The F&M Innovation Fund announces its inaugural cohort of funded projects: four bold community initiatives that capture the pioneering spirit of Franklin & Marshall College.

 

For nearly 240 years, Franklin & Marshall College has been a place animated by the conviction that a great education should do more than prepare students for what already exists. It should prepare them to shape the future. 

This past spring, the College announced the F&M Innovation Fund to offer grants of up to $12,500, funded by the Office of the President, for new initiatives that do just that. Faculty and staff were encouraged to submit projects that advance student success and community engagement, with a focus on strengthening the connections between F&M and Lancaster, a city that is central to the College's identity and educational mission. 

From nearly a dozen submitted proposals, the Innovation Fund Review Committee selected four projects for support that cross academic disciplines and college administrative units. These four initiatives are diverse in their scope and together represent an F&M that is deeply interdisciplinary, dedicated to student success, rooted in the community, and unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping our world.

"What excites me most about this program is the ambition, creativity, and energy behind every proposal we received,” said President Rich. “Our community is restless in the best possible way. We are eager to experiment, collaborate, and build new initiatives. The Innovation Fund helps to channel this energy into action, and I look forward to seeing what this first cohort of projects achieves for our students."

Four Innovative Projects, One Community Ready to Lead

 

Responsible and Ethical AI Leadership (REAL) Lab

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly affecting all aspects of life, but the knowledge and understanding to navigate this world is not broadly accessible. The Responsible and Ethical AI Leadership (REAL) Lab is founded on the mission to democratize this knowledge and prepare F&M students and members of the local community to be leaders with the skills, critical thinking, and ethical reasoning to engage with AI responsibly and ethically. 

Through workshops, podcasts, guest speakers, newsletters, research and other programming, REAL Lab will provide accessible and practical knowledge organized around three core initiatives: AI Literacy, Responsible AI Practice, and AI in Education.

Students will serve as co-designers and leaders who build and deliver community workshops, produce a podcast on AI and society, organize a 24-hour responsible AI hackathon, and conduct original research on how AI is reshaping learning environments. In the first year alone, the Institute aims to reach more than 1,000 people through multimedia resources and live events. Partners already secured include the School District of Lancaster, local libraries, nonprofits, and businesses throughout the region.

With programs like REAL and the College’s AI in the Liberal Arts certificate program, F&M is well-positioned to become a key regional resource for responsible and ethical AI education in Lancaster County and beyond.  

Directed by Willie Wilson (Computer Science) and led by Carey Faulkner (Sociology), Lauren Howard (Psychology), and Jacob Lagogiannis (Computer Science), with support from the College Library, Office of Entrepreneurship, and F&M alumnus Ashton Sperry '05

 

The Global Democracy Lab

The Global Democracy Lab is an interdisciplinary, experiential initiative that invites students to engage with democracy in tangible ways: deliberating, proposing, budgeting, and acting on real challenges in the world around them. By integrating coursework, community engagement, and applied research, the Lab equips students with the knowledge and skills to engage in representative, deliberative, and participatory democratic processes. With the pressing problem of climate change as the animating focus, students will develop real-world solutions through their academic work and community engagement.

At the heart of the Lab is a two-part program spanning a spring semester course and a summer applied learning experience connected to actual institutions and real decisions. Partnering with the League of Women Voters of Lancaster County and working alongside F&M's Center for Sustainable Environment, students will convene a mock citizens' climate assembly, generate actionable recommendations, and vote on how to allocate real funding toward implementing their ideas. International experts will join as guest speakers, extending the Lab's reach globally. The summer component will deepen local community partnerships and create pathways from classroom engagement to post-graduate opportunities in public service, policy, and sustainability leadership. 

Led by Nic Auwaerter (Center for Sustainable Environment), Eve Bratman (Earth and Environment), Stephanie McNulty (Government), and Kelly Miller (Senior Instructional Designer)

 

The Benders: Sunnyside Research and Storytelling Partnership

Nestled in a bend of the Conestoga River, the Sunnyside peninsula holds one of Lancaster's most complex and underexamined stories: a working-class subdivision shaped by redlining, decades of broken urban-renewal plans, extraordinary urban ecological diversity, and the enduring resilience of its residents. Now, with Lancaster City and Partners for Environmental Stewardship breaking ground on a 70-acre nature preserve and environmental center by 2027, F&M is stepping forward as a research and storytelling partner at a historic inflection point for the community.

Emphasizing interdisciplinary scholarship across the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts, "The Benders" will pursue interlocking lines of inquiry through archival research, oral histories with residents and community leaders, spatial and ecological documentation, and media creation. 

Students will work as research assistants, independent study collaborators, and media creators, building short documentaries, as well as audio and photo essays, to bring Sunnyside's layered history to life. A public community conference, an exhibition at the Phillips Museum of Art, and a digital database designed to outlast the grant period will ensure that this work reaches and serves Lancaster's Southeast for years to come. At the same time, students will leave the project with hands-on, community-based experiences and new skills that will shape their post-graduate trajectories.

Led by Dan Ardia (Biology), Eve Bratman (Earth and Environment), Ian Kelly (Visual Arts), Alison Kibler (American Studies), Kostis Kourelis (Visual Arts), Teb Locke (ITS), and Dan Metz (Biology)

 

The IMS Sonic Laboratory

F&M is home to WFNM 89.1, one of the oldest college radio stations in the country. Now, WFNM is partnering with the Institute of the Mechanical Surround (IMS) and the Office of Student Engagement to develop the IMS Sonic Laboratory: a student-driven, interdisciplinary content creation studio housed in Steinman College Center. 

More than a production space, the Sonic Lab will serve as a hub for experiential learning where students and other members of the campus community can conceptualize, produce, and distribute original audio content, including podcasts, audio essays, documentary storytelling, and music production, with live broadcast capabilities through WFNM 89.1.

The studio will be integrated into coursework across disciplines and provide hands-on, collaborative opportunities for students to develop technical, creative, and professional skills aligned with careers in media, communication, and the creative industries. Students will take on leadership roles in studio management, production, and programming, transforming the lab into a sustainable, student-run enterprise.

The Sonic Lab will also deepen F&M’s engagement with Lancaster by supporting partnerships with local artists, organizations, and community groups, enabling students to co-create content that documents, amplifies, and reflects the voices and experiences of the region.

Led by Nick Kroll (Philosophy), John Modern (Religious Studies), Libby Modern (IMS), Mike Newman (Franklin Energy / WFNM), Vincent Smaldone (IMS / WFNM), and Nick Yando (Office of Student Engagement)

 

About the F&M Innovation Fund

Funded by the President's Office, the F&M Innovation Fund is committed to turning ideas into action and sustaining the heartbeat of innovation at Franklin & Marshall College.

The fund offers grants of up to $12,500 for interdisciplinary projects that advance student success and community engagement. The program runs for three years. The first four projects will launch in the coming months. Awardees will share six-month progress reports and final presentations at the conclusion of their work, ensuring that the lessons they learn inform and inspire future cycles of the Innovation Fund.