Spring 2008 URC and QIC Award Winners
The 'Burg: Gentrification and the Transformation of the
Industrial Waterfront in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Winifred Curran: Geography (URC Award)
This project is an exploration of the environmental consequences of residential development in previously industrial areas and of the negotiation between different land uses and constituencies in a neighborhood undergoing gentrification, that of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY. The first objective is to determine to what degree environmental concerns fueled by gentrification have led to deindustrialization in a historically industrial inner-city neighborhood. Particular attention is focused on the adaptive reuse of industrial sites and the environmental consequences thereof. The remade urban environment and its social and economic consequences are used to question the type of city that results from the changes along the waterfront. The goal is to construct, through qualitative research techniques, a biography of the neighborhood that fleshes out the multivariate experiences of gentrification.
Edit this genome. Please!
Margaret Silliker: Biology (URC Award)
For a gene to be expressed it must be copied into RNA which directs the synthesis of a protein with a particular function. Some organisms have evolved a mechanism for correcting mistakes in a DNA gene sequence by editing the gene message when it is copied into RNA. The mechanism that leads to modifications in the RNA sequence, in comparison to the DNA sequence, is called RNA editing. This process, RNA editing, has evolved independently in several lineages of organisms, but its most complex example occurs in the plasmodial slime molds or Myxomycetes. Despite the absolute necessity of RNA editing for proper cellular functioning in the slime mold Didymium iridis, the molecular cues signaling the editing process are unknown. In this project the RNA editing pattern of seven genes of Didymium iridis will be determined to better understand the process and to potentially identify patterns which cue the editing apparatus.
Archaeology and Numismatics: The Ayyubid and Mamluk
Coins of Mt. Zion
Warren C. Schultz: History (URC Award)
Warren Schultz was awarded an URC grant to support his participation in an archaeological dig on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem, Israel for July 2008. While he was somewhat familiar with archaeological theory, this was his first experience on a dig. The dig is licensed by the Israel Antiquities Authority and is directed by Shimon Gibson (affiliated with the Albright Institute) and James Tabor of the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Schultz had been recruited by Gibson to participate in this project because of his knowledge of Islamic numismatics. The site is a rich one, containing strata from at least the Second Temple period up through Mandatory Palestine, and thus contains information for people interested in a variety of historical fields. Schultz ended up working in a trench that was clearly in the strata of the Umayyad to early Abbasid period, or about 700-900 CE. In addition to working on the coins found on site, he received hands-on training and experience with the trowel and the brush, not to mention handling many of the "goofas" (buckets made of old tires) the team used to remove the dirt and debris. Schultz is now involved in cataloging and identifying the numismatic remains found from this season and previous ones. Schultz looks forward to future participation, including the possibility of involving DePaul students in this excavation.
Chinese Philosophy in Transition: Study Abroad Course in Beijing
Franklin Perkins: Philosophy and Chinese Studies (QIC Award)
Franklin Perkins received a Competitive Instructional Grant from the QIC to travel to Beijing in August in order to develop a new study abroad course. This course examines “China in Transition,” concentrating on the cultural manifestations of the rapid and radical transformations taking place now in China, particularly as they appear in contemporary art and philosophy. Aside from checking out things like dorms, cafeterias, and buses, Perkins developed the itinerary for the Beijing half of the course, visiting the National Film Museum and the “798” art gallery district, and met with potential lecturers and university officials. This December, Perkins and Chi Jang Yin, Assistant Professor of Media Arts, took 18 students to China for three weeks. This December course is intended to be a regular DePaul offering and integral part of the Chinese Studies program. It will be led in December 2009 by Chi Jang Yin and Phillip Stalley, Assistant Professor of Political Science.
Developing a Major Program in Writing, Rhetoric, &
Discourse
The Department of Writing, Rhetoric & Discourse (QIC Award)
The Department of Writing, Rhetoric & Discourse was awarded a $5,000 Departmental Initiative Grant from the Quality of Instruction Council to support the design and development of a major program in writing. Funds have already been used to support inquiry into such programs and best practices at similar institutions, facilitate a retreat to consolidate perspectives and create shared investment, and host a nationally recognized expert in undergraduate writing curricula. The department is now at work on a program proposal, which will be submitted to the LA&S curriculum committee before the end of the grant period.
A special thanks to the faculty and departments above for sharing their story. Congratulations to them and all the Spring 2008 award winners. If you were a Spring 2008 QIC or URC award winner and would like to post your summary, please send us an e-mail.
Got a question?