The Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Seed Project Grants are one type of grant provided through the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. Seed Projects often seek to explore or expand new dimensions of existing translational outreach, community-based research, and public engagement activities. Seed Projects are animated by innovative ideas and are shaped by the priorities, needs, and interests of the communities they serve.
Building A Physical Activity Program to Increase Access, Inclusivity, and Well-Being in Adolescents
Project Leaders:
Morgan Shields, Academic Program Manager, Department of Kinesiology, School of Education
Yadira Aleida Ortiz, Student
Increasing physical activity in adolescents has been at the center of numerous initiatives over the past decade given the low rate of participation and the wide-ranging health benefits. The most recent data from Healthy People 2030 show that in 2019, an average of only 16.5% of adolescents met the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. In addition to this concerningly low number, it has been decreasing over the past four years. There is a clear and consistent trend in the research for physical activity to drop during Middle School years with girls seeing a steeper decline than boys making this time a crucial time for support. The pilot program that we are building will be theory-based, informed by research, and address identified barriers to physical activity for this age group. Importantly, care will be taken to create an inclusive space for adolescents from underserved areas in Madison to meaningfully engage in physical activity. This pilot will be offered in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County and reach approximately 80 students. Sessions will include community building, warm-up for movement, structured physical activity (including dance, resistance exercise training, self-defense, and more) with options for varying intensities, cool-down from movement, and reflection. This pilot program will foster a high-impact learning opportunity to students at UW-Madison, who will lead the sessions, and offer accessible opportunities to engage in a powerful health behavior for our community partners.
Caregiver Pain points and Joy Points: Public Research to Promote Dialogue About Family Caregiving
Project Leader:
Kristin Litzelman, Associate Professor, School of Human Ecology
Over 700,000 Wisconsinites (1 in 5) are family caregivers, providing emotional, financial, medical/nursing, and home care to a family member or friend with an illness or disability. Nevertheless, the prevalence and impact of caregiving remain under-recognized. The need for greater awareness is so high that it is the first goal of the U.S. 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. This project responds to that need by using a public research approach to generate awareness and promote dialogue about the lived experience of caregiving. We will invite caregivers across the state to anonymously share the highs and lows of their caregiving experience through writing, drawing, or otherwise representing their experiences on a postcard. We will curate the responses to produce community art that will be displayed in public locations (community centers, libraries, hospitals, health fairs) throughout the state. We will also identify themes in the responses that will inform presentations to policy makers, service providers, and the general public to promote dialogue about the needs and support for family caregivers. This project will have a positive impact by lifting up the voices of caregivers and empowering deliberative discussions across civic groups (policy makers, community support providers, and caregivers). Furthermore, we expect that this effort will inform future public research efforts as well as aligning the voices of caregivers with priorities and initiatives at the policy and service provider levels.
Centering Filipinx Narratives in American Politics: A Pathway to Advancing Community Well-being
Project Leaders:
Hadley Rahrig, Postdoctoral Trainee, Department of Psychology, College of Letters and Science
Christine Wilson, Scientist III, Center for Healthy Minds, College of Letters and Science
Despite being one of the largest Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) subgroups, Filipinx/a/o Americans (FilAM) are disproportionately underrepresented in psychological research and consequently continue to experience long-standing mental health inequities. The well-being of FilAm individuals is uniquely influenced by the interplay of socio-historical contexts (e.g., legacies of colonialism, cultural values) and ongoing political events. However, the influence of U.S. politics on the emotional lives of FilAm individuals and communities is understudied. The proposed project will expand the growing partnership between our UW-Madison research team and FilExcellence, a 501(c)(3) national organization dedicated to the equity, empowerment, and well-being of Filipinx/a/o people. The primary goal of this project is to collaboratively design and conduct qualitative research to investigate FilAm individuals’ experiences of politics in the U.S., the factors that influence these experiences, and their implications for emotional well-being. Through this project we will facilitate approximately 8 focus groups (total N = 40) of Filipinx/a/o individuals currently residing in the U.S. Focus groups will be guided by open-ended questions such as the following: What do FilAm individuals report as being the most relevant cultural/political challenges? How are FilAm communities impacted by social media and misinformation? What are the systemic barriers or strengths-based factors that influence emotional navigation of cultural/political events? Exploring these questions will inform a program of research directed towards elevating the voices of FilAm individuals and advancing community emotional wellbeing.
