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Collaboratory submission drafts

Date: 2026-06-14
Purpose: Draft Collaboratory-ready activity records for Resource Map entities that fit Collaboratory's community-engagement mission but are absent or underrepresented in the June 2026 Collaboratory export (715 activities).
Action: Drafts only — no corpus modifications, no Collaboratory API submissions, no entity promotion
Inputs: resource-map-to-collaboratory-gap-analysis.md, collaboratory-ingestion-report.md, Resource Map resources, grants, people registry, source packets


1. Executive summary

Reviewed all 12 high-confidence gap-analysis recommendations plus Tier B enrichment targets. Evidence supports 16 draft Collaboratory activities across 10 Resource Map entities. One entity (UNI-007 housing) maps to an existing Collaboratory record and should be enriched, not duplicated. Three Tier A entities (EXT-001 mHUB, EXT-011 RFUMS, COM-002 sub-programs) lack sufficient community-engagement evidence for defensible drafts.

Readiness tier Draft activities Notes
Ready to submit (high) 8 Strong public evidence; clear community benefit
Requires verification (medium) 6 Grant-only, research-heavy, or thin operational detail
Not recommended (low) 2 entity groups Insufficient community pathway or duplicate coverage
Enrich existing record (no new activity) 3 Cybersecurity Clinic hub, CHW/SCHOLAR, SPARK Housing

Strongest drafts: CCHE joint center (UNI-012), Asylum & Immigration Legal Clinic / A2J capacity building (RC-007), Plant Chicago digital-twin partnership (EXT-006), Digital Youth Divas (CDM-031), Cybersecurity Clinic CSC 390 cohort enrichment (CDM-023).

Primary evidence gaps: CGVRC community-engagement narrative beyond grant titles; TSG Lab faculty/director names not in people registry; VARC Lab external community partners beyond DePaul booking; OpEd Project / Open Learning sub-units undocumented in Resource Map.


2. Ready-to-submit activities

Draft 2.1 — Center for Community Health Equity (joint DePaul–Rush program)

Field Content
Activity title Center for Community Health Equity: Community-Engaged Health Equity Research and Action
Short summary DePaul and Rush University's joint Center for Community Health Equity (CCHE) advances community-engaged inquiry, scholarship, and service to reduce Chicago's documented health inequities through interdisciplinary research, public reports, and stakeholder education.
Long description The Center for Community Health Equity (CCHE) is a joint DePaul–Rush University center co-founded in 2015 and expanded under a 2021 memorandum of understanding. CCHE integrates analysis, education, and intervention with Chicago communities to address the social determinants of health—including racism, discrimination, and economic inequality—that produce persistent gaps in life expectancy and disease outcomes across neighborhoods. The center's public mission emphasizes action, not observation alone: "it is not enough to identify a problem and then do nothing to fix it." CCHE engages community partners to identify public health needs, teaches and learns from community leaders and students, and publishes community-facing health-equity resources through healthequitychicago.org. DePaul faculty and students from LAS, CSH, Business, CDM, and Communication participate alongside Rush health-sciences colleagues. Student pathways include community health needs assessment support, Chicago health-disparities analysis, and service-learning connections documented on Rush CCHE pages. CCHE is administratively housed in DePaul's College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences while operating as a cross-institutional partnership.
Community partners Chicago community organizations (via CCHE community-engaged inquiry); Rush University Medical Center (co-founder)
DePaul units College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (administrative host); Steans Center; CDM VIDA/MedIX; College of Communication; College of Science and Health
Faculty/staff participants Maria Joy Ferrera (Director, DePaul)
Student involvement Community-service learning; student research projects on health disparities and community health needs assessments
Community-engagement category Community-engaged research; public health; translational activity
Topics / focus areas Health equity; social determinants of health; community-based public health; interdisciplinary collaboration
Populations served Chicago residents in communities experiencing health inequities
Geographic focus City of Chicago (neighborhood-level analysis)
Research component Yes — interdisciplinary community-engaged health-equity research and public reports
Teaching component Yes — seminars, courses, and student learning pathways under 2021 MOU
Public-service component Yes — community partner engagement and actionable health-equity outputs
Evidence supporting submission DePaul CCHE LAS page; healthequitychicago.org About Us; Rush CCHE collaboration page; 2015 founding + 2021 MOU; UNI-012 resource page
Resource Map sources used UNI-012; EXT-010; people.yaml (Maria Joy Ferrera)
Confidence level High
Collaboratory rationale CCHE is DePaul's flagship joint health-equity center with explicit community-engaged mission language. Zero Collaboratory activities name CCHE. Fills major public-health hub gap and links Rush partnership beyond a single MPH practicum mention.
Submission readiness Ready to submit

