The Bold Inquiry Incubator program is an opportunity for PIs to further develop and refine their research vision and to plan for securing sustaining external funding for their work, while collaborating with a cohort of talented individuals who share their passion for groundbreaking research and discovery.
The inaugural cohort consists of six teams – three incubator and three seed teams – from across diverse disciplines. The teams funded for 2024 include:
Incubator Teams
Community-Engaged Research to Meet the Needs of Rural Communities After Mass Shootings
- Monica Muñoz Martinez, College of Liberal Arts (History)
- Gloria González-López, College of Liberal Arts (Sociology)
- Noël Busch-Armendariz, Steve Hicks School of Social Work
- Gregory Pogue, Matt Kammer-Kerwick, Bruce Kellison and Caitlin Sulley, IC2 Institute
This project brings together experts and professionals from various fields to address the multifaceted challenges posed by the aftermath of a mass shooting in a rural border community. This research seeks to determine the prerequisites and needed components for establishing well-being hubs and restorative responses tailored to the unique needs of rural border communities, as well as to understand impacts to social links, consumption of and (dis)engagement of resources, and short- and long-term economics for individuals, families, and communities.
Developing an Innovative Model for Treating Patients with Diabetes in Rural Mexican Communities
- Ricardo Ainslie, College of Education (Educational Psychology)
- Tim Mercer and Rebecca Cook, Dell Medical School (Population Health)
- Julie Zuniga, School of Nursing
This project aims to develop a scalable, innovative, evidence-based community intervention model for detecting and treating diabetes in rural, economically marginalized communities in Puebla, Mexico. The team will explore novel models of care, barriers to treatment, and other variables that are critical for treating diabetic patients in ways that are culturally appropriate and scalable to other rural communities.
Assemblies of Technosolutionism
- Iván Chaar López, College of Liberal Arts (American Studies)
- Amelia Acker and Edgar Gómez-Cruz, School of Information
This project aims to foster a critical collective space to interrogate the development and implementation of technosolutionism in contemporary AI applications to solve a wide range of problems in our society. This team will convene an interdisciplinary research seminar series to promote communication across disciplines and examine emerging socio-technical phenomena to build theories and methods for understanding the social significance of AI.
Seed Teams
Optimizing Deep Learning Approaches for Enhanced Detection of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) from Portable Echocardiograms
- Shanti Nulu, Dell Medical School (Cardiology)
- Edward Castillo and Adam Bush, Cockrell School of Engineering (Biomedical Engineering)
- Michael Brode, Dell Medical School (Internal Medicine)
This project will explore the design and validation of AI-enabled deep learning algorithms capable of interpreting the diagnostically challenging, low-fidelity echocardiographic videos acquired via portable echocardiography (PE) to facilitate earlier detection of RHD and precipitate timely therapeutic interventions. The distinct innovation of the approach derives from the combination of expertise in cardiology, medical imaging, and machine learning, enabling customized development of an AI system adapted to the constraints of PE and designed for a low-resource environment.
Development of 3D Interactive Digital Game Based on the Excavation of an Early Islamic Palace in Syria
- Stephennie Mulder, College of Fine Arts (Art History)
- Jessie Contour and Kate Catterall, College of Fine Arts (Design & Creative Technologies)
This project seeks to develop a 3D digital interactive computer game based on an extant digital model of an 8th century early Islamic palatial complex excavated by an international scholarly team. The game will be based on current research and will serve to both introduce the rich heritage of early Islamic civilization to gameplayers as well as to recreate a now-lost aspect of Syrian heritage.
COPD Airway Warriors: Game for Better Breathing
- Tanya Hutter, Cockrell School of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering)
- David Cohen, College of Fine Arts (Design & Creative Technologies)
- Koonj Shah, Dell Medical School (Pulmonology & Critical Care)
This project aims to identify the extent to which patient compliance with home care management for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be addressed by creating breathing-technique driven games. This team will incorporate smart analytics and integration of additional physiological sensors (e.g., heart rate and blood oxygenation) and will explore the degree to which an online community among patients participating in the game and sharing their progress can be as impactful as a current community care-based approach.