UNH Today

UNH-developed apps that aim to improve campus safety and physical education experiences got a boost recently as winners of the 2024 UNHInnovation Fund. uSafeUS® and myPE™, two mobile applications developed by UNH faculty, received $50,000 each to support their continued development.

“This funding is a critical step in turning innovative ideas into real solutions,” says Marian McCord, senior vice provost for research, economic engagement and outreach. “By supporting projects like uSafeUS® and myPE™, we’re helping our faculty bring their work closer to commercialization, which ultimately benefits both our university community and the broader society.”

uSafeUS®: Title IX Compliance Simplified

uSafeUS® is a comprehensive campus violence prevention and response mobile app to help colleges and universities prevent and respond to issues like sexual assault and harassment, relationship violence and stalking. It connects students, faculty and staff with the right resources during times of need, ensuring immediate access to critical information. Developed by Sharyn J. Potter, a professor in the department of women’s and gender studies and co-founder and executive director of research at the Prevention Innovations Research Center (PIRC), uSafeUS® supports campus leaders’ efforts to comply with Title IX, Clery, Office on Violence Against Women and NCAA regulations.

The awarded funds will be used to improve the app’s administrator dashboard, which currently presents challenges for many uSafeUS® campus partners. “The improvements will help institutional partners become more independent in tailoring the app to their specific needs,” Potter says.

Kimberly Hobbs, the co-applicant on the grant and Prevention Innovations Research Center director of technology, notes that the improvements will also help shift the customization work to the campus partners. "For us to grow, we need our partners to become more independent — and to do that, we need our dashboard to be more user-friendly, intuitive and inviting," Hobbs says.

myPE™: A New Approach to Physical Education

myPE™, developed by Chad Killian, assistant professor of kinesiology, aims to reimagine physical education by offering a flexible, student-driven learning platform. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Killian’s team saw positive feedback on and widespread use of their free online physical education modules. Building on this success, the myPE™ app allows high school students to engage with short instructional content and then participate in physical activities of their choice.

The app is designed to help students find meaningful, sustainable physical activities. Unlike traditional physical education, myPE™ doesn’t prescribe specific activities but instead guides students toward choosing when, how and why they’re active.

"Traditionally, physical education has not been a positive experience for many students,” Killian says. “By using a digital platform, we can support teachers and provide students with a more personalized, reflective approach to their physical education.”

The funding from the UNHInnovation Fund will allow Killian and his collaborators to develop a functional pilot version of myPE™ and collect data from students and teachers. This research will be instrumental in securing additional federal funding to further develop and scale the app. "Without this funding, I don't think we'd have access to high-quality developers to get something online,” Killian says. “We hope to have something online and available for research soon. We couldn't do that otherwise."

About the UNHInnovation Fund

The UNHInnovation Fund supports UNH faculty and researchers moving university-owned innovations closer to commercialization or licensing. Each recipient receives a grant to help advance their projects over the course of a year.

The fund is managed by UNHInnovation, whose mission is to protect, promote and accelerate UNH-owned intellectual property. The funding for this grant is made possible by the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Research, Economic Engagement, and Outreach.

For more information about the UNHInnovation Fund, contact Maithili Shroff.