Field Content
Activity title DePaul Asylum and Immigration Legal Clinic: Pro Bono Legal Services and A2J Capacity Building
Short summary The College of Law's Asylum and Immigration Legal Clinic provides pro bono immigration and asylum legal assistance to Chicago-area community members while training law students through experiential clinical education supported by community funders.
Long description The DePaul University College of Law Asylum and Immigration Legal Clinic is a standing experiential legal clinic providing immigration and asylum legal services to underserved community members in the Chicago area. The clinic operates within DePaul's public-interest law ecosystem alongside the Center for Public Interest Law (CPIL) and connects to community partners serving immigrant and asylum-seeking populations. ORS records document recurring external support for clinic capacity building, including The Resurrection Project's A2J Capacity Building award (GRA-845, $139,000, FY2025 featured grant) to provide training and technical assistance for access-to-justice initiatives. While Collaboratory already captures related themes—graduate nursing support for asylum seekers and a documentary course on children seeking asylum—those activities are not structured under the standing law clinic program that ORS and grant records identify as a sustained DePaul community legal service. Submitting this activity consolidates the clinic as a program hub linking pro bono service, student clinical training, CPIL, and funders such as The Resurrection Project and Midwest Human Rights Consortium partners referenced in related activities.
Community partners The Resurrection Project; Midwest Human Rights Consortium (related activities); immigrant and asylum-seeking community members in Chicago
DePaul units College of Law; Center for Public Interest Law (RC-029); Experiential Learning
Faculty/staff participants Sioban Albiol (PI, GRA-845); clinical faculty (verify roster with College of Law)
Student involvement Law students in asylum and immigration clinical placements
Community-engagement category Legal clinic; pro bono; community service
Topics / focus areas Immigration law; asylum; access to justice; pro bono legal assistance
Populations served Asylum seekers; immigrants; underserved Chicago-area legal aid clients
Geographic focus Chicago metropolitan area
Research component Limited — primarily service delivery; grant includes capacity-building evaluation
Teaching component Yes — experiential law clinic credits
Public-service component Yes — pro bono legal services and A2J technical assistance
Evidence supporting submission GRA-845 (ORS FY2025 featured); multiple ORS asylum/immigration clinic grant listings; Collaboratory asylum-themed activities (6329, 18644); RC-007 candidate evidence in ingestion report
Resource Map sources used RC-007 (candidate); RC-029; grants.yaml GRA-845
Confidence level High
Collaboratory rationale Collaboratory has theme overlap (2+ asylum activities) but no clinic program hub. Grant evidence (Resurrection Project, $139K) supports a standing public-service activity distinct from one-off courses.
Submission readiness Ready to submit (verify current clinic director name with College of Law)

Draft 2.3 — SPARK & The Plant Chicago digital-twin sustainability partnership

Field Content
Activity title SPARK Center & The Plant Chicago: Community Sustainability Digital Twin and Public Education
Short summary DePaul's SPARK Center partners with The Plant Chicago to deploy sensor-driven digital-twin visualization of energy and sustainability data, educating policymakers, engineers, students, and community audiences about replicable circular-economy models.
Long description The SPARK Center (Strategic Partnerships for the Advancement of Research and Knowledge) collaborates with The Plant Chicago—a Back of the Yards community living laboratory and circular-economy business incubator—on a sensor-driven digital twin project. On-site energy and heat data collected at The Plant are visualized in real time through SPARK's data-science and design capabilities, producing public-facing outputs that educate policymakers, engineers, and students about sustainable urban industrial reuse. The partnership aligns with SPARK's mission to translate complex community data into accessible visuals that support neighborhood decision-making. The Plant operates as a community-facing sustainability venue hosting small food and environmental ventures in a repurposed industrial building, making this a translational research-to-community-education pathway rather than internal lab infrastructure. DePaul engagement is coordinated through SPARK staff including director LeAnne Wagner, with community partner contact through The Plant Chicago leadership.
Community partners The Plant Chicago
DePaul units SPARK Center; AI Institute (translational profile); CDM (data visualization)
Faculty/staff participants LeAnne Wagner (SPARK Director); Jonathan Pereira (The Plant Chicago — external)
Student involvement Students engaged through SPARK community partnership projects and sustainability visualization work
Community-engagement category Community partnership; environmental outreach; translational activity
Topics / focus areas Sustainability; circular economy; community data visualization; environmental education
Populations served Chicago community audiences; policymakers; sustainability entrepreneurs at The Plant
Geographic focus Back of the Yards, Chicago
Research component Yes — sensor deployment and digital-twin analytics
Teaching component Yes — student exposure to community sustainability translation
Public-service component Yes — public education on replicable sustainability models
Evidence supporting submission EXT-006; UNI-003; SPARK partner project description; plantchicago.org
Resource Map sources used EXT-006; UNI-003; people.yaml (LeAnne Wagner)
Confidence level High
Collaboratory rationale Zero Collaboratory activities name The Plant Chicago despite documented SPARK partnership. Fills environmental/community-education gap in SPARK's thin Collaboratory footprint.
Submission readiness Ready to submit

