- investigate the history of panda conservation programs at the San Diego Zoo and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo through interviews and archival research to study the way conservation alliances between the United States and China have developed as their political relationship has changed;
- examine statues and busts of David Livingstone across England and Scotland. Through observation, photography, and archival research, explore his posthumous legacy in each country and the way his memory is tied to the United Kingdom’s colonialist history;
- travel through Sicily and Southern Italy to examine a variety of ecclesiastical buildings constructed by the Normans, examining architecture, iconography, and placement within the built environment to understand the sights and experiences of late eleventh and twelfth century Italian Christianity;
- investigate the potential of public art as a form of community building and as a catalyst for urban revitalization by examining public art projects in Detroit, Chicago, and Houston in which an individual artist uses art and architecture to spur community interest and urban revitalization in poor, marginalized neighborhoods;
- study genetics among queer families in Seattle and Portland by using a variety of anthropological research methods to narrow focus, paying close attention to children conceived in the 1990s and having recently come of age, to examine the ways children in queer families understand kinship in relation to the dominant definition of kinship as biology;
- research the political ecology of gray wolf management in northern Wyoming through ethnographic research to examine diverging perspectives from ranchers, game officials, and legislators involved in managing expanding wolf populations, as well as how these competing stakeholders fit into and are considered in conservation frameworks;
These are just examples of projects that have been funded. Other topics are welcome! Students are urged to consult with the Director of Student Fellowships early in the process of drawing up their proposals.