Dr. Thoma awarded Presidential Research Quest Fund grant
By A.J. Hostetler, Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, 804-628-3828, hostetlera2@vcu.edu
Friday, July 17, 2020
Colleen Thoma, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Counseling and Special Education, has been awarded a 2020 Presidential Research Quest Fund grant, one of only 16 recipients university-wide to receive the award.
Thoma's study is titled “Universal Design Intervention for Effective Transition Outcomes for Students with Disabilities.” Her research interests focus on supporting the transition from school to adult life for students with disabilities, particularly students with intellectual disability. She has addressed this research area in multiple ways, including by identifying how to apply a universal design for learning process to meet both academic and transition goals.
The Presidential Research Quest Fund supports faculty projects that specifically align with the goals and key strategies presented in VCU’s Quest 2025: Together We Transform strategic plan. The fund’s goal is to allow faculty an opportunity to win internal funding to support new, emerging or continuing research.
“Fund recipients for this year represent a diverse community of educators, researchers and creators who are dedicated to discovery, creation and the improvement of the human condition,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “Their breadth of knowledge and inquisitive nature will broaden horizons for all of us for generations to come. I look forward to witnessing the impact of their research, and I am grateful they are part of the VCU community.”
For a full list of grant recipients, read the University Public Affairs story.