Draft 2.4 — Digital Youth Divas (TSG Lab K–12 STEM outreach)

Field Content
Activity title Digital Youth Divas: Middle School STEM Engagement for Girls
Short summary The Technology for Social Good Lab's NSF-sponsored Digital Youth Divas project engages middle school girls in design, programming, and circuitry through narrative-driven STEM challenges to build long-term interest and self-efficacy in technical fields.
Long description Digital Youth Divas is a featured research project of DePaul's Technology for Social Good Research and Design Lab (CDM-031). The project addresses persistent gender gaps in STEM by engaging middle school girls—the developmental stage prior research identifies as ideal for STEM exploration—in "non-traditional" learning pathways. Participants complete digital challenges in design, programming, and circuitry within a narrative-driven curriculum designed to foster long-term STEM interest, strengthen self-efficacy, and challenge stereotypes about who belongs in technical fields. The project uses community-building and a unique introductory curriculum to make STEM exploration accessible in urban community contexts aligned with the lab's mission of equitable education and empowerment. The project is NSF-sponsored per the lab's public project page. This is a distinct, evidence-backed community-engagement activity—not merely the lab's existence as infrastructure.
Community partners Middle schools / community education partners (verify current sites with TSG Lab)
DePaul units Technology for Social Good Lab; Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
Faculty/staff participants TSG Lab faculty (directors not fully registered in people.yaml — verify)
Student involvement DePaul graduate/undergraduate researchers supporting curriculum delivery
Community-engagement category Educational outreach; K–12 engagement; community-engaged research
Topics / focus areas STEM education; gender equity in computing; middle-school learning sciences
Populations served Middle school girls; urban youth
Geographic focus Chicago (TSG Lab, Loop campus)
Research component Yes — NSF-sponsored learning-sciences research
Teaching component Yes — out-of-school STEM curriculum delivery
Public-service component Yes — equitable STEM access for underrepresented youth
Evidence supporting submission tsg.cdm.depaul.edu/digital-youth-divas/; CDM-031; captured TSG home page
Resource Map sources used CDM-031; source packet 2026-06-14-cdm-csh-institutional-web-discovery
Confidence level High
Collaboratory rationale TSG Lab has zero Collaboratory presence; Digital Youth Divas is a named, NSF-backed K–12 pathway with explicit community benefit.
Submission readiness Ready to submit (verify PI name and active school partners)

Draft 2.5 — DePaul Cybersecurity Clinic CSC 390 nonprofit client engagements (enrichment)

Field Content
Activity title DePaul Cybersecurity Clinic: CSC 390 Service Learning for Nonprofit Organizations
Short summary The interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Clinic pairs CSC 390 students from Computing, Business, and Law with Steans Center–sourced nonprofit clients to deliver free cybersecurity risk assessments, audits, and policy reviews for under-resourced Chicago organizations.
Long description The DePaul Cybersecurity Clinic (CDM-023) is a student-staffed interdisciplinary clinic founded by Janine Spears with Academic Growth and Innovation Fund support (GRA-920, ~$100K). Built on the CSC 390 cybersecurity course, the clinic delivers free cybersecurity assistance—including risk assessments, internal audits, and security-policy reviews—to community-based nonprofits and small organizations handling sensitive client data (e.g., HIV testing centers, women's crisis services, foster care agencies). Business and law students join computing students on client engagements, creating a cross-college service-learning model. Nonprofit clients are sourced through the Steans Center (UNI-004), linking Vincentian community engagement infrastructure to technical public service. Collaboratory already lists one activity (D36EYO741, "DePaul Cybersecurity Clinic: Strengthening Data Security for Community Impact") but does not capture the recurring course-based clinic model, AGIF founding grant, or Steans client pipeline as a sustained program. This draft enriches the thin existing record rather than replacing it.
Community partners Steans Center–connected nonprofit organizations (client names require clinic verification)
DePaul units School of Computing (CDM); Driehaus College of Business; College of Law; Steans Center; CyberLabs (CDM-004)
Faculty/staff participants Janine Spears (Founder/Director); Filipo Sharevski; Ryan Haley; David Wang; Mark Shore; Max Helveston
Student involvement CSC 390 students; interdisciplinary clinic teams
Community-engagement category Clinic; service learning; technical assistance
Topics / focus areas Cybersecurity; nonprofit capacity building; data protection
Populations served Under-resourced nonprofits and small community organizations
Geographic focus Chicago
Research component Applied client projects (service, not primary research)
Teaching component Yes — CSC 390 course-based clinic
Public-service component Yes — free cybersecurity services
Evidence supporting submission cyberclinic.depaul.edu; GRA-920; CDM-023; Collaboratory D36EYO741; DePaul Newsroom AGIF coverage
Resource Map sources used CDM-023; UNI-004; GRA-920; people.yaml (Janine Spears)
Confidence level High
Collaboratory rationale Enriches existing thin record (1 activity). Documents recurring service-learning clinic with grant provenance and Steans pipeline—core Collaboratory mission.
Submission readiness Ready to submit (link to D36EYO741 as related activity; verify client org names for partner tagging)

