The College of LAS is where curiosity drives impact, and the new Curiosity to Impact (C2I) Fund helps faculty members to do exactly that.
Announced in fall of 2025, the C2I Fund is part of the college’s Strategic Investment Program. Faculty members submit proposals for the creation or revision of courses, certificates, and programs. This year, 15 proposals were awarded a total of over $1.15 million.
Descriptions of this year’s SIB awardees follow:
Human health biosciences: From genomics to pandemics
Submitted by Brian Allan, entomology, this online graduate certificate program will prepare working professionals and graduate learners to understand and apply bioscience knowledge across three connected scales relevant to human health: genomics and bioinformatics, environmental and toxicology, and infectious disease emergence and global pandemics.
Reimagining plant biology for a changing world
Ya Min, plant biology, submitted a redevelopment and modernization of general education course IB 103. This course provides formal exposure to core concepts in plant biology, ecology, and evolution, and its redesign will better integrate laboratory and lecture, incorporate inquiry-based activities, and reinforce student understanding of plant biology fundamentals through art and design.