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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has announced the 2025 recipients of the Seed Grants for Transitional and Exploratory Projects (STEP), a prestigious internal funding initiative that supports faculty members pursuing bold, early-stage research and creative activity. Eleven scholars representing a wide range of disciplines were selected for their innovative proposals, each offering new directions for scholarship, discovery or practice.

Funded through the Office of Research and Projects, STEP grants provide critical support for projects with strong potential to secure external funding or establish new areas of inquiry. This year’s recipients represent the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), School of Engineering (SOE), School of Pharmacy (SOP), and the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior (SEHHB).
The 2025 STEP Award recipients and their projects are:

• Abbey Hepner, MFA, Department of Art and Design, “Hiraeth: The Story of Uravan,” a documentary and photographic exploration of a now-abandoned mining town and its displaced residents
• Aimee Clinger, MFA, Department of Art and Design, Examining Paradoxical “War on Illness” Metaphors through Creative Activities Based Research Utilizing Masked Stereolithography Technology – A series of 3D-printed and metal-smithed artworks critiquing entrenched metaphors in medical rhetoric
• Ashiq Sakib, PhD, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, “A Design Framework for the Automated Synthesis, Advanced Optimization, and Verification of Quasi-Delay Insensitive (QDI) Asynchronous Circuits,” a computer-aided design system to support more efficient asynchronous digital circuits
• Donavan Ramon, PhD, Department of English Language and Literature, “Fight Scenes and Self-Making in Black Men Memoirs,” a literary analysis of the symbolic use of violence in memoirs by Black men from the 18th century to the present
• Guim Kwon, PhD, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, “Effects of AdipoRon on Pancreatic Beta-Cell Function and Survival Under Nutrient Overload,” a biomedical study examining AdipoRon’s role in improving outcomes for type II diabetes
• Joshua Wooten, PhD, Department of Applied Health, “Using the Biopsychosocial Model to Predict Optimal Recovery Strategies in Female Athletes,” a sports science study aimed at developing predictive models for player readiness and recovery
• Robert Paulett, PhD, Department of History, “The Breeches of Britain: Leather, Scotland, and the British Empire in the 1700’s,” a historical investigation into leather trade networks and their role in colonial transformation and environmental change
• Saad Ullah, PhD, Department of Civil Engineering, “Development and Evaluation of Chemically Synthesized Spider Silk for Sustainable Geotextile Solutions,” a material science project exploring spider silk as a bio-inspired alternative to conventional geotextiles
• Sarah Luesse, PhD, Department of Chemistry, “Synthesis of Polymer-Supported Phenol and Alcohol Reagents,” a chemistry pilot project developing solid-supported reagents for use in synthetic organic reactions
• Tianyu Li, PhD, Department of Geography, “Where Do Bees Thrive? Enhancing Food Security in Southern Illinois Through Pollinator Habitat Analysis Using Geospatial Science and Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI),” a geospatial science and AI-driven analysis of pollinator habitats in support of regional food security
• Yadong Wang, PhD, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, “Integration of Artificial Intelligence Methods and Dual-Frequency Dual-Polarization in Weather Radar Signal Processing,” a radar signal project applying AI to improve real-time weather modeling and analysis.

Sakib’s project represents early momentum for long-term research goals.

"I joined the department last fall, and as a new faculty member, the STEP award will help me initiate my research at SIUE," said Ashiq Sakib, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "I am excited about the prospect of expanding my research, exploring and testing new ideas, and making meaningful contributions to my area of interest. This project will allow me to establish proof-of-concepts and obtain preliminary results to prepare proposals for future competitive external funding opportunities."

Hepner’s project is a fusion of creative practice and community storytelling, combining historic photographic methods with modern narrative documentary.

"I am honored to create this work before these stories are lost to history," said Hepner, associate professor in the Department of Art and Design. "The project will culminate in a series of wet plate collodion portraits (tintypes) of former Uravan residents and a documentary film that gives voice to the lived experience of a community that grew up in a place they can no longer return."

Hepner also emphasized the program’s impact for faculty.

"The STEP Grant is a significant and valuable award that encourages the kind of innovation and experimentation that helps our faculty thrive in their respective disciplines," said Hepner.

Ramon’s project highlights how literary studies can surface new ways of interpreting identity, tradition and power.

"It means a lot to me to win this award. I will use it as a stepping stone to begin my second book project," said Ramon, associate professor in the Department of English Language and Literature. "I am most excited that I get to begin my second book, tentatively titled 'Fight Scenes and Self-Making in Black Men Memoirs.' In it, I argue that the tradition of memoirs by Black men is defined by fight scenes—both physical and symbolic. I hope that my project will help establish a tradition of Black men writers, centered on the shared image of fight scenes."

As these scholars begin their projects, their work will enrich SIUE’s academic community and position the University to secure external funding across a variety of fields. Whether by blending tradition with emerging technologies or confronting complex scientific and societal challenges, the 2025 STEP awardees exemplify the spirit of innovation and collaboration.

More information about the STEP program is available on the STEP program webpage.

From bees to breeches, spider silk to memoirs, these projects remind us that discovery often begins not with certainty—but with curiosity, courage and the first brave step.

PHOTO: Peck Hall