{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://shea-porter.house.gov/media/press-releases/shea-porter-shaheen-and-hassan-announce-50000-national-science-foundation-grant", "Shea-Porter, Shaheen, and Hassan Announce $50,000 National Science Foundation Grant for UNHs uSafeUS Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Mobile App", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "NH", "Carol Shea-Porter", "S001170", "shea-porter.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), joined by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, today announced that the Prevention Innovations Research Center at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) will receive a $50,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) award to support uSafeUS, an evidence-based, mobile software platform recently profiled on NPR that aids in campus assault prevention efforts, provides support to victims of campus sexual assault, and promotes student safety.\nThe Prevention Innovations Research Center at UNH is doing important work creating innovative ways to prevent and respond to campus sexual assault, said Shea-Porter. This grant will support efforts to commercialize the UNH-developed uSafeUS software platform, which provides resources to victims of campus sexual assault, and access to interactive assault prevention tools. We must do more to address sexual violence on our college campuses, and I congratulate all those at UNH who are working to make our campuses safer.\nThe uSafeUS app is an innovative tool to help preventsexual assaultand provide support to survivors, and I commend the Prevention Innovations Research Center for their forward thinking, said Senator Shaheen. The adoption of this technology by other New Hampshire campuses is a testament to its effectiveness and potential for even broader use, and I applaud the support provided by this new federal grant. We must continue supporting awareness and prevention efforts to combat campus sexual assault.\n\"We must do everything in our power to prevent the crime of sexual assault wherever it occurs and to ensure that systems are in place to support survivors, including on college and university campuses,\" Senator Hassan said. The UNH Prevention Innovations Research Centers uSafeUS app is a groundbreaking tool to help prevent campus sexual assault, and this federal grant will help expand the availability of this important resource. There is far more work to do to help change the culture around sexual assault on campus, and I am proud that UNH has been a national leader in conducting cutting-edge research on promoting student safety and preventing campus sexual assault.\nIn September, the Prevention Innovations Research Center at the University of New Hampshire released the uSafeUS App, which was based on the beta app called uSafeNH that launched last year at 21 New Hampshire colleges and universities. The app was developed in collaboration with numerous New Hampshire stakeholders, including the New Hampshire Attorney Generals office, law enforcement, campus professionals, UNH faculty, and the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, using qualitative, evidence-based research, and content informed by over 15 years of sexual violence research. UNH AlumnaRebecca Ludecke (class of 2016) is the NSF I-Corps Entrepreneurial Lead on this innovative effort, and over 250 New Hampshire college students shared their insights and experiences in hour-long focus groups.\nIn 2015, I had a conversation with the New Hampshire Sexual Assault Resource Team coordinator, a retired state trooper, who identified that a key challenge is getting prevention and assistance resources into the hands of college students who need them, said Sharyn Potter, Professor of Sociology, the Executive Director of Research at UNHs Prevention Innovations Research Center and the Principal Investigator on the NSF I-Corps Grant. In true New Hampshire fashion, we convened a multi-disciplinary team of committed professionals from across the state, and worked on a shoestring budget to develop this cutting edge tool to address one of the most critical issues facing our nation.\nThe app includes the Expect Me feature, which enables students walking home alone to let friends know when to expect them or if they may need help. The app also includes a feature called Time to Leave, which allows students to send themselves a simulated text or phone call, providing an excuse to leave an uncomfortable situation. The What Now? feature uses a decision-tree approach to help victims understand their options and chose a path forward after an assault.\nThe National Science Foundation Innovation Corps grant program provides resources to help commercialize emerging technologies and research so that innovation centers like the Prevention Innovations Research Center can advance what they have developed and expand the reach of their new tools.Shea-Porter sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee in April, asking for a $500 million increase in funding for the National Science Foundation to better support programs such as UNHs Prevention Innovations Research Center. Earlier this Congress, Shea-Porter worked with Potter to include language in the House National Defense Authorization Act Report (p.126) to direct the Department of Defense to use evidence-based training and education methods to prevent sexual assault in the military and to leverage civilian research centers such as UNH to develop new and effective tools for this effort.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://shea-porter.house.gov/media/press-releases/shea-porter-shaheen-and-hassan-announce-50000-national-science-foundation-grant"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6317048575729132, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}