Draft 2.6 — CCHE public health equity reports and community dissemination

Field Content
Activity title CCHE Health Equity Chicago: Community Reports and Public Dissemination
Short summary CCHE publishes community-facing health-equity analyses and reports through Health Equity Chicago (healthequitychicago.org), translating research on neighborhood health disparities into resources for community leaders, policymakers, and educators.
Long description Beyond its joint research and teaching mission, the Center for Community Health Equity maintains a public-facing web presence at healthequitychicago.org dedicated to communicating Chicago's health inequities and community-level responses. The site documents CCHE's founding partnership between DePaul and Rush, articulates the center's action-oriented principle, and invites community leaders, faculty, and students to connect on community-based scholarship and service. CCHE publications and community reports address the documented 20-year life-expectancy gap across Chicago neighborhoods and related disparities in infant mortality and cancer outcomes. This activity captures CCHE's public scholarship and community dissemination function—distinct from but complementary to the joint center program hub (Draft 2.1)—and gives Collaboratory a concrete output-oriented record tied to a verifiable public URL.
Community partners Chicago community leaders and organizations engaged via CCHE outreach
DePaul units CCHE / LAS; Rush University (co-publisher)
Faculty/staff participants Maria Joy Ferrera
Student involvement Students contributing to report development (verify with CCHE)
Community-engagement category Public scholarship; community-engaged research dissemination
Topics / focus areas Health equity reporting; community health education
Populations served Chicago communities; policymakers; public health practitioners
Geographic focus Chicago
Research component Yes — translates community-engaged research to public reports
Teaching component Indirect — educational resource for stakeholders
Public-service component Yes — free public health equity information
Evidence supporting submission healthequitychicago.org; UNI-012
Resource Map sources used UNI-012
Confidence level High
Collaboratory rationale Captures CCHE's public-facing output channel absent from Collaboratory. Pairs with Draft 2.1 for program + product visibility.
Submission readiness Ready to submit

Draft 2.7 — Rush–DePaul CCHE expanded collaboration (2021 MOU)

Field Content
Activity title Rush–DePaul CCHE Partnership: Expanded Seminars, Internships, and Cross-Institutional Learning
Short summary Under a 2021 memorandum of understanding, DePaul and Rush expanded CCHE collaboration to include shared seminars, courses, research, and internship pathways connecting DePaul students to Rush community health programming.
Long description In 2021, DePaul University and Rush University expanded their long-standing Center for Community Health Equity partnership through a formal memorandum of understanding broadening collaboration beyond the 2015 founding agreement. The MOU scope includes shared seminars, cross-listed or collaborative courses, joint research initiatives, and internship pathways that expose DePaul students to Rush community health needs assessments, preventive medicine practicum opportunities, and health-equity research. Rush CCHE pages document student project opportunities including community health needs assessment support and Chicago health-disparities comparisons. Collaboratory contains only thin Rush representation (one MPH practicum activity) and does not document the expanded MOU scope or CCHE as the connecting hub. This activity links EXT-010 Rush to UNI-012 CCHE with verifiable institutional evidence.
Community partners Rush University Medical Center
DePaul units CCHE; MPH program; Steans Center
Faculty/staff participants Maria Joy Ferrera; Rush CCHE co-leadership (verify name)
Student involvement Internships; practicum; community health needs assessment projects
Community-engagement category Community-engaged research; cross-institutional partnership
Topics / focus areas Health equity; student experiential learning; cross-institutional collaboration
Populations served Chicago communities served through Rush clinical and community programs
Geographic focus Chicago
Research component Yes — joint health-equity research
Teaching component Yes — seminars, courses, internships
Public-service component Yes — community health needs assessments
Evidence supporting submission 2021 MOU (Rush news); Rush CCHE student project page; UNI-012; EXT-010
Resource Map sources used UNI-012; EXT-010
Confidence level High
Collaboratory rationale Enriches thin Rush partner visibility; documents institutional MOU absent from Collaboratory.
Submission readiness Ready to submit

Draft 2.8 — Technology for Social Good Lab (program hub)

