Broad, Humane Perspective mini-grants

This spring, Provost Elaine Meyer-Lee announced three faculty projects that would be funded by the Broad, Humane Perspective mini-grants. The projects will, as she wrote, “help us explore the ways in which we—as the college’s mission statement states—‘prepare students with a broad, humane perspective.’” She also said that the projects would expand the intellectual and creative life of the Goucher community.

A selection committee reviewed proposals and chose the projects to be funded. A description of each mini-grant funded project is below.

Environmental Humanities Reading Group

Literary Studies Professor Mary Marchand 

This grant will facilitate the convening of a reading group around the theme of environmental humanities. This interdisciplinary community of faculty (both undergraduate and graduate), staff, and administrators will explore the relationship between culture and the environment, including the roles that humanists, writers, and artists play in navigating contemporary environmental challenges.

 Gopher Trailblazers in STEMM

Chemistry Associate Professor Ruquia Ahmed-Schofield, Biology Associate Professor Verónica Segarra, and Biology Assistant Professor Natalie van Breukelen

This grant will fund a new speaker series throughout the spring semester highlighting Goucher alumnae/i who are both trailblazers in STEMM and lead careers with a broad, humane perspective. Featured speakers are Gophers who have achieved scientific excellence in their chosen fields while also being engaged scientists who make our world and society a better one through outreach and advocacy. In addition to a public talk, each speaker will also spend time in conversation with our students. The first event in the series was a lecture on April 12 by Dr. Jaclyn Kellon ’13, a program manager for the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. She oversees capacity building efforts in Eastern Europe to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, advanced conventional weapons, and emerging and disruptive technologies.

Linguistic Justice Workshop

Professional and Creative Writing Associate Professor Lana Oweidat and Creative and Writing Studies Assistant Director Charlee Sterling 

Building on the prior work by the writing studies faculty, this grant will support the development and delivery of a new workshop on linguistic justice and anti-racist pedagogies with a focus on writing and language. Interested faculty will receive a stipend for attending the half-day workshop, which will be held the first week of June, prior to faculty going off-contract for the summer.