Food Sovereignty and Agricultural Resilience: How Small-Scale Farms Model Sustainable Intensification For The Future of Food

Mentor: Caroline Kayko

Alexa White, M.S. is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is an agroecologist interested in international environmental governance and peasant studies. Alexa works with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to better understand how ‘Goal #2: To End Hunger’ is expected to impact the biology & management of small-scale farms. Her study sites are in Hawaii and Jamaica. In connection, she is the longtime co-director of the student organization Climate Blue. Climate Blue’s mission is to support the University of Michigan delegation for the UNFCCC Conference of Parties and to educate students & the greater community about climate governance. Alexa has served as a UN COP delegate and attended COP21 in Paris, COP24 in Poland and COP25 in Spain. In addition, she is a researcher for the University of Michigan’s Sustainability Without Borders project in Kampala, Uganda where she works to improve water filtration systems throughout the country. Alexa aspires to become the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) or hold a similar position in the future.

Fleece and Thank You: Blanket Making Event

Mentor: Paul Barrow

Fleece and Thank You at the University of Michigan is a student organization affiliated with the non-profit Fleece & Thank You. The mission of Fleece & Thank You is to provide comfort and hope to children admitted to Michigan hospitals, by giving them a fleece blanket that comes with a personalized video message. As a student organization on campus, their purpose is to facilitate the connection between Fleece & Thank You and the community, give volunteers the unique opportunity to fundraise or participate in activities that further the mission of Fleece and Thank You, and to work amongst other student organizations or volunteers who are interested in hosting a blanket-making event on the University of Michigan's campus.

Mentor: Rob Pettigrew

Andrea Mora is a fifth year doctoral candidate in the joint PhD program in Social Work and Developmental Psychology. In her research, she examines the experiences of adolescents exposed to community violence and sexual harassment, with a focus on Latinx families. Most recently, Andrea collaborated globally with two schools in a low-income, rural, indigenous community in Mexico to better understand how parent-adolescent relationships, family, and cultural values can protect families exposed to high levels of violence, with the aim of translating and disseminating research findings to best support families’ psychosocial well-being.

Unidos Podemos: Promoting Latinx Culture, Belonging and Academic Success

Mentor: Edras Rodriquez-Torres

The mission of Puentes is to create an equitable space that centers the intersectional identities of incoming and current Latinx graduate students and allies across schools, departments, and disciplines at U-M. As the first cross-disciplinary Latinx graduate student organization at U-M, Puentes strives to provide academic, cultural and social support in order to promote a Latinx community that succeeds in graduate school and beyond, and creates social impact. We strive to foster a space of community, healing, and empowerment, where students feel supported and equipped to advocate for their needs and the needs of their community during and beyond their academic tenure at U-M. Since its inception in 2019, Puentes has hosted an annual Fall Welcome Orientation event as well as other culturally affirming events that support students’ needs. Puentes aims to continue providing programming that allows students to socialize with one another, network professionally and make progress on course work and research.

Project MESA (Making Exams Safe and Accessible)

Mentor: LaTeesa James

Project MESA (Making Exams Safe and Accessible) is a multidisciplinary engineering design team led by undergraduate students at U-M. Their team is committed to improving access to cervical cancer screening in low-resource and rural communities in Nicaragua through the design of a portable gynecological exam table. Their table is portable, lightweight, easily sanitizable, and optimally positioned for a safe patient experience. In 2022, their team is manufacturing and delivering 4 tables to our partner clinics and collecting data to analyze the impact of our project.

WORTH

Mentor: Judy Smith 

WORTH is a student organization at the University of Michigan. Through consciousness-raising and activism, WORTH's mission is for members to empower one another and confront prevalent issues in reproductive health and justice, subsequently enacting change at various levels.

Día de los Muertos Ball

Mentor: Gabriel Duque

Established as the First Latina Sorority in 1975, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. has paved the way and set the foundation for culture, tradition and sisterhood. Founded as an academic organization that caters towards the needs of all women, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority emphasizes scholarly excellence, empowerment of the Universal Woman and promoting Latina unity through charitable and educational programs. As the 38th undergraduate chapter in the nation of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated, our chapter, Beta Omicron, has developed a high level of dedication to participating and engaging in many social, political and cultural awareness programming on campus.

An Embodied Exploration of Indigenous Mathematical Teaching, Learning, & Doing for Social Justice

Mentor: Karen Downing 

Gabrielle Elizabeth Bernal is a former special education teacher, currently pursuing her PhD in Educational Studies with a focus on teaching and teacher education at the School of Education. Her research interests center on teacher education, mathematics education, teachers' and students' mathematical multimodal discourse, and embodied experiences. Her interdisciplinary work is rooted in performance studies and culturally sustaining education in formal and informal math learning spaces in the community, at home, and within schools.

