Funded Projects
| Project Title | Overview of the Project |
|---|---|
| Morphfaux: Recovering Architectural Plaster Through Custom Robotic Tools Matthew Schulte Architecture and Urban Planning $2000.00 |
This grant application requests funding to present a paper titled: Morphfaux: Recovering Architectural Plaster By Developing New Robotic Tools which I co-authored with my colleagues Prof. Steven Mankouche (University of Michigan) and Prof. Joshua Bard (Carnegie Mellon University), at the ROB│ARCH 2012 conference in Vienna, Austria in December, 2012. The requested funding would cover the cost of conference fees and help to offset the cost of air travel to and from the conference venue and workshop.ROB│ARCH 2012 is the first in a series of conferences hosted by the Association for Robots in Architecture, devoted to the use of robotic fabrication in architecture, art and design with the aim of creating an open platform for sharing current research endeavors and linking industry professionals with cutting-edge research institutions. ROB│ARCH 2012 is a highly selective, peer-reviewed conference and the proceedings will be published by Springer Wien/New York. Attending the conference will:1. Expose me to a broad range of alternative research trajectories and allow me to personally connect with professionals and academics across international and cultural borders.2. Help me to locate the high water mark for teaching and scholarship relative to the emerging field of robotics in architecture.3. Help me to develop and refine my goals and teaching strategies for a proposed series of robotic design and fabrication course to be taught at Taubman College.4. Provide an opportunity to gain international exposure for work and research funded by Taubman College and The Office of the Vice-President for Research. |
| 2013 AWP Conference & Book Fair James Walker LSA $1516.00 |
I'm requesting a grant to help fund my trip to the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference in Boston. The conference, which runs from March 6-10, 2013, will further my professional development in several key ways. First, my press (The Waywiser Press, with offices in London and Baltimore) will have a table at the conference, and the press's editors have asked me to be available for a book-signing and a poetry reading. (My poetry collection, Shuffle and Breakdown, was published by Waywiser in the fall of 2008.) Second, I plan to attend a number of panels that will encourage me to investigate both my practice (as a poet) and my pedagogy (as a Lecturer). Third, I'll have a chance to establish (or strengthen) ties with other poets and educators with whom I share interests. I've attended the AWP Conference the past several years, and I've found it to be wonderfully invigorating. A Lecturers' Professional Development Grant would be a boon and a blessing. |
| Searchable History of African American Architecture Website Craig Wilkins Architecture and Urban Planning $1975.00 |
This project will address the conspicuous lack of representation of people of color in the history and discourse of architecture. To date, there have been less than two-dozen books written by and/or about practitioners of color, only one African-American architectural critic to have written for a major metropolitan newspaper and zero editorial positions at the major architectural publications; this, for a history in a field that dates back to the 17th century. In collaboration with other interested faculty, this project endeavors to establish an interactive wiki-type database for the identification, collection, categorizing and distribution of material related to the study and practice or architects of color in the United States dating from the 1600s to present as part of an ongoing effort to situate such work within the historical timeline of architecture and the American society. |
| From Here On Out -- originally titled Home(land) Toby Millman LSA $2000.00 |
Home(land) is a current work in progress, consisting of photographs, drawings, papercuts and prints, that documents and interprets social dynamics of various communities in Detroit and Palestine. It will be exhibited at 2739 Edwin Gallery in Hamtramck, Michigan in the fall of 2012. I am applying for a Lecturer Professional Development Grant to help fund the material costs associated with launching the exhibition. |
| Anatomy in the Third Reich: victims and perpetrators Sabine Hildebrandt Medical School $1940.00 |
Application for Lecturers' Professional Development Grant: Travel grant for work on "Anatomy in the Third Reich: victims and perpetrators"Applicant: Sabine Hildebrandt MD; Division of Anatomical Sciences Dep. of Medical Education; University of Michigan Medical School1. Description of the professional development activityShort description of planned activity: Since 2008 I have been teaching seminars for medical students on the history and ethics of anatomy and have found the students to be very responsive to this topic. My hypothesis is that we can draw conclusions for ethical behavior in modern anatomy from the study of the history of anatomy. To this end I have explored several aspects of the history of anatomy, with an emphasis on anatomy in the Third Reich (Hildebrandt 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011). Research on this aspect of medicine in the Third Reich has become increasingly