December 17, 2020 | Issue 14 |
|
Like so many of us, I cannot wait for this year to be over.
The holidays are traditionally a time when we gather with friends and family to celebrate, reflect on the year ending and dream of opportunities yet to come. But this year is much different from any other we have collectively experienced. We aren’t able to gather and celebrations are muted at best; many of us are looking forward to starting anew but we’re not as eager to reflect on the past; it’s harder to find things to be thankful for this season when there is so much to mourn. Yet thinking of reasons we have to be grateful might be exactly what we need to make it through the final days of 2020.
Around Thanksgiving, I caught an episode of the radio show Hidden Brain that was focused on the science behind gratitude. The host talked with a psychologist about contemporary studies on willpower, in which researchers have found that emotions are a huge source of motivation — sometimes we do difficult things because we think we should, but more often it’s because we feel we should. One emotion, in particular, seemed to make people more willing to sacrifice in the moment for future gains: gratitude.
Not only does gratitude make it easier to persevere toward the future, but it can also reduce stress, strengthen relationships and improve overall well being. The sense that someone has gone out of their way to do something for you — no matter the cost to themselves — is what cements relationships and impels one to reciprocate. It's been a long year, and a brighter future still feels far away. But when I think of all the individuals and organizations that went out of their way to support Public Scholarship and Engagement this year — by serving on advisory committees, pursuing publicly impactful research, hosting events with community organizations, and sharing their stories of engagement — I am overcome with gratitude and a strong desire to continue fostering a culture of engagement at UC Davis.
Research indicates that over time individuals who expressed gratitude reported better quality of relationships, enhanced well-being, and fewer feelings of loneliness. The heart of public engagement is connectedness. Pandemic imposed physical distance has challenged our previous notions of what it means to be connected, but so many of our friends and partners have adapted spectacularly. In lieu of an in-person convening, our colleagues at Imagining America pivoted to a month-long series of talks and digital storytelling — allowing us to connect with people in new ways. Professor Milmon Harrison was unable to conduct his community-engaged learning course as planned, but he reimagined how his students could collect oral histories from Sacramento’s Black community, and inspired other faculty members to apply for the Faculty Fellows program. Through outdoor gatherings, Zoom check-ins and virtual events, we have all found ways to stay connected and build relationships.
It may be more difficult to feel grateful this season than in previous years, but I am comforted by the idea that gratitude is a skill, not a trait, that it’s not just a quality we inherently possess but rather something one can work on. The more we look for chances to feel it, the more we cultivate it in our own lives. As the sun sets on this difficult year, I encourage you to join us in looking for opportunities to summon gratitude so that together we may continue to feel connected and manifest a brighter future.
In community,
Michael Rios
Vice Provost, Public Scholarship and Engagement
|
|
|
|
|
Congratulations to all of the UC Davis professors elected to this year's class of fellows, including our Associate Vice Provost Tessa Hill, Faculty Fellow Valerie Eviner, and Provost Work Group member Jonathan Eisen. We're thrilled that so many fellows are doing publicly engaged and impactful work.
|
|
|
|
This year, in lieu of a live showcase, the 2020 Mellon Public Scholars created videos based on their research. From poetry workshops and participatory journalism projects to cultural burns with Indigenous Californians and a graphic novel about the lives of trafficked Filipinx teachers, the 2020 scholars have collaborated with their community partners to create transformative summer projects. Learn about their community-engaged research projects.
|
|
|
|
|
Sam Gensaw, Yurok Tribe member and Nature Rights Council founder — collaborating with Associate Professor Katherine Kim through our Public Impact Research Initiative grant — is featured in Gather, a documentary about the growing movement among Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty.
|
|
|
|
Creating a culture of engagement that increases the university’s public impact is a collective effort. We know faculty, staff and students across campus are already doing this work — through training, workshops, film screenings, lectures, discussions and more. We want to help. Public Scholarship and Engagement provides co-sponsorship funding for events like these that contribute to our vision of UC Davis research, teaching and learning that serves society and makes a positive difference in the world.
