Student Resilience Project Receives FSU GAP Award

Resilience Project Student Ambassadors
Resilience Project Student Ambassadors

Three teams led by Florida State University faculty members have received funding from the university to propel their pioneering research from the lab to the marketplace.

“The work produced by FSU faculty members pushes the boundaries in innovation,” said Vice President for Research Gary K. Ostrander. “These innovations can also be transformed into products and businesses that help people or solve technological problems. The GAP program provides instrumental support and mentorship to our researchers to help them move their ideas through the development phase and ultimately into the marketplace.”

Over the past 10 years, the GAP program has awarded university researchers more than $2 million for projects designed to develop new cancer treatments, wearable phototherapeutic products, and advanced educational assessment tools. The researchers have been awarded a combined pot of $110,000 following their successful pitches at the university’s biannual GAP competition, an event organized by the Office of the Vice President for Research where faculty members present their ideas to a committee of businesspeople.

Among these three winners, is the Student Resilience Project developed by the Institute for Family Violence Studies, headed by its Director Karen Oehme.

“The FSU project design was the result of months of beta-testing and consumer (student) feedback. We used a theoretical framework that incorporated an applied science approach, which utilized research from the past two decades about trauma education, the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences, mental health promotion, positive psychology concepts, and proven stress management techniques,” explained Oehme. “We integrated these into the real-world setting of FSU’s campus and created an unconventional design that resonated with our students. Following the site’s launch, we used what we had learned about dissemination science to get the word out.”

The Resilience Project’s original toolkit was branded entirely for Florida State University. Oehme noted that they wanted a site that students feel comfortable and familiar with. What surprised the project’s team was the overwhelmingly positive response from universities and colleges around the country. 

“Because of the interest, we hosted a webinar about the project with other universities -- and over 70 different institutions were represented,” said Oehme. “We realized that we had identified a real need for the project -- not just at FSU, but just about everywhere. Other schools loved the project, but they wanted their own "look and feel."  We had not anticipated the interest, so we didn't build a customizable site.”

 The project’s team is currently working on recreating the site that can be adapted by other schools, branding it to their campuses. Other schools will be able to change the animation, colors, branding and look and fell, but not the actual content, although there will be places for them to add their own.

“We are going to license the project to other universities and offer technical support on the dissemination science. We have an entire dissemination toolkit so that licensees can create their Resilience Campaign on campus,” expanded Oehme. “For schools that are ready to undertake such a campus-wide campaign, we have everything they will need -- all the social media, marketing, and multi-media that help make the project a success.”

Oehme has found FSU’s commitment and the support of the Student Resilience Project heartening. She acknowledges that without the leadership of FSU President John Thrasher and Provost Sallie McRorie, the project would never have gotten off the ground. The support of FSU’s leadership has guaranteed a highly visual presence on FSU’s campus and in the higher education world. 

“FSU’s investment in the customizable toolkit is simply thrilling,” said Oehme. “There are other schools out there ready to invest in resilience. With this GAP , we can help them launch their projects.”

To learn more about the FSU Student Resilience Project, visit https://strong.fsu.edu

To learn more about the FSU GAP awards, visit https://www.research.fsu.edu/research-offices/oc/gap/

 

Thursday, February 21, 2019 - 11:11 AM
Last updated: Thu, 03/28/2024 - 04:16 PM