Field Content
Activity title Technology for Social Good Lab: Human-Centered Design for Urban Community Empowerment
Short summary DePaul's Technology for Social Good Lab conducts human-centered research and design on tools that foster equitable education and empowerment in urban communities, drawing on learning sciences, HCI, and data science.
Long description The Technology for Social Good Research and Design Lab at CDM brings together faculty, students, and collaborators to design, build, and study technologies addressing social issues in empowerment, learning, and human development. The lab's official mission centers urban communities and equitable education—core Collaboratory themes—and maintains a dedicated public website and CDM Research Labs listing. Featured projects include Digital Youth Divas (middle-school STEM for girls), Online Conversations in Transitional Neighborhoods (gentrification and community discourse), and UI Design Patterns for 21st Century Learning. This hub-level activity establishes the lab as a DePaul community-engagement program identity in Collaboratory, enabling child activities (e.g., Draft 2.4) to link to a parent record. It does not claim specific partners beyond those documented in child projects.
Community partners Project-specific (see child drafts)
DePaul units CDM School of Computing; CDM School of Design
Faculty/staff participants TSG Lab faculty (verify director roster)
Student involvement Graduate and undergraduate researchers on community-facing projects
Community-engagement category Community-engaged research; civic technology; educational outreach
Topics / focus areas Human-centered design; urban education; social computing
Populations served Urban communities; youth (via project work)
Geographic focus Chicago
Research component Yes
Teaching component Yes — student research apprenticeships
Public-service component Yes — via project outcomes
Evidence supporting submission tsg.cdm.depaul.edu; CDM-031; CDM Research Labs listing
Resource Map sources used CDM-031
Confidence level High
Collaboratory rationale Lab has zero Collaboratory presence despite confirmed community mission. Hub record supports project-level child activities.
Submission readiness Ready to submit

3. Activities requiring verification

Draft 3.1 — Chicago Gun Violence Research Collaborative (RC-008)

Field Content
Activity title Chicago Gun Violence Research Collaborative: DePaul–Sinai Community Violence Research
Short summary DePaul faculty participated in the Chicago Gun Violence Research Collaborative (CGVRC), supported by Sinai Urban Health Institute awards documented in ORS records (2019–2022), addressing community gun violence through collaborative research.
Long description ORS annual reports document multiple Sinai Urban Health Institute awards to DePaul faculty for the Chicago Gun Violence Research Collaborative (CGVRC): GRA-257 ($40,000, PI R. Noam Ostrander, 2019–2020) and GRA-507 ($21,000, PI Daniel Schober, 2021–2022), plus a related $2,000 award (GRA-508 area). The collaborative name signals community violence research with a major Chicago safety-net hospital partner (EXT-009 Sinai/SUHI). However, ORS listings provide grant titles and amounts only—not community engagement methods, participant communities, or dissemination pathways. Before submitting, Collaboratory administrators should verify with PIs whether CGVRC work included community partner engagement, public reporting, or service components beyond academic research. If confirmed, this fills a documented gap: zero Collaboratory activities name CGVRC despite grant evidence.
Community partners Sinai Urban Health Institute / Sinai Chicago (documented funder); community partners unverified
DePaul units Verify lead college (likely LAS/CSH public health faculty)
Faculty/staff participants R. Noam Ostrander; Daniel Schober (ORS PIs — person_id unresolved)
Student involvement Unverified
Community-engagement category Community-engaged research (pending verification)
Topics / focus areas Gun violence prevention; public health; urban safety
Populations served Chicago communities affected by gun violence (inferred)
Geographic focus Chicago
Research component Yes — grant-funded collaborative research
Teaching component Unverified
Public-service component Unverified
Evidence supporting submission grants.yaml GRA-257, GRA-507; RC-008 gap-analysis reference
Resource Map sources used RC-008 (candidate); EXT-009
Confidence level Medium
Collaboratory rationale Grant-backed community-violence collaborative absent from Collaboratory—but engagement pathway must be confirmed with PI.
Submission readiness Requires verification

Draft 3.2 — Online Conversations in Transitional Neighborhoods (CDM-031)

Field Content
Activity title Online Conversations in Transitional Neighborhoods: Community Discourse and Gentrification Research
Short summary TSG Lab research examines how social media and online communication shape community exchange and neighborhood change during gentrification in a Chicago community, informing design of technologies that bridge communication gaps among residents.
Long description This Technology for Social Good Lab project studies how online communication about gentrification structures social organization and material exchange in Chicago neighborhoods undergoing socioeconomic transition. The research addresses how social media organizes local social life and neighborhood change—topics with direct community relevance given links between gentrification, public space, and resident displacement. The stated objective includes designing technologies that bridge communication gaps among long-term residents and newcomers. The project page documents research framing but does not name specific community partners, IRB protocols, or current activity status. Verify with TSG Lab whether the study included community advisory input or public benefit outputs before submitting.
Community partners Unverified — Chicago neighborhood community (unspecified on public page)
DePaul units Technology for Social Good Lab
Faculty/staff participants TSG Lab PI (verify)
Student involvement Likely graduate researchers
Community-engagement category Community-engaged research (pending verification)
Topics / focus areas Gentrification; social media; urban communities; civic technology
Populations served Residents of transitioning Chicago neighborhoods
Geographic focus Chicago (specific neighborhood unverified)
Research component Yes
Teaching component Unverified
Public-service component Potential — technology design for community communication
Evidence supporting submission tsg.cdm.depaul.edu/online-conversations-in-transitional-neighborhoods/
Resource Map sources used CDM-031
Confidence level Medium
Collaboratory rationale Community-relevant urban research under TSG Lab; absent from Collaboratory. Needs partner/status verification.
Submission readiness Requires verification