active in recent years, but much more work still needs to be done. While my studies first focused on a preliminary overview of the existing literature (Hildebrandt 2009a,b,c), I have recently had the opportunity to start work at the Federal Archives as well as at the State-Library in Berlin, Germany. There I discovered the existence of historical documents pertaining to victims and perpetrators in the field of anatomy that have not yet been thoroughly explored. My intent is to return to Berlin and study these documents and other archival material.Anatomy in the Third Reich: Sixty years after the end of the Third Reich, the National Socialist (NS) regime in Germany, a comprehensive history of anatomy during this time period is still unwritten (Aumüller and Grundmann, 2002). Several studies on the topic have documented the involvement of anatomists in policies that are questionable from a modern ethical point of view, such as the use of the bodies of NS victims for anatomical dissection. A closer analysis of the anatomy in the Third Reich may help anatomists develop ethical guidelines for modern anatomy (Winkelmann and Schagen, 2009). The bioethicist Arthur Caplan (Caplan, 1994) recommends a very careful look at the details of this history as a foundation for analogies between the practices of then and now; an analysis which may lead to "instructive application" (Cahill, 1994) in modern anatomy, a discipline now considered a vehicle for teaching medical ethics (Dyer and Thorndike, 2000; Goddard, 2003). Over the last three decades, studies of individual anatomists and anatomical institutions have been published in increasing numbers. Many German universities have evaluated their NS past, one of the earliest ones being the analysis of the University of Tübingen by Adam in 1977. These evaluations often include analyses of their medical departments (Bonn: Forsbach, 2006; Giessen: Oehler-Klein, 2007; Göttingen: Beushausen et al., 1998; Hamburg: Rothmaler, 1990; Heidelberg: Eckart et al., 2006; Jena: Zimmermann, 2000; Hossfeld et al. 2003, Redies et al., 2005; Marburg: Aumüller et al., 2001; Aumüller and Grundmann, 2002; Tübingen: Mörike, 1988; Schönhagen, 1992; Drews, 1992; Vienna: Malina and Spann, 1999). These studies revealed insights into the politics of faculty and institutions, relevant laws, the interaction between government and universities and the sources of bodies for dissection (which frequently were victims of National-Socialist policies). There is also information about the involvement of related sciences such as anthropology and racial hygiene (eugenics). Still lacking are more in-depth studies of perpetrators and victims. These victims include not only those NS victims who were dissected in anatomical departments, but also the anatomists, whose careers were disrupted by NS-policies. A first analysis of the breadth of the subject matter can by no means show a complete picture of anatomy in the Third Reich, but it serves as a foundation for further work. The aim of a closer examination of this history is not to denounce, but to elucidate the facts in order to learn from history, to realize our own potential fallibility and to find guidelines for the future (Mitscherlich and Mielke, 1947; Kater, 1987, p56). "We may not be able to judge [the NS anatomists], but we can and must set desirable standards of consciousness and behavior and aspire to live up to them" (Cohen and Werner, 2009). [all literature references can be found in Hildebrandt 2009, a,b,c]2. Discussion of how receipt of a Lecturers' Professional Development grant will further the lecturer's scholarship and teachingI believe that ongoing serious scholarship is essential for a university teacher to be effective (Hildebrandt, 2010). My students have responded very positively to the results of my scholarly work on the history of anatomy in the Third Reich. A new path in this work has led me this year to archives in Germany, particularly the Berlin archives. I expect to gain new insights into the history of victims and perpetrators in the field of anatomy from 1933 to 1945 by studying contemporary documents at the federal archives and e.g. information held at the "Gedenkstätte Plötzensee", the memorial center for the victims of executions at the Plötzensee prison. I intend to integrate the new information gained in my ongoing seminars for second year medical students as well as in presentations for a wider audience within the framework of our Anatomical Research Seminar Series.3. Itemized budget:This grant application asks for travel expenses only ("travel required to access resources of other institutions")Typical roundtrip airfare from Detroit to Frankfurt/Germany in May or June with Delta is $ 1312 in May to $ 1772 in June. Typical train roundtrip from Frankfurt to Berlin: 116 Euros (1 Euro ~ $1.45)Total: $ 1,940.204. Curriculum vitae Sabine Hildebrandt MD1977-1984: Medical training in Marburg, Germany and London, UK1984: Licensed as Physician (Germany)1985: Passed the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination in the Medical Sciences (FMGEMS) 1985-1990: Postdoctoral work, Marburg, Germany, and Connecticut, US1997-2002: Lecturer in Medical Sciences, Germanysince 2002: Lecturer, Division of Anatomical Sciences, UMMSsince 2008: M2 (second year medical students) elective seminars on the history and ethics of anatomical