Eleven University of Wyoming faculty members are the recipients of service-learning project grants for their students.
The awards, given by UW's Service, Leadership and Community Engagement office, enhance UW students' classroom learning experience by addressing community needs. Grants range from $500-$1,500.
"The awards are across a broad range of disciplines, addressing needs from environmental stewardship, to cultural management, to emergency preparedness," says Maggie Moran, graduate assistant for service-learning.
Listed are the 11 service-learning projects and faculty members:
-- "Exploring Laramie's Cultural and Natural History," Sylvia Parker, Science, Math Teaching Center coordinator, and Joel Pontius, Laramie graduate student. Graduate students will learn about the cultural and natural history of the Laramie area and then facilitate community explorations for the public.
-- "Communities of Story Tellers," Mary Sheridan, English associate professor. Students will learn the art of digital storytelling, and then teach the craft to local youth. They will collect stories of Wyoming residents that are often unheard, such as the elderly or migrant workers.
-- "Partnering with the Community through Grant Writing, Mary Sheridan. Students will learn techniques for grant writing and then partner with local non-profits and UW organizations to write grant applications.
-- "Campus Sustainability," Deb Paulson, geography associate professor. Students will learn sustainability principles and then develop projects to address a real-world sustainability problem or need in the community.
-- "The Keep Girls in School Project," Bonnie Zare, Gender and Women's Studies associate professor. Students will learn about the extreme challenges facing impoverished families in rural India. They will raise funds and gather supplies for the Aarti children's home in India.
-- "Professional Writing in the Community," Rick Fisher, English assistant lecturer. Students will develop documents to meet the needs of a local organization. The grant supports a partnership with the Alliance for Historic Wyoming and the development of professional documents.
-- "Cultural Landscape Management on the Wind River Reservation," William Gribb, geography associate professor. A student will conduct interviews with Wind River Indian Reservation elders to understand places of cultural and spiritual significance to the people of the reservation. The UW student will then locate and map these places and create a management plan to protect and preserve the sites.
-- "Pre-service Teachers as Resources to Families," Tricia Johnson, elementary and early childhood education assistant professor. Students will identify a critical issue facing young children and families in Laramie. They will develop a resource guide and pamphlet to share with families and various programs and a resource fair for peers and the community.
-- "Life Science Lessons for All," Brianna Wright, botany assistant lecturer. Students will learn about relevant scientific issues and then develop a 30-minute activity to be taught in Albany County schools.
-- "Emergency Preparedness at UW: Not Just an Academic Exercise," Suzanne Clark, School of Pharmacy assistant professor, and Beth Young, Albany County Department of Health. School of Pharmacy and nursing students will be trained to respond to real life emergencies and disasters. Students will then be a core of volunteers during emergencies and will present at conferences.
-- "Environmental Stewardship: First Year Experience," Courtney Carlson, Environment and Natural Resources-Haub School assistant lecturer. Students will examine social, scientific and economic issues related to natural resource management in Wyoming. They will participate in a riparian restoration project at the Teton Science School.
