Office of Research and Creative Activity

The WKU Celebration of Research & Sponsored Activities, held last Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at the Eva and Jim Martens Alumni Center, was a remarkable success. This annual event celebrated the incredible accomplishments of WKU faculty and staff in securing external funding for research and creative activities throughout Fiscal Year 2024.
The evening began with inspiring opening remarks from President Timothy C. Caboni, setting the stage for an awards presentation by Dr. Jenni Redifer, Interim Associate Provost for Research. The atmosphere was energized with success as the event highlighted outstanding individuals and departments who had demonstrated exceptional dedication to scholarly and artistic endeavors.
Attendees were treated to a visually stunning showcase of select research projects displayed throughout the Robertson-Feix Grand Ballroom, underscoring the excellence of WKU’s researchers. The event recognized several categories of achievement, including the First Time Lead Award for those awarded their first external grant, the Prolific Proposer Award for those who submitted more than five proposals, and the One Million Dollar and Five Million Dollar Grant Clubs for those securing significant external funding.
In addition to honoring individuals, departments and colleges were recognized for their collective achievements, such as the department with the largest number of faculty proposals and awards, and the college with the highest amount of external funding.

The following are the 2024 Celebration Awardees:

First Time Lead Award (Individuals who were awarded their first external grant in FY 24)

• Lee Bledsoe
• Lynette Breedlove
• Amy Engelhoven
• Nick Fortune
• Kimberly Green
• Sungjin Im
• Bryan Jones
• Patrick Ledwidge
• Lei Li
• Joseph Marquardt
• Robert Peterson
• Stephanie Prichard
• Qingfang Song
• Ginny Steenbergen Hensley
• Jason Stewart
• Erin Warfel

Prolific Proposer Award (Individuals who submitted more than five external grants in FY 24)

• Vladimir Dobrokhotov
• Austin Griffiths
• Kirolos Haleem
• Christina Noel
• Catherine Malin

The One Million Dollar Grant Club (Individuals who have received more than one million dollars in external grants by FY24)

• Susan Keesey
• Kirolos Haleem
• Rachel Tinius

The Five Million Dollar Grant Club (Individuals who have received more than five million dollars in external grants by FY24)

• Austin Griffiths

Department Award for Largest Number of Proposing Faculty:  Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences

Department Award for Largest Number of Faculty Awardees:  Chemistry and Biochemistry

College Award for Highest Amount of External Funding:  College of Education and Behavioral Sciences