Community-Engaged – Page 4 – UROP Spring Symposium 2021

Community-Engaged

Seeing Heritage Algorithms in Fiber Art

Underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is evident among underrepresented communities, particularly racial minorities, women, and lower-class individuals. Middle and High School students’ level of exposure to STEM arguably determines their pursuit of a STEM major or career, but many students in lower-class and racial minority groups have very low levels of exposure to STEM. CSDT.org was created to show the existing heritage algorithms embedded in culturally-situated artifacts and processes to increase the motivation among underrepresented students toward STEM majors and careers. With the Seeing Heritage Algorithms workshop conducted using CSDT.org, students are taught about the background of culturally-situated traditions like AfroFuturism, shown examples of visual programming language to generate these cultural patterns, given a chance to simulate their own patterns using the same software, and finally given materials to make their own physical art representing their simulated design. This workshop (to be conducted April 5th-9th) is expected to increase students’ knowledge of computing with a pre/post survey.

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The Hall Family and Their Impact on Astronomy

The Detroit Observatory is planning for a reopening in the Fall of 2021. In preparation for the new building additions and exhibits we are gathering information on influential astronomers associated with the University of Michigan. Two such astronomers are Asaph Hall and Asaph Hall Junior, both of whom spent time working at the Detroit Observatory during their lengthy astronomy-based careers. Their important work and life stories have also been documented to the public through updated Wikipedia articles.

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A Comprehensive Review of Forms of Sexual Education and Analysis of an mHealth Comprehensive Sexual Education

The US has some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy among developing countries with approximately 200,000 babies born to teens aged 15 to 19 in 2016 (1,2). Additionally, nearly 50% of diagnosed STIs are seen in people under the age of 25 (3). These high rates of teen pregnancy and STIs may be due to abstinence-only sex education in schools, which some studies show have minimal effectiveness in preventing STIs and teen pregnancy (4). Michigan state policy requires an emphasis on abstinence, and some schools choose not to provide information on contraceptives at all (5). The purpose of this study was to assess whether abstinence-only sexual education provides the same teen level of education as comprehensive sexual education using a review of relevant literature to compare the two.

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Parent Support for Selective Admissions Applications

For my research I worked in Parent Support for Selective Admissions Applications, assisting my mentor in various projects such as market research, application translation, and writing admission and denial letters. The central objective of my work was to create a more equitable admissions process that would be accessible to all regardless of socioeconomic status or other identifiers.

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Detroit Contractor Ecosystem

Bridging Neighborhoods (BN) was formed to support the optional relocation or retrofitting of houses for the residents of the Del Ray neighborhood due to the construction of an international bridge between Canada and the United States. To conduct activities, BN relies upon attracting local contractors and subcontractors to the program so the residents can opt into the relocation or retrofitting process with confidence. My role is to research contractor programs and outreach strategies in thirty cities nationwide and assist in reaching out to contractors and subcontractors in Detroit. These tasks were achieved through internet research and calling 150+ potential contractors for the 2021 Construction Conference. The purpose of this research is to highlight contractor programs or outreach strategies that the City of Detroit can implement in the future, and the outreach calls have increased the number of contractor connections BN possesses.

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Better Air Quality Outcomes in Southwest Detroit

Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV) works to fulfill the needs of the community by empowering its residents to engage and by providing a connection to important resources. SDEV works with industrial corporations, businesses, and residents to address environmental pressures and concerns, specifically air pollution. Residents of Southwest Detroit live in the middle of industry and are exposed to bad air quality that leads to asthma, lead poisoning, strokes, heart attacks, and more. Even more significantly, these high impact areas correlate to more COVID fatalities as a result of these pre-existing conditions. SDEV recognizes that these high impact areas are primarily urban areas of color and that environmental and racial justice go hand in hand. To combat this issue, SDEV is working to propose a revised truck route to reduce truck traffic on residential streets and to increase enforcement of Detroit’s Anti-Idling Ordinance. SDEV has compiled a list of community members willing to host cameras and air-quality monitors at their residences collecting data relating to pollution levels. This data will be used in the proposal to revise the truck routes in order to better protect the health and wellbeing of the community. SDEV also fosters civic engagement and advocates for environmental policy. This is done by organizing residents to talk to their representatives who vote on the policies that affect them. Through these efforts, SDEV is able to engage the community and make deep and impactful changes that lessen environmental pressures. SDEV works to ensure that the residents come first and their concerns are being heard and met.

