GVPT Faculty Shibley Telhami, Mike Hanmer, and Ernesto Calvo have each been recognized by the Grand Challenges Program for their work on projects that impact the major societal issues of our time. 

The Grand Challenges Program, established by President Pines in April 2022, seeks to support and fund projects that address emerging societal issues, including climate change, social injustice, global health, and education disparities. It is the largest and most comprehensive program ever introduced at the University of Maryland, and commits over $30 million to specific projects developed by UMD faculty. 

The awardees were announced on February 16, 2023. For more information about the Grand Challenges Program, click here. More information on GVPT’s awardees is below. 
 

Dr. Shibley Telhami was awarded an Individual Project Grant for his project entitled “Relating Attitudes on Democracy to Attitudes on Race and Ethnicity.” Dr. Telhami will launch three annual polls over a period spanning the 2024 elections through the Critical Issues Poll to study American public attitudes on threats to American democracy and shifting attitudes towards racial, ethnic, and religious relations in America. Learn more about the project here. 

Dr. Ernesto Calvo is part of a team awarded an Impact Award for their project, “Pandemic Preparedness Institute (PPI).” This new institute will leverage social and behavioral sciences to learn from past disasters and pandemics to better prepare for future public health emergencies. An interdisciplinary team representing SPHL, ARHU, BSOS, EDUC, INFO, and JOUR will apply cutting-edge research and methods to learn from the past and prepare for future. Learn more about the project here. 

Dr. Mike Hanmer is part of a team awarded an Impact Award for their project, “Democracy Research, Education, and Civic Action.” This project will use interdisciplinary innovation in research, teaching, learning, and engagement to create solutions that remove barriers that threaten our future as a nation, inorder to ensure a better democracy. The interdisciplinary team includes faculty from BSOS, EDUC, JOUR, and SPP, and leverages local and national partnerships in its work. Learn more about the project here.