Guest speaker Zoom event with Fernando Abruña (Sustainable architect from Puerto Rico)

Guest speaker Zoom event with Fernando Abruña (Sustainable architect from Puerto Rico)

Grant:
Instructional Development Fund (IDF)
Academic Year:
2022 - 2023 (June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023)
Funding Requested:
$200.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
forrestk
Overview of the Project:
I am currently teaching a Spanish 232 Special Topics Course “Environmental Issues in Latin America and Spain” and I would like to invite Fernando Abruña to give a talk to my students via Zoom. Abruña is featured as a fierce sustainability advocate and green build architect in a documentary we watched this semester called “La casa ausente” or in English, “The Absent House.” I would like to request $200 for a speaking honorarium. This is an excellent opportunity for my students to engage with the curriculum in a very personal way (there will be a Q&A) and to see the real-life implications of climate change and sustainability. The intended learning goals are to have a more personalized encounter with the featured architect from the film. I hope he will give us an update on his sustainability projects and on the situation in Puerto Rico after hurricane Fiona. If I am able to arrange the visit for this semester, my colleague Marlene Beiza’s students will be able to join us as well. If Fernando Abruña agrees to being recorded, I hope to make a recording for possible use in future semesters.
Final Report Fields
Project Objectives:

I am currently teaching a Spanish 232 Special Topics Course “Environmental Issues in Latin America and Spain” and I was able to invite Dr. Fernando Abruña to give a talk to my students via Zoom. Abruña is featured as a fierce sustainability advocate and green build architect in a documentary we watched this semester called “La casa ausente” or in English, “The Absent House.” In addition, he is a retired professor who taught for 31 years. He has won many architecture and environmental awards. He was a member of the National Advisory Council on Energy Policy and Technology for President Barack Obama. I was able to use the $200 for a speaking honorarium for Dr. Abruña. This was an excellent opportunity for my students to engage with the curriculum in a very personal way (there was brief a Q&A) and to see the real-life implications of climate change and sustainability. The intended learning goals were to have a more personalized encounter with the featured architect from the film and to hear an update on his projects.

Project Achievements:

Dr. Fernando Abruña joined my class on a Zoom call on Nov 1. He spoke to us about some very interesting sustainability features that are common to all of his projects, and walked us through photos of several of the residences that he has designed. He was very engaging and shared many personal anecdotes with us and showed us some aspects of his "Absent house" that weren't featured in the film.  Since this talk was over Zoom, I was able to invite my colleague's students to join us as well (we totaled 38). The talk was very engaging, very enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable for all of us. We all learned so much from the experience! I also really appreciated how quickly the committee was able to get back to me about this grant application so I could invite Dr. Abruña this semester. After the visit, students wrote a reflection in their journals about the experience. The ones that have been turned in so far were also very enthusiastic about the experience! Dr. Abruña was very inspiring!

Continuation:
I recorded the talk and may use it in class in future semesters.
Dissemination:
I invited my colleague who is teaching the same class and her students to join us!
Advice to your Colleagues:
One lesson I learned is that if you only request (and are granted) $200, you are not eligible to apply for the remaining $300 for the remainder of this academic year. It is a wonderful grant to enrich classroom learning, but it does have this limitation.

The committee was so prompt in answering my application and this was what facilitated the success of this project (thank you again!), in addition to the excellent talk by the guest speaker.
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