Don’t Leave Us Behind- A Documentary

Mentor: Justin Schell

Isabella Kehoe is a current third year student studying Women and Gender Studies in LSA, while also working towards a BA in the Stamps School of Art and Design with focuses on printmaking and animation. She began working with Don't Leave Us Behind as an intern during the summer of 2021. DLUB is an Ann Arbor based volunteer organization advocating for the improvement of literacy in Michigan, primarily through community outreach and spreading awareness for equitable and evidence-based state legislation.

MDraw Art Workshops 

Mentor: Autumn Wetli

Jakub Mikolajczak's organization, MDraw, provides quality art supplies to all our members for free and hosts educational workshops for our experienced and new artists to hone their skills. They recently added live figure drawing to our list of available workshops!

Beyond the Black Plight Narrative: Exploring Black Joy on Social Media

Mentor: Charles Ransom

Jasmine is a second year Ph.D. student in the Personality and Social Context program. She work under the guidance of Dr. Monique Ward and Dr. Isis Settles. Her current research focuses on understanding the online experiences of racial and sexual minorities ranging from racial discrimination to the ways people express and feel joy online.

Anti-Hmong Violence Research Project 

Mentor: Nicole Scholtz

Jessica Wang (she/her) is a current senior studying Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology with a minor in Gender & Health. In the immediate future, she would love to pursue a gap year position (and graduate) before applying to medical school and is highly interested in joining the Peace Corps. Jessica is working with Cia Siab on the Anti-Hmong Violence Report Project which is an ongoing two-year project focused on bridging the gap in public discourse around anti-Asian and specifically anti-Hmong-related violence incidents. This project came about after identifying the significant lack of recognition for anti-Hmong incidents as well as how to appropriately and better serve the community after such incidents occur. The goals of this collaborative project are to have a comprehensive English and Hmong written report detailing our findings as well as a digital repository and map that will track anti-Hmong violence incidents. In these two methods, the publication of this report ultimately seeks to draw awareness of the violence happening in our communities as well as teach community organizations and members strategies in dealing with situations related to racial violence.

Pregnant in Prison: During a Pandemic

Mentor: Marna Clowney-Robinson

Prison Birth Project is a student organization at the University of Michigan that operates at the intersection of reproductive and restorative justice. We aim to ensure legal reproductive healthcare access inside and outside of the carceral system. We also advocate for humane conditions of confinement and smooth reentry to society. Using anti-racist and inclusive practices, PBP engages in research projects, educational initiatives, community outreach, and political organizing.

The role invisibility and hypervisibility play on the workplace experiences of essential employees

Mentor: Meredith Kahn

Maira Areguin is dedicated to understanding the experiences of, and advocating for, low-income workers, and particularly Latinx farmworkers. Currently pursuing a joint PhD in Women’s and Gender Studies and Psychology, Maira is using an interdisciplinary approach to study experiences of harassment, incivility, and discrimination among Latina farmworkers and, most recently, to the role of invisibility in farmworkers’ experiences of mistreatment. By extending the concept of invisible work from feminist scholarship on women’s labor in the home to essential workers and farmworkers, Maira’s research seeks to assess how invisibility of these workers and their labor affects their working conditions and workplace mistreatment.

A Case for Equitable Capital Allocation in New Startup Ecosystems Recommendation: Mayor’s Fund of Funds

Mentor: Mary Moeller (mcmoelle@umich.edu)

Marian Omidiji is an MBA Candidate at the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business with emphases on Finance and Entrepreneurship. Marian is extremely passionate about highlighting the alpha opportunity of investing in companies with gender-balanced teams. In the past year, she worked with the Mayor of Dallas’ Task Force on Entrepreneurship and Innovation to provide recommendations that incentivize women entrepreneurship. She is currently conducting an Independent Study to further the resolve that including women in the capital allocation cycle is a business imperative. In addition to her academic pursuits, Marian is a member of the For(bes) the Culture, a community aimed at highlighting black professionals trailblazing in different fields; the host of the FEMoney podcast, a podcast aimed at arming women with the practical financial skills needed to pursue their goals and follow their dreams. She is the International Ms. Michigan 2021 pageant titleholder. 