Draft 3.3 — VARC Lab ethical VR/AR communication education (COM-001)

Field Content
Activity title VARC Lab: Teaching Ethical Communication in Virtual and Augmented Reality
Short summary The Virtual and Augmented Reality Communication Lab supports DePaul faculty and students in learning to communicate effectively and ethically in immersive environments, with public scholarship implications for media literacy in VR/AR society.
Long description The VARC Lab (COM-001) was launched with a DePaul AGIF innovation grant (GRA-886, $78,400, Paul Booth and Bree McEwan) and operates as part of the Center for Communication Engagement. The lab houses VR/AR equipment for teaching and research on how immersive technologies affect society, culture, media, and interpersonal communication. Equipment is available for booking by DePaul users, supporting public-facing student experiences in media ethics and immersive communication. External community organization partners are not documented in the Resource Map. The Collaboratory fit is primarily educational outreach and public scholarship rather than direct community service. Suitable if Collaboratory accepts DePaul-facing media literacy programs; verify whether VARC has delivered workshops to external community or K–12 audiences.
Community partners None documented — DePaul internal booking model
DePaul units College of Communication; Center for Communication Engagement (COM-002)
Faculty/staff participants Paul Booth (Director); Bree McEwan
Student involvement Students using VR/AR equipment for communication coursework and research
Community-engagement category Public-facing student experience; educational outreach
Topics / focus areas VR/AR ethics; media literacy; immersive communication
Populations served DePaul students and faculty (external audiences unverified)
Geographic focus Loop campus / DePaul community
Research component Yes — communication research
Teaching component Yes — primary documented function
Public-service component Indirect — media ethics education
Evidence supporting submission COM-001; GRA-886; VARC Lab official page
Resource Map sources used COM-001; COM-002; GRA-886; people.yaml
Confidence level Medium
Collaboratory rationale Missing from Collaboratory despite AGIF founding and public scholarship framing. Borderline mission fit without external community partners.
Submission readiness Requires verification (confirm external outreach if any)

Draft 3.4 — VIDA/MedIX CHW + ML SCHOLAR project hub (CDM-011 enrichment)

Field Content
Activity title DePaul VIDA/MedIX & Sinai CHW: AI and Community Health Worker Collaborative (SCHOLAR)
Short summary DePaul computing and health-sciences faculty lead a collaborative project with Sinai Urban Health Institute expanding the SCHOLAR model that combines AI with community health workers and social-determinants data to reduce emergency department readmissions.
Long description Collaboratory already contains an activity describing a ~$1.5M NSF-funded DePaul–Sinai collaborative project on the SCHOLAR model integrating AI with community health workers (CHWs) and social determinants of health data. The Resource Map documents DePaul's VIDA/MedIX/IMP Labs (CDM-011) as the computing and health-informatics hub for this thread, linked to EXT-009 Sinai and UNI-012 CCHE. Do not create a duplicate activity. Instead, enrich the existing Collaboratory record by adding CDM-011 VIDA/MedIX, CDM-025 Center for Data Science, and UNI-012 CCHE as campus partner hubs. NIH STRONG BRIDGE Facilities documentation corroborates MedIX/IMP infrastructure supporting biomedical and healthcare informatics research with external partners.
Community partners Sinai Urban Health Institute / Sinai Chicago
DePaul units VIDA/MedIX/IMP Labs; Center for Data Science; CCHE
Faculty/staff participants VIDA/MedIX faculty (verify PI names against existing Collaboratory activity)
Student involvement Documented in existing activity
Community-engagement category Community-engaged research; public health
Topics / focus areas Community health workers; machine learning; health equity
Populations served Patients and communities served by Sinai CHW programs
Geographic focus Chicago
Research component Yes
Teaching component Unverified
Public-service component Yes — CHW-centered care model
Evidence supporting submission Existing Collaboratory CHW activity; CDM-011; NIH STRONG BRIDGE Facilities
Resource Map sources used CDM-011; EXT-009; UNI-012
Confidence level Medium (enrichment, not new)
Collaboratory rationale Enriches existing activity with DePaul program identity missing today.
Submission readiness Requires verification (match to existing activity slug; add partner links)

Draft 3.5 — Center for Communication Engagement public scholarship hub (COM-002)