dissection and the history of anatomy in the Third ReichRelevant Publications:Hildebrandt S. Letter to the Editor. First Symposium on "Anatomie im Nationalsozialismus" (Anatomy in national socialism), Würzburg Germany, September 29, 2010. Clinical Anatomy 24:97-100 (2011)Hildebrandt S. Lessons to be Learned from the History of Anatomical Teaching in the United States of America: The Example of the University of Michigan. Anat Sci Edu 3:202-212 (2010)Hildebrandt S. Anatomy in the Third Reich: An Outline, Part 1. National Socialist Politics, Anatomical Institutions, and Anatomists. Clinical Anatomy 22:883-893 (2009)Hildebrandt S. Anatomy in the Third Reich: An Outline, Part 2. Bodies for Anatomy and Related Medical Disciplines. Clinical Anatomy 22:894-905 (2009)Hildebrandt S. Anatomy in the Third Reich: An Outline, Part 3. The Science and Ethics of Anatomy in National Socialist Germany and Postwar Consequences. Clinical Anatomy 22:906-915 (2009)Hildebrandt S. Capital Punishment and Anatomy: History and Ethics of an Ongoing Association. Clinical Anatomy 21:5-14 (2008)Hildebrandt S. How the Pernkopf Controversy Facilitated a Historical and Ethical Analysis of the Anatomical Sciences in Austria and Germany: A Recommendation for the Continued Use of the Pernkopf Atlas. Clinical Anatomy 19:91-100 (2006) |
| Micro-Factory: Rotational Molding a Recycled Plastic Chair Thomas Moran Architecture and Urban Planning $2000.00 |
The goal of this project is to design and construct a "micro-factory" to manufacture a chair from recycled plastic. Despite many advantages, self-manufacture by independent designers suffers from a reliance on labor-intensive craft techniques that can make sustainably-manufactured products prohibitively expensive for many consumers. Labor-saving industrial techniques, however, are often out of reach for independent producers due to the onerous costs of tooling and shipping. The micro-factory attempts to overcome these challenges by porting down a widely-used industrial technique, rotational molding of thermoplastics, to the scale of small and local enterprise. |
| The Aesthetics of Universal Exposition - of Architecture and Ideologies Tsz Yan Ng Architecture and Urban Planning $2000.00 |
This project aims to link communication strategies of information science with the historic examination of topics pertaining to Universal Expositions (World's Fairs). Since this area of research relies on a combination of visual and textual documents, it is the hope that the format and structure of interactive media would serve to aid in the organization and further extend scholarly endeavors of Expositions. Taking advantage of visual skills of architects and the extensive architectural production from these Expositions, the project is to initiate the framework by which this subject could be investigated, communicated, and further speculated. Funding for this project will serve to supplement the development of a course by the same title during the winter term of 2012. |
| Spanish 295: New Content and Website Project $2000.00 |
I am requesting funds to aid me in my task as the newly appointed instructor and coordinator of Spanish 295, "Introduction to Literary Genres and Literary Analysis," a requirement for all Spanish minors and concentrators. As part of my goals as coordinator, I am planning on researching new and more up-to-date textbooks and approaches to the teaching of literary genres. The current textbook (Temas) dates from 1994, has never been edited, and is quite pricey for our students to purchase ($104 for a brand new copy). I am also interested in looking into different editions of works that are not usually included in anthologies (such as the ones Cervantes & Co publishes, which are specifically designed for college level students), as well as supplementary or ancillary materials to help instructors with their class preparation, assessment rubrics, observation rubrics for the coordinator, etc… The second part of the project is the creation of a course website for Spanish 295 instructors where the above mentioned materials can be available to help instructors prepare their courses. It will also serve as a venue for sharing and storing our work for the course, as well as a resource bank. |
| Unpracticed: New Professional Territories for Architectural Education Irene Hwang Architecture and Urban Planning $2000.00 |
The purpose of this proposal is to request funds to support the professional development, enrichment of teaching expertise, and the production of scholarly writing into the consequences of the non-material factors that affect architectural discourse and production. Specifically, the funds will support travel and research expenses for my attendance and participation in the upcoming conference, The Making of Architects/Architecture in the Making, at the University of Darmstadt, Germany in February of 2012. |
| Building Sustainability Cultural Change Leaders: Bringing the U-M Model to the World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities $2000.00 |
