Funded Projects
| Project Title | Overview of the Project |
|---|---|
| Increasing Access to Experiential Learning Selena Smith LSA - Earth and Environmental Sciences LSA - Program in the Environment (PitE) Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) LSA - Museum of Paleontology John Benedict LSA - Program in the Environment (PitE) LSA - Biological Station LSA - Residential College Jeremy Moghtader Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Noah Webster Institute for Social Research Joseph Trumpey Art & Design Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) LSA - Program in the Environment (PitE) $16200.00 |
We aim to turn the Ann Arbor campus into a field station for the Program in the Environment (PitE). Our goal is to expand our students’ opportunities to do the kind of immersive, engaged field work that is central to Environmental Studies. The Environment major and some minors administered by PitE require students to complete a “practical experience” course. Their current options, which include the University of Michigan Biological Station, Camp Davis, and selected study abroad and internship opportunities, pose financial and logistical challenges for some students, since they require students to leave Ann Arbor and usually must be completed during the summer. Students may have to sacrifice their housing or summer jobs, and financial aid might not be available. To address this problem, we propose to create a suite of disciplinary and interdisciplinary environmental studies courses (including new and revised courses), located in Ann Arbor and offered throughout the year. These courses will center on immersive experiential learning and include components of field work, applied problem-solving outside the classroom, and civic engagement. Along with these courses, we plan to develop the infrastructure–including campus, practitioner-educator, and community partners, ongoing research projects, and strategies for collaborating across disciplines and across courses–to support further field course development centered at the Ann Arbor campus. This infrastructure will help us to integrate engaged, experiential learning more extensively into the PitE curriculum. |
| Development of a graduate level on-demand course in X-ray crystallography Raymond Trievel Medical School Uhn-Soo Cho Medical School Jennifer Bridwell-Rabb LSA - Chemistry Nicole Koropatkin Medical School $9872.40 |
The goal is to develop and execute an on-demand graduate-level course in X-ray crystallography for current U-M graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and interested undergraduates. More than 49 U-M faculty use this technique in their research to determine structures of biological molecules to understand chemical and biological systems to support drug design, industrial innovation, or solve environmental problems. The proposed on-demand course will consist of thirteen topics/modules, each integrating conceptual and practical information followed by an online quiz demonstrating mastery and collecting feedback. Modules will be developed and instituted by a team consisting of coordinator Jeanne Stuckey, multidisciplinary faculty currently using X-ray crystallography in their labs, and two students paid by this grant. Three embedded hands-on workshops will be provided each semester by the Center for Structural Biology lab staff. Completion of the course will provide deeper student understanding by coordinating conceptual and technical learning, provide an ongoing resource available for repeated access as needed, and increase research productivity while taking maximal advantage of limited faculty teaching resources. |
| Building SiD 2.0: A Detroit Community Process Craig Regester LSA - Residential College Rose Gorman LSA - Residential College $17500.00 |
Semester in Detroit (SiD) requests support from the Gilbert Whitaker Fund to launch a community process to develop “SiD 2.0,” an advanced curriculum for our current living-learning internship program that will deepen students’ community-engaged learning experiences in the City of Detroit. SiD began as a student-driven initiative in 2006. Based on their passion for the City of Detroit, U-M undergraduate students set out to create a program that would fulfill their vision of applied education, community engagement, and social justice. Their project gained support from other students, faculty, administrators, and most importantly, Detroit-based community organizations eager to build relationships within the city. SiD launched three years later, welcoming its first cohort in Winter 2009, with 14 students working alongside Detroiters at organizations such as Alternatives for Girls, Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative, and the Urban League of Southeastern Michigan. Now, in 2024, we’ve reached the 15th anniversary of a program with demonstrated success in student learning and engagement through sustained, mutually beneficial relationships in Detroit. With Level 2 support from the fund, SiD plans to form a community advisory board made up of program alumni and community partners that will collaboratively design an advanced curriculum and internship experience (“SiD 2.0”), which we’ll pilot with two student cohorts during the Spring/Summer 2025 and Fall 2025 terms. |
| A Culture of Hieroglyphs: Developing a Visual Approach to Complex Ancient Writing Katherine Davis LSA - Middle East Studies $8150.00 |
The primary goal of this project is to develop an innovative, visual approach to teaching a complex writing system. The Egyptian hieroglyphic writing system—used to write various forms of the ancient Egyptian language from the late 4th millennium BCE through the first centuries CE—is composed of approximately 700 core signs. Due to the pictographic nature of hieroglyphic signs, their uses in Egyptian culture went far beyond strictly linguistic domains, often bridging the gap between writing and art. In light of this, I propose a new course that centers hieroglyphs as a cultural and visual phenomenon to supplement existing coursework that introduces hieroglyphs within a traditional language framework. In doing so, the new course will 1) promote accessibility by creating a low-stakes introduction to the writing system, leveling the playing field for students who lack experience in learning new writing systems and preparing them to tackle a full language class; 2) challenge students to develop their skills in visual analysis through direct engagement with material objects that integrate hieroglyphs in extra-linguistic ways; and 3) provide hands-on learning through regular sign drawing exercises, as well as experiential activities that replicate ancient practices like writing on papyrus. |
| Design of two MSE technical courses within a social justice framework Emmanuelle Marquis Engineering - Materials Science and Engineering $10000.00 |
