Two interdisciplinary projects that focused on advancing human well-being through technology, led by Associate Professor Kaitlyn Crawford and Professor Matt Dombrowski ’05 ’08MFA, have been named winners of the 2025–26 Pabst Steinmetz Creative Futures Awards. The awards recognize UCF research teams that collaborate across disciplines and with community partners to tackle community challenges.
Over the past eight years, the awards have supported a wide range of projects across the arts, health, humanities and technology, reflecting the breadth of interdisciplinary work at UCF and the program’s commitment to addressing real-world needs through creative research and community partnership.
Each winning team will receive $25,000 to support projects that meaningfully integrate technology, demonstrate potential for sustainability and measure outcomes using a logic model framework. This year’s theme, “Tech for the Human Good,” emphasizes the power of arts, humanities, health and technology to create positive societal impact.
To qualify, teams must include at least one member from the College of Arts and Humanities, another UCF unit and a community partner. Submissions are evaluated on potential impact, sustainability and measurable outcomes.
Founded in 2018 by Chuck Steinmetz and Margery Pabst Steinmetz, the awards debuted as the Pabst Steinmetz Arts and Innovation Awards, becoming the first project supported by the couple’s joint foundation. Originally created to ignite research initiatives focused on arts and wellness, the scope of the awards has since broadened. Margery Pabst Steinmetz says the awards have the potential to drive innovation and lasting impact for both campus and community.
“This year’s applicant pool was especially strong and highly accomplished,” Margery Pabst Steinmetz says. “Over the last year, we made some changes to the award so more researchers and nonprofits could see how it applies to their work, but the mission remains the same: champion and grow interdisciplinary research that will have a lasting impact on our community and beyond.”
Learn more about Crawford’s winning project:
Designing for Resilience: Integrating Art and Wearable Technology for Firefighter Health, Safety and Well-Being
Led by Kaitlyn Crawford, associate professor of materials science and engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, in collaboration with Ashley Taylor ’12, assistant professor of emerging media and graphic design in the School of Visual Arts and Design, this project partners with the Sanford Fire Department to design wearable technology that monitors firefighter heat stress while incorporating artistic design and educational components.
The team is integrating wearable sensors — developed in collaboration with Northwestern University — that track physiological indicators to detect heat stress. Custom graphic design elements and informational infographics will be incorporated to encourage adoption within the fire service. A design feedback loop with the local fire service in Sanford ensures the wearable designs align with firefighter culture and identity, promoting usability and long-term adoption.
“The goal is to improve firefighter health and safety while respecting traditions and creating tools they’re excited to use,” Crawford says. “It’s an incredible honor to engage with our fire service community in this meaningful way. We are sincerely grateful to the [Pabst Steinmetz Foundation] for supporting this work. Through this support, we will be able to collaborate across disciplines to create critical technological advances and meaningful connections with the community that result in positive societal impact.”
The award will allow the team to scale the project across multiple regions and provide hands-on professional development opportunities for UCF students in design, engineering and research. By helping prevent cardiac events and other heat-related health risks, the initiative addresses an urgent community need while modeling how art, engineering and public service can intersect to improve lives.
An infographic illustrating the wearable device and project logic model is available here.
Collaborators:
- Carter Clingan, a materials science and engineering undergraduate student at UCF
- Kaitlyn Crawford, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- David Giordano, a biomedical engineering graduate student at UCF
- Ronnie McNeil Jr., Sanford Fire Department
- Ashley Taylor ’12, College of Arts and Humanities
- Studio Pegasus students, College of Arts and Humanities