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Better Air Quality Outcomes in Southwest Detroit

Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV) works to fulfill the needs of the community by empowering its residents to engage and by providing a connection to important resources. SDEV works with industrial corporations, businesses, and residents to address environmental pressures and concerns, specifically air pollution. Residents of Southwest Detroit live in the middle of industry and are exposed to bad air quality that leads to asthma, lead poisoning, strokes, heart attacks, and more. Even more significantly, these high impact areas correlate to more COVID fatalities as a result of these pre-existing conditions. SDEV recognizes that these high impact areas are primarily urban areas of color and that environmental and racial justice go hand in hand. To combat this issue, SDEV is working to propose a revised truck route to reduce truck traffic on residential streets and to increase enforcement of Detroit’s Anti-Idling Ordinance. SDEV has compiled a list of community members willing to host cameras and air-quality monitors at their residences collecting data relating to pollution levels. This data will be used in the proposal to revise the truck routes in order to better protect the health and wellbeing of the community. SDEV also fosters civic engagement and advocates for environmental policy. This is done by organizing residents to talk to their representatives who vote on the policies that affect them. Through these efforts, SDEV is able to engage the community and make deep and impactful changes that lessen environmental pressures. SDEV works to ensure that the residents come first and their concerns are being heard and met.

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Documenting Criminalization and Confinement

Documenting Criminalization and Confinement (DCC) is a sub-focus of the Carceral State Project, which is a University of Michigan research initiative. DCC is a multifaceted humanistic study of the historical and contemporary processes of criminalization, policing, incarceration, immigrant detention, and other forms of carceral control in the United States. The agenda of this project targets the policies and approaches that have advanced incarceration, especially in insecure communities. We are collaborating with a number of academic researchers, including faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduates from the organization to manage and create comprehensive research strategies. We have successfully constructed multiple intricate metadata spreadsheets that document prison education and arts, policing and social justice, and confronting conditions of confinement, as well as examined a continuous collection of personal written testimonies about the experiences of incarcerated individuals.

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A Deeper Look into the World of Addiction

The United Community Addiction Network (UCAN) empowers those in the community of Genesee County, Michigan struggling with substance use disorders and addiction. UCAN networks with hospitals, law enforcement, the judicial system, schools, and other systems to evolve how people are treated and how professionals treat co-occurring disorders. They combine the community and clinical aspects of treatment to empower people and to help them find sobriety and reach their potential. Less than 10% of people in need of treatment are being treated for co-occurring disorders alongside their substance use disorder, which causes too many people to relapse and to lack the treatment and resources they need. UCAN is creating an interdisciplinary model for treatment across the world that gives people the resources they need and makes the recovery process easier and more manageable. Through this research project and the current work of UCAN, by analyzing data, we are able to identify gaps in multiple systems and create a cohesive program that addresses every aspect of substance abuse and provides every resource to those who need it.

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A Deeper Look into the World of Addiction

The United Community Addiction Network or UCAN is a community organization based in Genesee County, Michigan that is working to evolve the way addiction is addressed and treated. The project “A Deeper Look into the World of Addiction” sought to aid the planning, development, and implementation of a new treatment program combining community and clinical services for a pathway to recovery. The focus of the new program is to use evidence based practices in order to treat co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders more effectively. Some evidence based practices include consumer-driven treatment, family and community involvement, and having cross-trained specialists. Alongside the development of a new addiction treatment program, UCAN’s other initiatives work to instill lasting change by including medical examiners, emergency responders, local law enforcement, and a new K-9 unit that aims to identify substances for a drug-free environment. In a coordinated effort with community members, UCAN aims to see the implementation of a co-occuring disorder facility as well as other initiatives to be replicated across the state, country, and around the world.

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