Community-based Adoption of a Mobile App for Adaptive Horseback Riding for Children with Autism
Project Leaders:
Beth Fields, Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology, School of Education
Benazir Meera, Research Associate, Department of Kinesiology, School of Education
Evidence demonstrates that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a difficult time translating the benefits gained from adaptive horseback riding sessions into their everyday routines. Parents can play a critical role in helping their children translate the benefits to their home activities, using technological innovations such as mobile apps. In line with this evidence, a mobile app that has the potential to supplement an ongoing adaptive horseback riding program at Three Gaits Therapeutic Horsemanship Center was developed and refined. This newly developed mobile app has the potential to become a scalable intervention by being included as a supplementary resource for participants of adaptive horseback riding programs across more than 17 adaptive horseback riding centers in Wisconsin, thus allowing them to carry their progress into daily life. Therefore, in this project, we propose to apply community-focused dissemination and implementation strategies to ensure the mobile app is effectively adopted across the adaptive horseback riding centers in Wisconsin. The proposed project is an innovative and pioneering endeavor that strongly resonates with the Wisconsin Idea of combining community engagement and emerging technologies to enhance the impact of adaptive horseback riding programs for children with ASD across Wisconsin.
Creating Equitable Sports Opportunity (CESO) in Wisconsin
Project Leaders:
Maria Dehnert, Research Program Coordinator, Intercollegiate Athletics
Peter Miller, Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, School of Education
Our plan is to study a promising Wisconsin-based youth sports program, to disseminate findings throughout the state, and to support the implementation of research-backed similar programs. Our objective is to increase access to healthy athletics opportunities for all kids. Our plan is situated in a rapidly growing youth sports industry ($20B annually in the U.S.) where opportunities to participate are increasingly impactful upon youth lives – but also are commonly inequitable and unhealthy. Our state needs an expansion of equitable out-of-school athletics spaces for young people to learn, develop, and socialize. We are well-situated to lead the project, as we’ve engaged in a year of “pre-work” with sports coaches, educators, and leaders throughout the state. We’ve identified a most promising initiative to study.
Culture Across the Waves: Supporting Global Irish Heritage Learners
Project Leader:
Rebecca Shields, Instructional Administrator, Language Sciences Program, College of Letters and Science
The goal of this project is to develop new Irish language and culture learning modules in an online format. The modules will be based on a corpus of dialogue from Ros na Rún (Headland of Secrets), an Irish-language television drama that is filmed in an Irish-speaking area and features native speaker writers and actors. The modules will be created using the Moodle platform and will be accessible to anyone across the world. Creating these modules will contribute to two goals: 1) to connect worldwide heritage learners and others interested in the language with authentic resources for exploring indigenous Irish language and culture, and 2) promoting and valuing the use of Irish in local communities and in media within Ireland. These resources will support people across the world who want to learn the Irish language for various reasons, including (re)connecting with their heritage, exploring an interest in Celtic music or arts, or learning about efforts to strengthen a minoritized indigenous culture.
Developing a Community-Aging Research Agenda with Older Adults at Risk of Health Disparities
Project Leader:
Diane Farsetta, Outreach Program Manager, School of Nursing
As the U.S. population grows older, supporting healthy aging becomes even more important. Yet older adults are underrepresented in health research, even among studies of conditions that mostly affect older people.
The Center for Aging Research and Education (CARE) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing will work with two standing community advisory boards of older people, called the Boards of Older Adult Advisors (BOAAs), to articulate a community aging research agenda that reflects the lived experiences and health priorities of older adults, including people from communities at higher risk of health disparities. One BOAA includes predominantly African American residents of Madison, while the other includes residents of under-resourced rural areas in Southwest Wisconsin.
This project will leverage CARE’s relationships with researchers to shift power to community members who are committed to improving health outcomes for older people. It will expand the BOAAs’ role from providing feedback on topics defined by others to formulating their own research questions. This approach aligns with the National Institutes of Health priority for community-led research to advance health equity.
After facilitating a process whereby the Madison and Rural BOAAs identify their priorities for health research, CARE will promote the community aging research agenda to health researchers across disciplines, encouraging collaboration on related studies.
