Alex Siegel
How does the urban geography of San Francisco shape access to education? By studying the San Francisco School District archives and exploring the city on foot and by bus, I seek to illuminate the relationships between transportation, housing, and the quality of public of schools. In light of the Districts unique student assignment policy, how does the relative accessibility or inaccessibility of a school lend shape to its demographics, performance, and ability to meet students needs? In order to understand the present conjuncture in San Franciscos school system, my research […]
Jamie Andreson
Throughout my 6 month journey through Brazil I will investigate and experience the conflicts of race relations in a different colonial and historical context. Since arriving in January, I have explored through personal travels and a 3.5 month UCEAP program in Salvador, Bahia studying the History and Culture of Afro-Brazilians. My SURF research focuses on the legacy of Sociologist Edison Carneiro, who worked as one of the first Afro-Brazilian Ethnographers to analyze the history and culture of African descended people in Brazil in the 1930-1950’s. His academic, journalistic and activist […]
Jessica Lopez
My research will look comparatively at how the ideology of public education, the ideology of American parenthood, and the ideology of the Latino cultural community come to intersect into existing and developing parental practices. Using participant-observation methods and a framework of discourse theory, I will analyze the linguistic practices of the Latino mothers and fathers at the Centro Latino for Literacy in Los Angeles as they index values of parenthood, education, and power hierarchies. By engaging in ongoing discussions about parenthood and conducting personal interviews, I hope to gain an […]
Gregory Swain
My research will look at the impact of English laws on the importation and use of coal in the Netherlands in the 17th and 18th centuries. During this period, both England and the Netherlands were prosperous nation with high demands for fuel. The English increasingly relied on coal, which influential theories tie to Englands being the worlds first country to industrialize. Due to the location of mines, however, it would have been easy to deliver coal to the Netherlands instead of central England. Various historians have examined the historical prices […]
Roi Bachmutsky
I am interested in developing a deeper understanding of the current system of thought and discourse surrounding Israel among the new generation of American Jewish young adults, seen as the stakeholders for the future of American Jewry. This new generation’s commitment to Judaism and Israel are bitterly debated in public articles and community events; unfortunately, none of this debate has been grounded in rigorous ethnographic study.I am taking the first step in this direction by using anthropological public observation, survey, and open-ended interview methodologies to study Jewish university students and […]
Alex Yang Lu
My research this summer focuses on battling Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), the most common and malignant type of brain tumor. Despite invasive surgical resection and pharmaceutical therapy, patients with GBM have a mean survival time of 12-15 months following diagnosis, making GBM among the most aggressive of human cancers. Tumors growth is dependent upon vascularization through the formation of new capillaries from pre-existing blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. Numerous cytokines and growth factors have been shown to regulate angiogenesis while modulating cell invasion, growth and differentiation; however, these mechanisms remain […]
Ciara Williams
The written word has been used to comment on cultural trends and mindsets for centuries. My research focuses on the Beat and modern spoken word movements, seeing how the poets during those times commented on American bandwagon mentality. The Beat poets focused primarily on the post-World War II stoicism that was permeating through the American culture. The modern spoken word poets write about the modern hysteria to join multiple causes that span from global warming to ending world hunger. Both poetry movements seem to have qualms with how people do […]