Field Content
Activity title Center for Communication Engagement: Public Scholarship and Media Engagement Programs
Short summary The College of Communication's Center for Communication Engagement houses labs and programs—including VARC, ME Lab, Streaming Lab, OpEd Project, and Open Learning—supporting research on media, technology, and public discourse.
Long description COM-002 is the parent center for VARC Lab and other public scholarship units. The official center page documents the mission to support communication research, media engagement, and public scholarship. Child sub-programs (OpEd Project, Open Learning, ME Lab, Streaming Lab) lack dedicated Resource Map pages and have zero Collaboratory matches. A hub-level draft is supportable from the center page alone; sub-activity drafts require additional evidence not present in the Resource Map. Recommend submitting COM-002 hub linked to Draft 3.3 (VARC) after VARC verification, and defer sub-program drafts until institutional web discovery completes candidate pages.
Community partners Unverified for sub-programs
DePaul units College of Communication
Faculty/staff participants Paul Booth (VARC); others unverified
Student involvement Student research across center labs
Community-engagement category Community media; public scholarship
Topics / focus areas Media engagement; public discourse
Populations served Unverified
Geographic focus Chicago / DePaul
Research component Yes
Teaching component Yes
Public-service component Potential — OpEd/Open Learning (unverified)
Evidence supporting submission COM-002 center page; COM-001 child
Resource Map sources used COM-002; COM-001
Confidence level Medium
Collaboratory rationale Parent hub absent; enables structured linking when sub-program evidence arrives.
Submission readiness Requires verification

Draft 3.6 — UI Design Patterns for 21st Century Learning (CDM-031)

Field Content
Activity title UI Design Patterns for 21st Century Learning
Short summary TSG Lab project developing user-interface design patterns to support 21st-century learning environments, listed as a featured public project on the Technology for Social Good Lab site.
Long description The TSG Lab lists "UI Design Patterns for 21st Century Learning" as a featured project with a dedicated project page. Public captured content provides title only—no description of community partners, schools served, or engagement methods was available in Resource Map sources. Treat as a placeholder draft pending project page review or faculty confirmation. May support educational outreach categorization if tied to school or community learning partners.
Community partners Unverified
DePaul units Technology for Social Good Lab
Faculty/staff participants Unverified
Student involvement Unverified
Community-engagement category Educational outreach (pending verification)
Topics / focus areas Learning technology; UI design
Populations served Unverified
Geographic focus Unverified
Research component Likely
Teaching component Possible
Public-service component Unverified
Evidence supporting submission TSG home page project link only
Resource Map sources used CDM-031
Confidence level Medium–Low
Collaboratory rationale Listed featured project under mission-aligned lab; insufficient detail for confident submit.
Submission readiness Requires verification

4.1 — Do not submit as new activities

Entity RM ID Reason
Steans Family Foundation housing analytics UNI-007 / EXT-005 Duplicate. Collaboratory activity CGHKVG0D1 ("SPARK Center Housing Partnership") already documents SPARK + IHS + VIDA + Steans Family Foundation housing work in North Lawndale. Enrich that record with UNI-007 cross-center metadata instead of creating a new activity.
mHUB Chicago innovation ecosystem EXT-001 Insufficient community pathway. RM documents ecosystem membership and venture exposure, not recurring community-engaged programs with identifiable community benefit. DePaul–mHUB MOU not publicly documented.
RFUMS collaborative research grants EXT-011 Research-primary. Multiple DePaul–RFUMS BRIDGE awards are biomedical AI research with limited documented community engagement (one 2025 pharmacy workflow award touches community pharmacy operations but lacks public engagement narrative). Not Collaboratory-core without PI confirmation of community-facing components.
OpEd Project / Open Learning / ME Lab / Streaming Lab COM-002 children Insufficient evidence. No dedicated RM pages; zero Collaboratory matches; cannot draft defensible activities from parent center description alone.
DePaul AI Institute community programs UNI-005 Insufficient evidence of public community engagement beyond research compute profile.
iD Lab / DIGI Lab CDM-013 / UNI-006 Gap analysis medium tier deferred. No documented recurring community partner engagements in RM.

4.2 — Enrich existing records (not new submissions)

Existing Collaboratory record Enrichment action RM source
D36EYO741 Cybersecurity Clinic Add GRA-920, CSC 390, annual cohort language CDM-023
CGHKVG0D1 SPARK Housing Partnership Add UNI-007 cross-center ID; VIDA link UNI-007, CDM-011
CHW/SCHOLAR activity (~$1.5M NSF) Add CDM-011 VIDA, UNI-012 CCHE campus partners CDM-011, EXT-009

