2014-2015 Funded Grants

RESEARCH GRANTS:

Ciarra D’Onofrio ’15, Research Grant

Ciarra is using her grant to conduct ethnographic research in Morocco over winter break for her Sociology and Anthropology major thesis project. Her project is focused on the Amal Center, a one-year-old non-governmental organization in Marrakech dedicated to assisting marginalized Moroccan women, specifically orphans, widows, single and divorced mothers, women who have had little to no education, and victims of sexual assault and rape. Ciarra will present her findings in her thesis paper, as well as hold a dialogue session with the L&C Feminists Student Union. Additionally, she will hold a discussion with the larger student body and present at the 2015 Gender Studies Symposium and at a genders studies research consortium with other college students.

Ella Coben ’15 & Jonathan Poley ’15, Research Grant

Ella and Jonathan will both be using their Research Grant to travel to Chengdu Normal University in China to study the difference between early numeracy and estimation skills of preschoolers in America and preschoolers in China, using the research they gather in China to compare with data they’ve gathered in Portland. The goal of their research is to understand the causes of the achievement gap between chinese and american children, and ultimately find a way to improve math education in the U.S. Ella and Jon will be presenting their research with a spring semester colloquium and hopefully have their research published in an academic journal.

Lily Jane Clarke ’15, Research Grant

Lily will use her Research Grant to travel to Zimbabwe to research the native instrument of the Shona People, the Mbira. She will research Zimbabwean’s different opinions regarding what mbira’s purpose is in today’s Shona culture. In addition, Lily will collaborate with local Zimbabwean mbira masters to create an educational mbira pamphlet. To bring her research back to the greater LC community, Lily will host a mbira workshop for any interested students, present her research to these participants as well as Beth Szczepanski’s World Music class, and present at the World Music Concert and Multicultural Fair.

Julia Duerst ’15 & Jesenya Maldonado ’15, Research Grant

Julia and Jesenya are using their Research Grant to travel to Turkey to collaborate on their individual complementary projects. Jesenya will focus on a transnational, comparative study of Mexico and Turkey, specifically regarding the use of religious and nationalist symbologies in constructing the nation. Julia will focus on a micro-level study of an Imam Hatip religious public High school in Kartal, an Alevi Shi’a Muslim neighborhood of Istanbul. Her purpose is to build off of her pre-existing research on the confluence of Islam and secular nationalism in the making of national identity in Turkey. Julia and Jesenya plan on incorporating their research into a program on Cuba’s Muslim population for the 2015 Alternative Spring break trip. They also plan on contributing to the in progress student-run Middle East Studies symposium.

Kaiya Gordon ’15, Research Grant

Kaiya is using her Research Grant to author and design a book, entitled “The Book of Bread”, That combines critical thought about medieval ideas consumption and femininity with student-friendly recipes. She will traveling to Europe to conduct research in a number of modern medieval cities and towns. Her book will be printed and bound, copies of which will be donated to relevant departments and the Watzek library, available to all interested students and staff. Kaiya will also present her book at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, and include a small part of the project in Synergia .

Zoe Klingmann ’15, Research Grant

Zoe is using her Research Grant to travel around the Pacific Northwest (including Portland, Olympia, and Seattle) to study how comparatively resource-poor interest groups interact with government and advocate for their interests. She is specifically looking at litigation strategies of when groups choose to go to courts rather than another governmental branch or agency, and why? She is studying homeless tent cities and will conduct a number of interviews with leaders of the groups, lawyers, leaders of other organizations, and city officials involved with lawsuits or negotiations for the homeless cities. Zoe plans on sharing her final paper with her fellow students and faculty of the political science department, as well as participating in the Festival of Scholars in the spring.

Amanda Stewart ’15, Research Grant

Amanda is using her Research Grant to travel to Germany to study the changing rituals of death and burial in contemporary German society. She is researching the topic of environmentally friendly burials and their impact on traditional burial culture in contemporary Germany. Amanda will be using her research for her German Studies Honor Thesis and will be presenting on it in Spring 2015. She will also possibly present at the Festival of Scholars, and hold a presentation, in english, open to all students and faculty.

Kate Wackett ’15, Research Grant

Kate will be using her Research Grant to travel to Nicaragua to record the oral histories of women affected by the rise of the Sandinista Party and the Revolution of 1979. Kate’s oral histories will focus on revisiting the memory of this historical moment that arguably gave birth to the women’s movement in Nicaragua, as well as giving her interviewees agency by sharing their narratives as a tool for retelling history. Her research will be shared with the history department at L&C, as well as with the Minnesota Historical Society. Kate will be presenting at the Ray Warren Ethnic Studies Symposium in November of 2015, as well as possibly at the fall 2016 Gender Studies Symposium. Her oral histories will be shared with her interviewee participants as well as put onto a public website.

Lincoln David Boyd II ’15, Research Grant

Lincoln is using his Research Grant to travel to Shanghai to study the Empowered Administration programs implemented in Chinese public schools in an effort to improving the educational development programs in US public schools. Lincoln will be hosting a discussion on his research for members of the Lewis & Clark and broader Portland community. He will also be publishing an independent report on his findings.

Ariel Gold ’15, Research Grant

Ariel will be using her Research Grant to travel to Japan where she will be researching the implications of how young adults self-identify as people who grow up as global citizens, or third culture kids, for her Senior Thesis. She will be identifying the qualities and components of a global citizen through first-person experience and in-depth interviews with a number of third culture kids in Japan and the US. Ariel’s research will be presented to the East Asian Studies Department, the Festival of Scholars, and to the Entrepreneurship Department.