This proposal would take the findings and model developed through my Lecturer I appointment in the Program in the Environment (PitE) teaching "ENVIRON/RCIDIV 391: Sustainability & the Campus" as well as my engagement with the U-M Campus Sustainability Integrated Assessment (via the Institute for Social Research) and bring it to the most important environmental gathering in 2012. With two papers accepted for the "World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities", which is a parallel conference to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20), my work – and the entire body of work on U-M's education for sustainability effort – would receive global exposure at the highest level if it is funded through the Lecturers' Professional Development grant. Moreover, a grant would allow me to be part of a U-M delegation to the UN Summit, which occurs 20 years after the iconic and powerful original "Earth Summit" in Rio De Janeiro in 1992. This is a critical professional development opportunity for me, particularly as I have re-entered academia full-time just over a year ago after a nearly 7 year hiatus, and it would allow me to reestablish global contacts and my role as a leader in campus sustainability. Moreover, this conference represents a publishing opportunity, as all papers will be published in a proceedings document and a selection of papers will become part of an upcoming book or an issue of the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. |
| A Stronger Soul Within a Finer Frame: The Autobiography of the National African-American Museum of History & Culture Craig Wilkins Architecture and Urban Planning $1950.00 |
Request funding to support a research assistant for my project, A Stronger Soul Within a Finer Frame: The National African-American Museum of History and Culture, a narrative chronicling the century-long struggle of African-Americans to establish a specific cultural presence on the National Mall. A story about a building yes, but at its core, it's essentially about a dream: how contagious it can be, how stubbornly fragile it remains and how delicately deep its roots can run; in a most particular and surprising way, the story of this building's journey to America's front yard is the story of a people's journey to America's first house, offering a long-awaited answer to Langston Hughes' famous query, "What happens to a dream deferred?" |
| Participation in Professional Development Seminar by Goethe Institute, Germany $1900.00 |
The Goethe-Institute conducts around 90 professional development seminars in 18 German cities every year for non-native German speakers who teach German. I have applied for the seminar "German In The Business World" conducted in Dusseldorf from August 12th to August 24th 2012. This seminar offers the opportunity to familiarize oneself with the workings of communication in the world of international commerce and try out forms of intercultural learning while acquiring the "German in international business communication" certificate. |
| Authenticity Reconsidered: Reconstructing a London Jewelers in the Shadow of the Rouge Plant Bradley Taylor Administration $2000.00 |
I am requesting $2,000 in CRLT funding to support travel related to a publication/ presentation project that will require primary resource research In London. The project in question relates directly to my teaching in the Museum Studies Program and classroom discussions of the unique nature of original works of creation, the quintessential nature of experiencing those objects in person, and issues relating to originality and authenticity.In the 1920s and 30s, auto magnate Henry Ford assembled a collection of historic American buildings into an outdoor museum called Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI. Ford's architect, Edward Cutler, had responsibility for the dismantling of structures from around the country and their reconstruction on site in Dearborn. While Ford and Cutler were building on precedent in their creation of an outdoor museum, they were pioneers in the large scale removal of historic structures from one location and their reconstruction elsewhere—the sheer scope of the undertaking remains unique even today. At the end of his career, Cutler participated in a series of oral histories (early 1960s) in which he discussed the circumstances surrounding these building projects. While the techniques used would cause present day preservationists to blanch, Cutler and Ford secured for posterity a number of important structures and raised overall awareness of America's neglected architectural heritage. A thorough review of the Cutler transcripts provides tremendous insight into early notions of originality, authenticity, and the role of objects in recreating history.Two buildings from the United Kingdom traveled the furthest to Dearborn and are among the least documented of the structures. The Sir John Bennett Jewelry Store was brought from Cheapside St. in London, due in large part to Ford's fascination with watches and clocks (three other buildings relating to clocks and watch making exist in the Village). It is of interest here because it was the single structure that was transformed the most in the process of its "preservation" (four storys from the center of the building were thrown away, no on-site architectural drawings were made to guide its restoration, and only a single photograph of the façade existed to guide Cutler in his work). I propose to travel to London to use local libraries and archives to flesh out the history of this structure, document contemporaneous accounts of the Bennett shop's removal from London and relocation to Dearborn, reconstruct the process used by Cutler to complete the project, and, most significantly, consider this work in light of current literature on the notions of authenticity and originality. A resulting publication (and subsequent presentation) would be a chapter in a proposed new book on the Ford/Cutler partnership and their contributions.Funding for this project would enhance my professional development by creating publishing and presentation opportunities and would benefit my teaching in museum studies by affording me the chance to engage through research with several of the major concepts addressed in our curricula. |
