KINGSVILLE (Jan 21, 2025) — In its commitment to professional growth and scholarly engagement, Texas A&M University-Kingsville Center for Faculty Excellence awarded its largest faculty travel grants to date to professor of chemistry Dr. Jingbo Liu and Professor of Voice and Opera Workshop Dr. Melinda Brou during a ceremony Jan. 16 at the Center for Faculty Excellence.
In addition to increased funding, the awards process was revised to include a funding cap, expanded eligibility to faculty of all ranks and double-blind review to further fairness and transparency.
“This year we offered more funds because national and international conferences require more funding due to their location, priorities and costs of being a part of the organizations,” said Dr. Jeffrey Chernosky, Assistant Dean & Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence. “To accommodate those criteria, we raised the maximum amount that could be funded up to $2,000. Previously it was $500 and they were not through a double-blind process. That is a change in process that reflects the real world and the way funding organizations from the federal government to international organizations conduct their processes.”
Brou received $1,219.25 to support two co-presentations alongside University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point’s Dr. Natalie Cummings and Notre Dame’s Dr. Michael Carlson at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention. The presentations will touch on ways to enhance choral programs through use of Artificial intelligence and teach directors creative strategies to prepare singers for solo and ensemble contests.
“This award is especially meaningful because it supports the creative and scholarly research expected of faculty.” Brou said. “The financial support that will enable my travel and presentations at Texas Music Educators Association will play an important role in helping me achieve my research goals.”
Liu received an award of $1,610 in support of her presentation of leading‑edge research on cost‑effective clay‑based carbon management that addressed scientific challenges and strengthening international collaboration during the Dec. 2025 Pacifichem summit in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Pacifichem summit brings together scientists from across the Pacific Basin to share transformative advances in chemistry and allied fields while emphasizing cross‑border collaboration, uniting academia, industry, and national laboratories to address global scientific challenges.
A condition of accepting the award is that recipients will return to campus to lead a future Center for Faculty Excellence training session, sharing insights from their professional travel and extending the impact of the funding across the university community.
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