Ben Klein ’15 and Robin Zeller ’15, Research Grant

Ben and Robin will be using their Research Grant to travel to India, where they will perform an interdisciplinary study of Indian classical music. Ben, a Religious Studies major, and Robin, an Environmental Studies major, will be using their combined knowledge to study the connection between Indian classical music and sacred space. They will be hosting a free concert on campus in March to relay their research, experience, and music they learned from their trip. In addition, they will be presenting a short workshop and performance for the Music Department. They will each also present Senior Thesis posters to their respective departments based on their research.

Noa Raman ’15, Research Grant

Noa will be using her Research Grant to travel to Israel, where she will be researching possibilities of just-peace for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She will be visiting the Breaking the Silence site, sitting in on a debate in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), will be a part of a guided tour of the 1967 borders between Israel and Palestine, and will be conducting interviews for public opinion. Noa will be presenting her Senior Thesis research to the Hillel club on campus, as well as start a Middle East Initiative on campus.

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PROGRAM & CONFERENCE GRANTS:

Naomi Sheff ’15, Program and Conference Grant

Naomi will be using her Program and Conference Grant to attend an intensive All-Day Experiential Workshop with Brian Weiss, a leading psychiatrist in past life regression therapy. The workshop focuses on a form of psychotherapy that explores the significance of one’s precious incarnations to their current psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual state. Naomi will be showcasing her research at a Religious Studies Department Event in March. She will also be presenting to the SOAN 255: Medicine Healing and Culture class, and purchasing Brian Weiss’ book Many Lives, Many Masters and donating it to the library.

Sam Stewart ’15, Program and Conference Grant

Sam will be using his Program and Conference Grant to attend the 2015 Joint Mathematics conference, the largest mathematics conference in the world. Sam will be presenting his senior thesis abstract, as well as attend various addresses by various speakers. Sam will be presenting his talk at the Math Department Colloquium and make a presentation on a lecture given by Professor Tapia at the JMM Conference, also at the Math Colloquium.

Anya Ludwig ’15, Program and Conference Grant

Anya will be using her Program and Conference Grant to attend the Trauma, Attachment & Neuroscience with Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD: New Psychotherapeutic Treatments Seminar in San Francisco, California. The main purpose of the conference to educate current mental health professionals in the newest research on traumatic stress. Anya plans to contribute information to the FSU’s SARA (Sexual Assault Response Advocate) Program, as well as possibly bring speakers to campus to give an address on this research.

Katie Keith ’15. Program & Conference Grant

Katie used her Program & Conference Grant to attend the Project Pengyou Leadership Summit hosted at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. The program offered attendees “unique hands-on training in cross-cultural leadership and community-organizing methods”, strategic organizational skills, and experience with civic and business leaders in US-China cooperation. For her giveback, Katie intends to start a Project Pengyou Chapter at Lewis & Clark, as well as host a “Project Pengyou Day” for LC students.

Julia Duerst ’15, Program & Conference Grant

Julia used her Program & Conference Grant to attend the Middle East Studies Association Undergraduate Research Workshop in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Middle East Studies Association of North America, Inc, this workshop focused on giving undergraduate students who focus academically on the Middle East and opportunity to present their research and receive professional feedback and advice from a diverse group of Middle East Scholars, drawn from award winners and other leading academics. Julia plans to organize a Middle East Studies Symposium to take place on campus next year.

Sarah Lowenstein ’15, Program & Conference Grant

Sarah used her Program & Conference Grant to attend the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. The Annual Meeting is a venue for neuroscientists from around the world to present current research, interact with experts in the field, collaborate with peers, and ultimately advance their careers. Sarah will present her News & Views article to her neurochemistry class at the end of the semester, as well as present her thesis during the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar in Spring 2015.

Sam Stewart ’15, Program and Conference Grant

Sam will be using his Program and Conference Grant to attend the 2015 Joint Mathematics conference, the largest mathematics conference in the world. Sam will be presenting his senior thesis abstract, as well as attend various addresses by various speakers. Sam will be presenting his talk at the Math Department Colloquium and make a presentation on a lecture given by Professor Tapia at the JMM Conference, also at the Math Colloquium.

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ARTS & EXPRESSIONS GRANTS:

Kristina Nelson ’15, Arts & Expressions Grant

Kristina is using her Arts & Expressions Grant to fund the purchase of a Norther KH- 930E Knitting Machine and related materials, to use for her Senior Art Thesis Project. Kristina will program the machine herself and use it to create her final pieces. Her art will be presented at the Senior Art Show in the spring, and the knitting machine and instruction manual will be left at Lewis & Clark for future students to use and possibly be incorporated into art department course curricula.

Zachary Faza ’15, Arts & Expressions Grant

Zachary is using his Arts & Expressions Grant to fund a documentary film based in Guajila, El Salvador. Zachary’s film will tell the story of the people living there as they’ve recovered from a 13-year civil war. The film will focus on the impact of the war on El Salvadoran society on the local and personal scale, the recovery and rebuilding process, and the role a small community organization is playing in Guarjila specifically. Zachary will host a screening of the film on campus on April 24th with an opening discussion afterwards.

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VISITING SCHOLARS GRANTS:

Marika Liebman ’15, Visiting Scholars Grant

Marika used her Visiting Scholars Grant to bring two speakers, Harsha Walia and Lizz Schallert, to Lewis & Clark for a migrant justice issues discussion. Harsha Walia is a South Asian social justice activist, journalist, and cofounder of a number of organizations on racial and migrant issues. Harsha is a published author and has worked extensively on building immigrants’ rights movements. Marika’s event served as a platform for a discussion on the LC campus about social movement building within an extensive anti-oppressive framework.