Intergenerational Housing Model and Evaluation Protocol: A Co-created Theory of Change
Project Leaders:
Uchita Vaid, Assistant Professor, School of Human Ecology
Jung-hye Shin, Professor, Design Studies, School of Human Ecology
Intergenerational housing, where multiple generations can live together and form meaningful social connections, is being increasingly regarded as an innovative solution for social issues such as social isolation and housing affordability challenges. The goal of this project is to co-develop an evaluation model tailored for intergenerational housing initiatives, in collaboration with Hope & A Future (HAF), an intergenerational housing community in Madison run by a non-profit organization. Despite the well-documented health and well-being benefits associated with intergenerational programs, research-based evaluation protocols designed to comprehensively investigate the impacts of intergenerational housing, still remain underdeveloped. To gain a thorough understanding of the implications of such a housing community, our approach involves co-creating a program model and an evaluation protocol alongside HAF stakeholders. This process integrates insights from both academia and practitioners, utilizing a Theory of Change framework. The resulting model will serve as a comprehensive framework, elucidating how and why desired changes manifest within this specific housing context. It will facilitate a deeper comprehension of the mechanisms connecting program activities to desired goals, enabling the development of effective program strategies and comprehensive evaluation. This translational model can serve as a compelling evidence-based tool for advocating the advantages of intergenerational housing, attracting funding, investors, and policy support to further its adoption. Furthermore, it can empower program developers to enhance intergenerational housing initiatives, aid in tenant recruitment, and promote community engagement, ensuring the success and expansion of these inclusive living environments.
Pharmacists as Allies: Referring High Fall Risk Older Adults to Tai Chi Prime Community Classes
Project Leaders:
Betty Chewning, Professor, School of Pharmacy
Ejura Salihu, Teaching Assistant, School of Pharmacy
Wisconsin has the highest fall death rate for older adults in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is a leading cause of injuries in the state as well. Aging, use of fall-risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs), and polypharmacy (use of more than four drugs) are key contributors to falls. Although there are evidence-based fall risk reduction programs for the elderly, few older adults participate, especially in underserved communities of color. Pharmacists have a strong opportunity to make a difference in this because they serve older adults and can track medication regimens likely to heighten fall risk.
Tai Chi Prime (TCP) is an evidence-based fall prevention program developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In TCP, all participants have a chair by their side for support, so it is well-suited for people with physical limitations, including older adults using walkers. TCP has been successfully adapted and is currently being disseminated in communities of color in Milwaukee. TCP class participants in these communities were identified from community centers, social media platforms like Facebook, and by word of mouth. To maximize the program’s outreach and impact in these communities, there is a need for a system to identify and refer individuals at high risk of falling who would benefit the most from the TCP program. Using interviews and a Nominal Group Technique, this study will explore the acceptability and strategies for developing a pharmacy-based referral process for fall-risk patients to community-based TCP courses offered in underserved communities of color.
Reducing Food Insecurity and Waste Through Free Food Alert
Project Leaders:
Travis Blomberg, Campus Resource Coordinator, Department of Sustainability, Facilities Planning and Management
Emily Johnson, Zero Waste Project Assistant, Department of Sustainability, Facilities Planning and Management
The Office of Sustainability (OS) is requesting funds to support a 2-year institutional subscription to the Free Food Alert software service. This service will allow University event caterers and hosts to easily notify students and community partners when free surplus food is available. The program will have the benefit of reducing food waste and supporting food insecure students. The project is led by Emily Johnson, a Junior at UW-Madison and Zero Waste Project Assistant with the Office of Sustainability. This project is supported by Travis Blomberg, an Office of Sustainability staff member.
Oral Histories of Union Coal Mining and Energy Transition on the Navajo Nation
Project Leader:
Ericka Wills, Assistant Professor, School for Workers, Division of Continuing Studies
Transitioning to clean energy is an environmental necessity, yet this process must be informed by the experiences and voices of coal miners and their families to justly implement an energy transition that acknowledges and respects mining-impacted communities’ cultural histories, social relationships, and economic needs. In these communities, coal mining has provided generations of workers with good-paying, unionized employment. However, coal companies have also left a legacy of environmental degradation, a void of comparable employment after coal phase-out, and escalating cases of Black Lung Disease. This project collects oral histories from miners, families, and members of coal-impacted communities on the Navajo Nation. The aim is to challenge prevalent misrepresentations of coal miners as a homogenous white, Appalachian demographic by amplifying Navajo voices in conversations on coal phase-out, clean energy transition, policy decisions, and related topics. It implements a Community Engaged Scholarship (CES) approach to conduct this work at the invitation of Navajo Nation members and in collaboration with the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), the union that represents most organized coal miners in the U.S. and Navajo Nation, tribal members, and community groups. It seeks to contribute not only academic scholarship but also public writing and other products that integrate oral histories to benefit project collaborators in making Just Transition an economic, environmental, cultural, and structural reality on the Navajo Nation and in the United States.