Students in Fernando Rochaix and Lyons Parker-Shockley’s art classes worked with the city of Clarkston to create a colorful crosswalk mural.
It’s year two for the Center for Outreach and Research Engagement (CORE), and students are delving into the fundamentals of research in a variety of ways, thanks to the initiatives of faculty involved in the program. “We are attempting to broaden students’ previously conceived notions of what research is and the many ways it can be applied,” said Michael Lewis, Newton Campus CORE faculty coordinator and assistant professor of English.
Directed by Dr. Anyee’ Payne and funded through a five-year Department of Education Predominately Black Institute (PBI) grant, CORE’s aim is to help address the drop, fail and withdrawal rate among Black students enrolled in introductory English courses, as well as create supporting research opportunities and experiences for these students.
CORE faculty research coordinators are reporting results. Current research coordinators include Lewis, Fernando Rochaix, Fine Arts, Decatur Campus; Bettina Durant, Communication and Journalism, Alpharetta and Online, Dr. Andrew Kim, STEM, Dunwoody Campus, and Dr. Johnasha Stuart, STEM, Clarkston Campus.
For one of their projects this semester, Rochaix’s CORE cohort joined a team of Art pathway students led by assistant art professor Lyons Parker-Shockley. The group participated in a unique partnership with the city of Clarkston to create a colorful crosswalk. The crosswalk was dedicated during a special community ceremony in downtown Clarkston on April 27.
“My students used a participatory design approach helping research the methodology of the survey for the crosswalk,” Rochaix said. “Participatory design involves stakeholders in the design process which can be applied to various design contexts, including product design, service design and urban planning. For the crosswalk project, we used an online and paper survey where residents could reflect on their experiences in Clarkston, along with considerations about the scope of crosswalk designs.”
The art students then took the research information to create designs to submit to the city. Ultimately, Perimeter student Felycia Dharmawan’s design was selected by the city.
Rochaix noted that the research the CORE students learned can be valuable in designing for vulnerable or marginalized populations, as it can help ensure their needs and perspectives are considered. “Participatory design can promote collaboration, co-creation, and empathy among stakeholders, leading to more effective and inclusive design solutions,” he said.
On Newton Campus, students in Lewis’s cohort are leading their own research projects under the theme, “What is Research.”
“I have 11 students who are working on literature reviews and concepts on this theme in an attempt to help students broaden previously conceived notions of what research is and the many ways it is applied,” Lewis said. “We meet with students once a month and in the interim of those meetings students write reflections and brief research reports.”
One of his student’s research projects includes researching the challenges of cybersecurity from the personal perspective of having her identity stolen online. She is working from the humanities perspective of extending security practices to everyday people and even those who do not like computers and modern tech, Lewis said.
Another student is studying the French medical/healthcare system and comparing it to our U.S. healthcare system. This student is doing a study abroad program, and as a pre-med student, she will be shadowing a doctor in France. Her aim is to find out if the French/Euro system really is “better” than ours and if it is as inclusive – beyond health insurance—as many say here, said Lewis.
Communication assistant professor Bettina Durant’s CORE research students are doing experiential learning assignments such as the “Citation Scavenger Hunt: Create a Bibliography” which requires students to use Georgia State’s campus libraries find to find a newspaper article, a book, and a scholarly journal—and also cite them properly in the designated style.
“Documenting resources is critical in research as it gives proper credit to the author/authors of the body of work– and it serves as a safeguard against plagiarism,” Durant said. She credits the help of the research guides prepared by librarians Tamika Barnes, Amy Shaw, and Emily Kramer. “These research guides educated and motivated students as they worked to master narrowing a research topic–and perform a search.”
Research coordinators are planning to launch new projects this summer, thanks to two CORE bridge programs. A three-week program, which has a stipend of $400, for students, begins May 8, followed by an eight-week program with a $2,500 stipend, which starts June 5. The three-week program is required to apply for the eight-week program. For information contact Payne at [email protected]