major role your students have played in its conception, development, and implementation stands as an exemplar of community-engaged scholarship,” said Suzanne Burton, professor of music education and director of the Partnership for Arts and Culture. “UD is fortunate to have faculty and leaders who are deeply committed to community engagement and student mentorship.”
UD is an inaugural member of the NSF ART program, which seeks to increase the scale and pace of research discoveries that get translated into novel technologies for Delawareans and the nation. Pilot funding supports seed translational research projects that demonstrate potential for commercialization and/or societal impact.
The Partnership for Arts and Culture (PAC) supports the development of new partnerships, strengthens existing partnerships and serves as a repository/resource for artistic and cultural collaborations with a specific focus on global understanding and social change. PAC was established through the Community Engagement Initiative, which works to facilitate and strengthen UD’s identity and impact as an engaged research university and community partner throughout the state of Delaware and beyond.