| Film Grows Unseen: Screening of Temos Film Works $2000.00 |
As part of my fellowship research into the intersection of the arts of film and architecture, this grant proposal requests funds for a two day screening and panel discussion on the work of two major figures of the American Avant Garde cinema, Gregory Markopoulos and Robert Beavers. Their films are intimately involved with a number of renowned architectural works but also in exploring and challenging notions of architectural space and landscape within film. Robert Beavers, the surviving member of the pair, will be at the screenings to answer questions and will take part in the panel discussion. |
| "Love and Wonder in a Ruined World": Continuing Graduate Education and Short Story Collection Manuscript Preparation Laura Thomas LSA $2000.00 |
I am requesting financial support to assist with educational costs as I pursue a Masters' of Fine Arts degree in Fiction at Warren Wilson College's MFA Program for Writers. The Warren Wilson MFA program is a nationally recognized top-ranked low-residency program designed for mid-career teaching and writing professionals. In keeping with CRLT's guidelines that Lecturers' Professional Development Grants serve the professional development of the individual lecturer, an MFA degree from Warren Wilson College will result in significant advancement of my scholarly and creative credentials in my role as Program Head of the Residential College's Creative Writing and Literature Concentration. My studies at Warren Wilson will provide a rigorous foundation to continue my work developing new curricular pathways within the Creative Writing Concentration and facilitate future teaching initiatives in allied disciplines within the Residential College. In addition to concentrating on the scholarship and pedagogical training Warren Wilson College's program emphasizes , I will be editing and polishing my short story collection manuscript, "Love and Wonder in a Ruined World", in my first year of study with the goal of preparing the manuscript for publication by December 2012. |
| A study of the effectiveness of self-study drill materials for basic Japanese grammar $2000.00 |
[Objective]The purpose of this research project is to investigate the effectiveness of certain self-study drill materials for basic Japanese grammar.[Outline of the project and the project's current state]I have been working on a project developing self-study drill materials for basic Japanese grammar since August 2010 with the goal of publishing a workbook to accompany A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar (DBJG) by Prof. Seiichi Makino and Prof. Michio Tsutsui (The Japan Times, 1986). The DBJG grammar book is used by instructors and learners worldwide as a bible of Japanese grammar. With Ms. Mayumi Oka, Director of the Japanese Language Program of the University of Michigan, as an advisor, I am now devoting myself to research on the effectiveness of the self-study drill materials currently under development. The materials consist of summaries and oral/listening/reading exercise for selected grammar items that many learners have trouble with. Such self-learning materials are in great demand by learners and instructors. Most exercises are designed so that learners can work on them using a computer.During the winter semester of 2012, I will test some of the materials in Japanese classes. Learners will be asked to work on selected sets of exercises, participate in pre-and post-oral interviews, and complete questionnaires. The interviews will be conducted so that I can examine how effective and helpful the exercises are. Also, the interviews need to be transcribed in order to compare each subject's pre- and post- performances and analyze how effective the exercises are in helping the learners to understand and control the target grammar. More specifically, I need to know how much the learners will have improved in their use of the target grammar, and whether or not the learners still repeat the same grammatical errors after the exercises. This in-depth analysis of the students' performances will help greatly in improving the current materials. I plan to present my findings at the 2012 American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) Annual Spring Conference in Toronto on March 15 and at the 19th Princeton Japanese Pedagogy Forum (PJPF) at Princeton University on May 19-20, 2012. The former conference is one of the most prestigious conferences in the field and the latter is also highly-recognized in the U.S. I expect to obtain fruitful feedback from both audiences, which will help me further refine the materials for learners, especially those who are learning Japanese at the University of Michigan. [Merits]This research is important and valuable for a number of reasons. First, the findings from the experiment help me in improving the self-study grammar materials under development. The publication of a workbook, the outcome of the project, will be beneficial for my career development. Second, the knowledge I gain from this research will be very beneficial to me as a teacher in terms of materials preparation for my classes and in my approach to teaching in the classroom.Additionally, the research experience itself will help me gain a broader and deeper understanding of Japanese grammar and a clearer perspective in teaching it. I am highly motivated by this project and am determined to achieve my objective. Receiving an LPD Grant will be critical in achieving my goal. |