5. Mapping from Resource Map entities to Collaboratory activities

RM entity RM ID Draft activity(ies) Collaboratory status today Action
Center for Community Health Equity UNI-012 2.1, 2.6, 2.7 Missing New (3 related activities)
Technology for Social Good Lab CDM-031 2.4, 2.8, 3.2, 3.6 Missing New hub + projects
VARC Lab COM-001 3.3 Missing Verify then submit
Center for Communication Engagement COM-002 3.5 Sub-programs missing Verify hub
Chicago Gun Violence Research Collaborative RC-008 3.1 Missing Verify with PI
The Plant Chicago EXT-006 2.3 Missing New
Asylum & Immigration Legal Clinic RC-007 2.2 Theme only New program hub
Cybersecurity Clinic CDM-023 2.5 Thin (D36EYO741) Enrich + related new
Steans Family housing initiative UNI-007 Covered by CGHKVG0D1 Enrich only
VIDA/MedIX CHW pathway CDM-011 3.4 Partial (CHW act exists) Enrich only
mHUB Chicago EXT-001 Missing Not recommended
RFUMS EXT-011 Missing Not recommended

6. Expected value to Collaboratory

Value Impact
Program hub visibility CCHE, TSG Lab, asylum clinic, and Plant Chicago give Collaboratory searchable anchors for activities currently floating without DePaul unit identity
Clinic consolidation Asylum clinic draft ties ORS grants + CPIL + existing asylum-themed courses into one legal-service program record
Cross-institutional partnerships Rush MOU and Sinai CGVRC/CHW threads become navigable from DePaul side
K–12 / youth pathway Digital Youth Divas adds documented STEM outreach absent today
Technical assistance Cybersecurity Clinic enrichment documents Steans-sourced nonprofit TA—a Collaboratory strength area currently under-counted
Avoid duplication Housing and CHW threads enrich existing records rather than inflating activity counts

7. Remaining evidence gaps

Gap Affected drafts Resolution path
CGVRC community engagement methods 3.1 PI interview (Ostrander/Schober); Sinai partner contact
TSG Lab director/faculty names 2.4, 2.8, 3.2 Add to people.yaml in future intake; query tsg.cdm.depaul.edu
VARC external community workshops 3.3 Confirm with Paul Booth
Asylum clinic current director roster 2.2 College of Law clinical faculty list
Cybersecurity Clinic named nonprofit clients 2.5 Clinic intake records (privacy-sensitive)
Digital Youth Divas active school partners 2.4 TSG Lab project lead
UI Design Patterns project detail 3.6 Fetch project subpage or faculty confirmation
COM-002 sub-program evidence 3.5 Complete RC candidates for OpEd, ME Lab, Streaming Lab
CGVRC → RC-008 promotion 3.1 Separate governance decision; not required for Collaboratory draft

8. Final summary table

Activity Source RM entity Community partners Collaboratory category Confidence Submission readiness
CCHE Community-Engaged Health Equity Research and Action UNI-012 Rush; Chicago communities Community-engaged research / public health High Ready
CCHE Health Equity Chicago public reports UNI-012 Community leaders Public scholarship High Ready
Rush–DePaul CCHE 2021 MOU expanded collaboration UNI-012, EXT-010 Rush University Cross-institutional partnership High Ready
Asylum & Immigration Legal Clinic / A2J RC-007 Resurrection Project; asylum seekers Legal clinic / pro bono High Ready
SPARK & Plant Chicago digital twin EXT-006, UNI-003 The Plant Chicago Community partnership / sustainability High Ready
Digital Youth Divas STEM outreach CDM-031 Middle schools (verify) K–12 / educational outreach High Ready
TSG Lab program hub CDM-031 Project-specific Community-engaged research High Ready
Cybersecurity Clinic CSC 390 nonprofit engagements CDM-023 Steans nonprofits (verify) Clinic / service learning High Ready (enrich D36EYO741)
CGVRC Sinai gun violence research RC-008 Sinai SUHI Community-engaged research Medium Verify
Online Conversations in Transitional Neighborhoods CDM-031 Chicago neighborhood (verify) Community-engaged research Medium Verify
VARC Lab ethical VR/AR communication COM-001 None documented Educational outreach Medium Verify
VIDA/MedIX CHW SCHOLAR hub linkage CDM-011 Sinai SUHI Community-engaged research Medium Enrich existing
CCE public scholarship hub COM-002 Unverified Public scholarship Medium Verify
UI Design Patterns for 21st Century Learning CDM-031 Unverified Educational outreach Medium–Low Verify
SPARK Housing Partnership UNI-007 Steans Family Foundation (exists CGHKVG0D1) Enrich only
mHUB ecosystem EXT-001 Low Not recommended
RFUMS BRIDGE research EXT-011 Low Not recommended

9. Validation

  • No repository corpus files modified (resources/, data/*.yaml, candidates).
  • No Collaboratory API submissions performed.
  • No entities promoted or relationships created.
  • Drafts derived from Resource Map evidence tiers and June 2026 Collaboratory export cross-walk.

Draft counts: 16 total draft/enrichment records — 8 ready-to-submit, 6 require verification, 2 entity groups not recommended, 3 enrich-existing-only actions.