The absence of social context in engineering education tends to further deepen students’ belief of depolitization, meritocracy, and that the social is irrelevant. Yet, we expect our students to magically learn and master the social facets of engineering, comprehend and apply DEIJ principles, and become leading thinkers and doers with major impacts on people, society, and the environment. To help address this challenge, this project proposes the redesign of two technical junior and senior materials science and engineering courses by interweaving social justice concepts with technical content. Such effort will fill the gap between introductory material covered in 1st year Eng100 sections and participatory design pedagogy adopted in 4th year senior design courses. It will create continuity and opportunities for students to formulate and develop their own identity as socially responsible engineers. The project will focus on a core junior course: MATSCIE330, Thermodynamics of Materials, and a senior technical elective: MATSCIE470, Physical metallurgy. Through a redesign of course delivery, assessments, and introduction of bi-weekly discussions, assignments and/or guided reflections, and implementation during fall 2024 and winter 2025, students will have the chance to learn and reflect on the historical context in which the theoretical framework of thermodynamics was developed and establish connections between engineering and social, racial, and environmental justice. In addition to expanding engineering students’ literacy in social justice, we hope that engaging in shared social justice values may be a longer-term avenue toward increasing the retention of students from marginalized groups through increased sense of belonging. |
| Skin Deep Art Installation: Developing Critical Consciousness to Abate Colorism $17500.00 |
Colorism is a form of racism based on the misguided notion that people with lighter skin tones are superior to those with darker tones. Colorism disadvantages Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and contributes to social, cultural, economic, and health disparities. Skin Deep is a mixed-media art installation, video and photography, whose goal is to explore the root causes and consequences of colorism, and how it also manifests among people of color. Skin Deep is an autoethnographic project that explores intersecting identities – skin tone, aging, queer status – from the perspective of an immigrant who is genotypically and phenotypically racially/ethnically mixed. Skin Deep uses personal experience as a springboard to name and criticize the subjugation of BIPOC. Skin Deep was conceptualized to be a vehicle to help audience members to develop Critical Consciousness, a window of awareness that inspires artwork viewers to reflect on oppression, in this case colorism, and become inspired to act against it. Skin Deep videos and photographs excavate (1) social and legal processes that purport to establish a person’s race; (2) reductionist notions that human beings can be organized into racial categories; and (3) the concept of “race” as a reductionist bio-sociological concept. Skin Deep will engage student audiences to appraise and reflect on colorism via community dialogues designed to help people identify sources of internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and structural racism. Skin Deep contributes to a knowledge base on colorism that includes diverse historic, sociological, and cultural perspectives. |
| Mi-VISION: Michigan Virtual Immersion Surgical Interactive Operation Navigation Alton Johnson Medical School $17500.00 |
In response to the challenges posed by traditional surgical training methodologies, our project proposes the adoption of Immertec's Virtual Reality (VR) platform. The conventional "See one, do one, teach one" model faces limitations, including restricted access to procedures, cramped operating rooms, and constrained schedules. Immertec's VR platform offers a revolutionary solution by providing an immersive and interactive experience for postgraduate trainees in orthopedic surgery. This project is poised to redefine the learning landscape by offering trainees unprecedented access to recorded surgical procedures. Immertec's technology transcends the confines of traditional training environments, offering a dynamic and comprehensive view of surgeries from any angle. Trainees equipped with VR licenses will benefit from an enriched understanding of surgical procedures, overcoming the challenges associated with limited exposure, crowded spaces, and rigid schedules. The immersive experience goes beyond observation, allowing trainees to interact with the surgical environment and medical instruments in ways previously unattainable. This project's overarching goal is to bridge knowledge gaps, boost trainee confidence, and establish a repository of recorded procedures for continuous learning and innovation in orthopedic surgery. The project not only addresses the immediate needs of postgraduate trainees but also pioneers a shift in the paradigm of surgical education. The adoption of Immertec's platform sets the stage for a more accessible, flexible, and engaging learning environment. By harnessing the power of technology, we aim to redefine the future of surgical education, ensuring that trainees are better equipped and more confident as they enter the complex and dynamic world of operating rooms. |
| Uniform Spanish 232: Creating materials to enhance student learning and alleviate their financial burden Andrew Noverr LSA - Romance Languages and Literatures Carla Iglesias Garrido LSA - Romance Languages and Literatures $17500.00 |
This proposal will fund the creation of original materials (grammar explanations and homework activities) that will be added to the curriculum of Spanish 232 Standard & 232 Topics. Our goal is to make these available online at no cost to students. These materials will replace products currently provided by publishing companies with prices of $137.50 (Standard) & $172.00 (Topics) each semester. In doing so, we will alleviate the financial burden students face in taking our courses while unifying core aspects of our curricula. |
| Extending Anatomical Reality Glenn Fox Medical School B. Kathleen Alsup Medical School $10000.00 |
Learning must be accessible. Anatomy is a fundamental discipline that connects the past, present, and future of medical education by leveraging technology with best teaching practices. While learning directly and actively from anatomical donors is the gold standard of anatomy education, virtual reality (VR) provides opportunities for comparable engagement with anatomical donors to support health care education. A well-curated library of VR assets from anatomical donors supports an engaging and robust foundational experience for health care professionals at any stage of their educational careers, and allows UM anatomical sciences curricula to be available for free to support learners and educators world-wide. The BlueLink project is among the premier online learning platforms for anatomy, with free and open access to most University of Michigan Anatomy curricula and resources to the world. BlueLink XR (eXtended Reality) is currently in a pilot phase of building curricular experiences and resources for first year medical students and seeks to build upon its early successes and leverage this model of curricular support to all UM anatomy courses (Medical Gross Anatomy, Dental Gross Anatomy, ANAT 303, ANAT 403, and to future UM anatomy massive open online courses (MOOCs). This next phase of XR work focuses on: 1) building interactive 360 photographic and video curricular experiences using anatomical donors in Uptale, 2) building a library of labeled VR anatomical donor dissections in Sketchfab, and 3) integrating XR experiences into BlueLink web curricula and sharing these with the world. |