| 2012 University Film and Video Association Conference and "Sitcom School" with "The Big Bang Theory." Terri Sarris LSA $2000.00 |
I'm seeking Lecturers' Professional Development funding to help with the costs associated with two professional development opportunities taking place in August, 2012: the University Film and Video Association national conference taking place at Columbia College, Chicago, in early August, 2012, and "Sitcom School" in Hollywood, in late August 2012. The UFVA conference consists of four days of workshops, panels, and presentations centered on media production pedagogy. "Sitcom School" will consist of a week spent observing the hit TV situation comedy "Big Bang Theory," directed by University alum Mark Cendrowski. For the past several years, Mr. Cendrowski has been a visiting artist in my SAC 402 class ("Situation Comedy: From Multi-Camera to Single Camera Verite") and has offered to facilitate my week-long visit with the show. |
| Travel to the Classical Association of the Middle West and South conference in Baton Rouge, LA to deliver a paper on Ancient Pedagogy for the modern classroom and beyond Donka Markus LSA $1000.00 |
I need the funds to attend a professional conference. This will help me to can stay abreast the new pedagogical approaches in my profession. I would like to have the opportunity to present my own research into the ways in which the pedagogical practices of antiquity can inform and shape what goes on in my own class-room. The chair of the department, R. Janko and my colleague S. Rappe specializing in philosophy both strongly support my research in this area (see their endorsements). My paper addresses a pragmatic question: what pedagogical lessons can be distilled and creatively applied to the modern classroom with an awareness of the ancient roots of those methods and approaches and the context that generated them? How can the findings and insights of recent scholarship about ancient pedagogy in the philosophical schools and beyond them be taken and applied to the modern classroom with full consideration of the contextual differences? Breaking down the teacher-student dichotomy, the essence of Socratizing pedagogy holds an infinite potential for the needs of the modern learner as member of a global society. Today's student is tomorrow's teacher, even if not necessarily in a classroom setting. Teaching has vast application possibilities in countless work-related situations and the understanding of its subtleties plays a key role in training future professionals in any field. I will argue that the adaptation of methods originating in the ancient philosophical schools creates a pedagogical space where every student has to exercise self-reflective skills and rehearse pedagogical scenarios for their career as future professionals. I will advocate injecting a meta-pedagogical layer of interaction in the classroom: students are not only mastering knowledge and skills related to the ancient Greeks and Romans, but they are also learning pedagogical skills for shaping a professional identity of their own. I conclude that teaching is part of every professional setting and that students should start to incorporate the principles of good teaching into the fashioning of their professional persona even while they are getting their own education. |
| Dakota, Or What's a Heaven For: Getting the Word Out Through Conferences and Readings $2000.00 |
In 2010 my second novel, Dakota, Or What's a Heaven For, literary historical fiction set in late-19th-century Dakota Territory, was published by the North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies. Several readers and colleagues have noted that this novel, which highlights the gendered, ethnic, and economic dimensions of the myth of independence that accompanied the European and Yankee settlement of the west, would be of interest to students and professors of nineteenth-century American history, women's literature, Western and Midwestern literature, as well as LGBT studies. I am requesting a Lecturers' Professional Development Grant for $2000 to help fund travel to academic conferences and to readings sponsored by university Creative Writing Programs and English Departments. |
| A Different Look at the Mazurkas of Chopin: The Roles of the Introduction, the Reprise, and the Coda. Sheung Yung Joyce Yip Music, Theatre & Dance $2000.00 |