Michigan Animation Club Member Projects

Mentor: Jamie Vander Broek

The Michigan Animation Club is dedicated to creating and appreciating animation. It’s a space for both artists and enthusiasts who wish to further their abilities in animation and illustration, all while learning to use the variety of technical tools available to us. We create and critique animated films, host a variety of technical workshops, and screen weekly animated shorts. But most importantly: we have fun! We invite students from any year or department to join, the only specification being a passion to learn and create!

Auxocardia Journal: A journal for medical humanities and narrative medicine

Mentor: Rebecca Welzenbach & Tyler Nix

Auxocardia is a literary and visual arts journal for future healthcare providers to share in the process of becoming. It is a place for the heart growing, the heart-breaking, as well as (sometimes!) literal questions about the heart. Auxocardia seeks to share the triumphs, trials, and tribulations of medical, social work, midwifery, nursing, dentistry and PA school. It seeks to recognize the immense privilege of working in the healing professions, honoring the patients we serve, and recognizing the teachers who shape us, while also offering an honest take on the challenge of becoming a healthcare provider.

When Your Neighbor Needs a Tow: The Intersections of Agriculture, Environmental Law, and Community 

Mentor: Juli McLoone

I am a senior studying Program in the Environment, focusing on Environmental Law and Policy, as well as minoring in Public Policy through the Ford School. Growing up in a farming family, I have witnessed various ways farmers interact with and view the environment- especially environmental regulations. As I originally thought farming was something I thought I would constrain to back home, I find myself continually asking about the intersections and impacts between environmental policies/laws and farmers/farm workers-- as they are the ones doing the groundwork! Thus, I am extremely excited to be creating dialogue with farmers, and art!, surrounding their views, interactions, and suggestions surrounding agriculture and the environment-- and to be supported by the U-M Library in my project!

Living a Sustainable Lifestyle: College Edition

Mentor: Jacob Glenn

Natasha Dacic is a NSF Fellow and PhD Student in the Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering Department. Her PhD research focuses on greenhouse gas emissions from urban and agricultural regions in the US. She is passionate about living a more sustainable lifestyle and enjoys sharing eco-friendly tips with others. When not busy trying to save the world, she enjoys playing volleyball with friends or going backpacking!

Opportunities to Educate Children: Virtual Tutoring Initiative

Mentor: Diana Perpich

Opportunities to Educate Children seeks to promote and provide educational access for children in Washtenaw County by means of tutoring and mentoring from University of Michigan Students. We currently place tutors to work with our three partners, Peace Neighborhood Center, 826 Michigan, and Mott Children’s Hospital/Michigan Medicine. Our tutors work weekly at their designated locations with local students on a variety of tasks including math, science, reading, and writing. Throughout the process, we work hard to instill confidence and perseverance in our students, traits we believe to be foundational to their success in the future. This year, Opportunities to Educate Children has already placed over 140 students in tutoring opportunities.

Mentor: Emily Capellari

Rachna Iyer is a third-year senior at the University of Michigan majoring in Psychology and English with a Creative Writing sub-concentration. She is currently working on Honors theses for both of her majors, where her Psychology thesis involves an experiment about anxiety, emotion regulation strategies and creativity, and her English thesis will be a manuscript of original poetry. In her free time, she enjoys making Spotify playlists out of the same five songs and losing at board games (except Scrabble, she's pretty good at Scrabble).

The Lookout Project

Mentor: Darlene Nichols

The Lookout Project is a non-profit organization founded in Washtenaw County by five students at the University of Michigan. Our three main areas of focus are as follows; 1. Training and equipping the general public and specifically, people who have been incarcerated, to respond to an overdose, 2. Raising awareness about harm reduction practices and the fatal flaw of criminalizing addiction, and 3. Breaking down the stigma surrounding substance use disorders through education. People who use drugs make up a community that is oftentimes underserved, which is one of the reasons our project is so vital. One of the main ways we serve this community is by providing free opioid overdose response kits through our website (https://www.lookoutproject.org/), and through this we recently sent out our 500th kit! Additionally, we are currently in the process of obtaining IRB approval to begin researching the demographics of people ordering our kits in order to better serve people who may benefit from access to our free opioid overdose response kits. Current projects include setting up a vending machine that offers free opioid overdose materials in Washtenaw County, and beginning an internship program for returning citizens. Although our team started as five students at the University of Michigan, in about two years we have grown to now include more than 20 people in our team. Our team is diverse and extends further than students at Michigan, all with a common goal to prevent deaths due to opioid overdoses.

WolverineSoft Studio: Project Bloom Tower

Mentor: Jamie Vander Broek

WolverineSoft is a Game Development organization on campus with the goal to teach students Game Development and Design techniques along with producing large profession