Leadership & Projects

Do-No-Harm, Do-More-Good: Building for Sustainability in the Galápagos

Faculty team members:
David Heymann, M.Arch., Professor, School of Architecture 
Gregory Brooks, M.Arch., Professor, Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering 
Jayme Walenta, Ph.D., Lecturer, Department of Geography and the Environment, College of Liberal Arts

International partners:
University of San Francisco-Quito, Quito, Ecuador 
Buro Happold, Bath, United Kingdom

This program will research innovative and implementable solutions for the design of sustainable human habitats that do no harm to—and do more good for—ecologies surrounding the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. The area’s fragile ecosystem is threatened by a recent surge in land-based tourism, a critical source of revenue for the expanding population. Participants will consider the ways sustainable relations can develop between natural environments, human uses and needs, and buildings and built infrastructure. Students will establish and enact their projects in collaboration with stakeholders that include the University of San Francisco-Quito, global engineering firm Buro Happold, Galápagos islanders, government officials, environmental engineers, economists, and theoreticians, giving the students and university an opportunity to add value to this unfolding and real-world challenge.

Addressing an Era of Transatlantic Racial Reckoning: Imagining Anti-Racist Academic Worlds in the United Kingdom and the United States of America

Faculty team members:
Richard Reddick, Ed.D., Professor, Department of Educational Leadership, College of Education 
Peniel Joseph, Ph.D., Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs

International partners:
Dr. Mike Mimirinis – University of West London, United Kingdom 
Dr. Peter Claus – Pembroke College, Oxford University, United Kingdom 
Dr. Kehinde Andrews – Birmingham City University, United Kingdom 
Dr. Ali Meghji – Magdalene College, Cambridge University, United Kingdom

This program will bring together perspectives from faculty, staff, and students in five unique higher education environments—four in the United Kingdom, one in the United States—to identify and validate experiences of BIPOC members of their respective communities. Participants will identify commonalities and differences between the institutional contexts and engage in discussions about the shared and unique aspects of navigating an academic existence for BIPOC community members.

Cotton Threads: Fabricating Ethical Production and Consumption in the Garment Industry

Faculty team members:
Shiv Ganesh, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Moody College of Communication 
Sharmila Rudrappa, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts

International Partners:
Nudie Jeans – Gothenburg, Sweden 
International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore – Bangalore, India

This faculty-led program aims to help students learn about the ethical production and consumption of high fashion through coursework, field visits, and independent research in three sites: Texas, Sweden, and India. The program team will partner with the company Nudie Jeans, headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, working with their suppliers and academic collaborators in Bangalore, India. Program goals are to teach students how the company strives to: achieve ecological sustainability; instill social justice across production nodes in global commodity chains for growers, textile workers, and garment workers; and offer radical transparency to consumers on ethical production processes and profits. Students will have the opportunity to integrate the skills and knowledge developed over Spring and Summer 2022 to test Nudie Jeans’ business model in Texas, which is the largest grower of cotton in the U.S.

Conversations about Conservation: A Community-Based Research Study to Comprehend Public Engagement in Conservation Initiatives in India

Asia and Oceania

Implement a community-based research model on local mangrove conservation efforts to emphasize the importance of collaborative approaches to climate change

Student team members: Emily Samson, Yukta Sunkara, Gauree Srinivasan, Sanjna Bhatia

Faculty team members: Jason Cons, Erin Lentz, Deepak Chetty

Graduate student team member: Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda

Skin Cancer in Singapore: Using Augmented Reality to Promote Skin Cancer Prevention Efforts

Asia and Oceania

Explore an updated approach to traditional public health initiatives through innovative communication technologies to distribute an interactive and experiential campaign about skin cancer prevention among young adults

Student team members: Neha Momin, Sahar Ali, Daniel Killough, Arman Farsad

Faculty team members: Erin Reilly, Lucy Atkinson, Thushani Herath

Graduate student team member: Sajani Patel

Fostering Green Entrepreneurialism: A Comparison of Water Conservation Practices and Behaviors in Jordan and Texas

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Compare campus water conservation efforts and overall water conservation technology and practice both in Texas and in Jordan

Student team members: Kisara Dang, Sumaya Daghestani, Abby Partridge, Tanya Raghu

Faculty team members: David Eaton, Lucy Atkinson, Jayme Walenta

Graduate student team member: Noorah Alhasan

The Case for Connections: Understanding the Effect of Social Networks on the Academic Stress of Undergraduates in Austin, Texas, and Mexico City

Latin America and the Caribbean

Explore the role of social networks on the perceived academic stress levels of Mexican and Texan undergraduates

Student team members: Thomas Dang, Melanie Milligan, Grace Ozor, Mariana Rendon Flores

Faculty team members: Deborah Parra-Medina, Carmen Valdez, Keri Stephens

Graduate student team member: Alfonso Rojas Alvarez

Young Innovators: Bringing Inductive Learning to Early STEM Education in Jamaica

Latin America and the Caribbean

Catalyze the shift toward inductive STEM learning in Jamaican primary students

Student team members: Pearlyn Ang, Christopher Calizzi, Anthony Tang, Catherine Tang

Faculty team members: Melissa Kemp, Hal Alper, Brent Iverson

Graduate student team member: Bernard David