|
|
|
Public Engagement Champion |
|
|
A relentless supporter of open access to scientific knowledge, Professor Jonathan Eisen takes the complicated topics his lab works on — like the study of ecology, evolution and function of microbes and microbial communities — and makes them approachable and understandable to the general public. Read his story.
|
|
|
The 2020-21 call for proposals for the Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals sponsored by Global Affairs, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the Office of Sustainability is open. The grants facilitate faculty work on the economic, social, and environmental issues that are critical to humankind at the local, regional, national, and international levels. UC Davis is committed to contributing to the achievement of these goals through research, teaching, and service.
Deadline: January 11, 2021
|
|
|
The UC Davis Humanities Institute invites applications from doctoral and MFA students in the arts, humanities, and humanistic social sciences to join the 2021 cohort of Mellon Public Scholars. The program introduces graduate students to the intellectual and practical aspects of identifying, addressing, and collaborating with members of a public through their scholarship. Each student will work with a faculty partner to develop a community-based research project and receive a $7,500 stipend to support the project over summer 2021.
Deadline: January 15, 2021
|
|
|
The First-Year Seminar program invites proposals for courses co-taught by (current and former) Mellon Public Scholars and their faculty mentors in Spring 2021. Importantly, we seek proposals with extensive community input in the development and delivery of the seminar.
All proposals will be considered for the First-Year Seminar program; however, those who submit a “statement of collaboration” will be eligible for a supplemental $500 grant for their community partners.
Deadline: January 15, 2021
|
|
|
One Health Institute is initiating a small grants program to promote the integration of the One Health approach into efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We believe that the One Health approach is both in need of better DEI immersion throughout all engagements and could also be an excellent method for exploring novel applications and improvements to address inequities. We would like to encourage innovative proposals that connect students, staff, faculty, and community members to address these issues.
Deadline: January 31, 2021
|
|
|
Do you have a story about student debt? UC Davis design students are collecting real-life stories from individuals who have experienced student debt. How have you managed? Are you still in debt now? Stories will be collected and shared; some will be projected at the Manetti Shrem Museum.
|
|
Citizen Science Project
If you're in the Tahoe area during winter storms, keep your eyes on the sky and report whether it is raining, snowing, or a wintry mix. With your observations, Tahoe Rain or Snow is working on better estimating how much water falls on the Sierra Nevada during winter.
Text WINTER to 855-909-0798.
|
|
|
Are you currently researching or thinking about researching the LGBTQIA community?
Three graduate students are gauging interest in a peer group for LGBTQIA students, faculty, and/or staff who are currently researching or thinking about researching the LGBTQIA community. Learn more and reach out.
|
|
|
Peri and his colleagues at the UC Davis Global Migration Center take an interdisciplinary approach to migration research to better understand its impacts
|
|
The projects this year's Mellon Public Scholars completed over the summer of 2020 generated structures of community care, built platforms for art and stories from marginalized communities, provided necessary perspectives on systemic injustice, and served as examples of public scholarship’s crucial role in today’s world.
|
|
In the remote learning environment, students in a UC Davis University Writing Program engineering writing class have a new way to engage in global collaborations.
|
|
Partnering for the Public Good |
|
|
At a time when our planet and its people face unprecedented challenges, UC Davis is reimagining the vital links that connect university, community and society. Philanthropic support plays a vital role in advancing UC Davis research, education and collaborations that make the world a better place. We invite the partnership of university friends who share our vision of discovery, learning and engagement for the public good. |
|
About Public Scholarship and Engagement |
|
|
Public Scholarship and Engagement is fostering a culture of engagement at UC Davis that increases the university’s impact through mutually-beneficial relationships that have local, regional, statewide and global reach. We envision UC Davis research, teaching and learning that serves society and makes a positive difference in the world.
Thanks for reading this month's issue! If you have something you would like to include in the next issue of Public Scholarship and Engagement, please submit through this form. Our readers want to hear about your projects, events, publications, opportunities and more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