Considered solely as a music genre with Polish folk influence, mazurkas are valuable to study because they are so closely associated with Chopin who stylized, cultivated, and elevated them as an art form uniquely his own. Unfortunately, the introduction, reprise, and coda of the mazurkas have suffered considerable neglect in music theory research. My project suggests that through Chopin's innovative compositional writing, these formal sections should not be overlooked as they are indispensible in the overall form of a mazurka. I intend to present my research at the annual conference of the Music Theory Society of New York State, Music Theory Midwest, and the Society for Music Theory in April, May, and November 2012 respectively. Apart from sharing my research interest and teaching experience with the scholarly community, these conferences would inform me of the latest trends in music theory scholarship and pedagogy that would enhance my teaching creativity, inspire my research, and promote higher scholarly standards that would aid my professional career. |
| iPad (apps) as Moving Image Production “Tool” Replacing Traditional Production Hardware $1688.00 |
I teach film production, and the iPad has already made a great impact on how crews function on sets. Apps, and devices capable of using them, are certainly the mobile digital future. A generation is growing up using them, and in order to keep up I need to find how and where they integrate productively into my teaching. This proposal is designed to allow me to keep current and to grow, as a teacher, along with the current mobile digital cultural climate, specifically as it impacts my pedagogy regarding the filmmaking process. |
| Park-a-Bike: Detroit Paul Tierman Architecture and Urban Planning $2000.00 |
The aim of Park-a-Bike: DET is to design and build a bicycle rack in Detroit using reclaimed material from the city's transportation waste stream. The project will entail research of the city's waste stream and experimentation and design towards a final construction. The project is in collaboration with a bicycle mechanic and co-founder of a Detroit bicycle cooperative titled Fender Bender DET. With Park-a-Bike: DET we aim to develop new and improve current sustainable design practices |
| Visual Outcomes and Surgical Techniques for Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty $2000.00 |
Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) is the standard of care for surgical management of corneal endothelial disease. A cornea specialist must understand all the clinical and surgical aspects of DSAEK and be able to pass this specialized knowledge to ophthalmology students. As a Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Section of Cornea and External Diseases at the University of Michigan, I am responsible for supervising DSAEK surgery performed by residents and fellows at the Veterans Administration Medical Center and managing cornea patients at the Kellogg Eye Center. In addition, my clinical and laboratory research focuses on DSAEK, specifically corneal donor tissue preparation for DSAEK and visual outcomes after DSAEK. To advance my understanding of DSAEK and to further refine my research, I hope to attend the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, on May 6-10, 2011. I plan to submit several abstracts to this meeting on research that I am performing currently in collaboration with the Midwest Eye Bank, located in Ann Arbor. Attending this meeting will allow me to present my research and participate in discussions on the latest research and clinical applications for DSAEK. And I believe that what I may learn while attending this meeting will enhance my ability to train University of Michigan's ophthalmology students in new developments in DSAEK. In addition, the meeting will advance my knowledge of novel research in endothelial keratoplasty. |
| Breaking the Hispanic Stereotype. Exploration and Dissemination of Other Cultures: The Pre-Hispanic Arhuaco of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia Tatiana Calixto LSA - Romance Languages and Literatures $2000.00 |
Learning about ancestral cultures like that of the Arhuaco in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia would add to a more integral notion of a Pan-Hispanic World. It seems that the dominant societies, and Spanish language textbooks have constructed ideas of "the Hispanic World" omitting pre-Hispanic cultures that exist today, and that follow a way of life different from that of the main societies. Using an apprenticeship-practice approach to gain knowledge of the Arhuaco culture, this project aims to educate the University community, and to contribute to our development of cross-cultural competence by disseminating the Arhuaco way of life as a representative of these non-Hispanic cultures. |
| Online Interactive Language Exercises for Introductory Chinese Jinyi Li LSA $1800.00 |
I am seeking a grant to develop the Online Interactive language Exercises for Introductory Chinese, a program with the objective of providing students with listening and speaking exercise, in addition to their normal written assignments. I aim to enhance the first year Chinese students' ability to listen and comprehend and to enhance speaking accuracy without an instructor. The online interactive language exercises for introductory Chinese will be based on a series of Rich Internet Applications (free for educational uses) provided by the Center for language Education and Research at Michigan State University. I am requesting $1,800 to purchase the required multimedia material and to hire a student assistant. |
