December 16, 2021 | Issue 24
A Message from the Vice Provost

Many of you have heard recent media attention to the Great Resignation. Generally, this has been described as a mass exodus of people that have left their jobs to pursue new opportunities for a myriad of reasons resulting from the pandemic. People are looking at employment differently, valuing their time differently, and identifying what constitutes happiness differently. 

Hearing so much about the Great Resignation caused me to reflect about the ways in which the pandemic has transformed our lives, big and small. It also reminded me about political economist Karl Polanyi’s book, The Great Transformation, written in the 1940s. The book focuses on political and social upheavals due Great Britain's move to a market economy regulated by state institutions from a prior one based on reciprocity and ties to personal and communal forms of association. 

In simple terms, one of Polanyi’s main arguments is that market economies are embedded in social and political relationships and not the other way around. While I do not claim to know more than rudimentary economics, it would appear that the political and social effects of the pandemic have caused people to re-examine their lives in fundamental ways.

Might it be possible that one positive outcome is a move towards more reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationships? At Public Scholarship and Engagement, we sure hope so! As the end of this peri-pandemic year draws near, we wish you happy holidays and may the new year bring you meaningful transformational change.


In community,


Michael Rios
Vice Provost, Public Scholarship and Engagement  


P.S. On a personal note, I’d like to acknowledge the tremendous impact that Mary Martin-Mabry made to increasing awareness, understanding, and enthusiasm for public scholarship and engagement as our inaugural director of communications and marketing. Apropos of this month’s message, Mary successfully completed the CA International Marathon and began a new job as marketing director for CA Volunteers.  
Updates and Announcements
The Public Impact Research Initiative (PIRI) was established to recognize and support research that is cogenerated with community partners, is of mutual benefit, and has a positive public impact. Grants are for new collaborations or sustaining relationships that will support publicly engaged research with non-university partners. These awards are intended to position researchers for future funding, capacity building, and growth in research areas that include mutually beneficial partnerships.

Deadline: January 7, 2022
Public Engagement Champion
Woman wearing a red sweater and gray jeans smiles for a close up selfie.
Indira D'Souza, a third-year global disease biology major, shares her experience as an undergraduate trainee with the Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center, assisting with community data mapping as part of a Public Impact Research Initiative grant secured by professor Leigh Anne Simmons and project scientist Jennifer Phipps in collaboration with Resilient Yolo.

Recognitions and Celebrations
Congratulations to 20-21 Public Scholarship Faculty Fellow Keith Watenpaugh, who was recognized for his "significant contribution to human rights education in the United States."
Our former Graduate Research Fellow Larissa Saco just wrapped up her time as a Mellon Public Scholar. Check out her storytelling project done in collaboration with the City of Davis Arts and Cultural Affairs.
20-21 Public Scholarship Faculty Fellow Clare Cannon was named a Chancellor’s Fellow for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The fellowship “recognizes exceptional contributions in supporting, tutoring, mentoring, and advising” underrepresented students and/or underserved communities, Chancellor Gary S. May said in a letter.
20-21 Public Scholarship Faculty Fellow Ga Young Chung and 20-21 Public Impact Research Initiative grantee Charles Brummer have been collaborating on an interdisciplinary project that will gather stories of history, immigration, language, racism and economics, exploring issues ranging from laws that barred Asians from owning land in California to the impact of COVID-19 on small farmers to recent violence against Asian Americans. The team will develop a publicly available cultural “memory bank” archive, expand the diversity of plants grown through breeding and seed banks, and create a distribution network to make the crops more widely available.
Events and Opportunities
Global Affairs, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Sustainability offers grants to promote multidisciplinary collaborations focused on one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One award will go to a proposal that is focused on ensuring equal opportunity and reducing inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard (SDG 10.3), and one award for CAMPOS/CAMPSSAH scholars.

Deadline: January 4, 2022
The UC Davis Humanities Institute invites applications from doctoral and MFA students in the arts, humanities, and humanistic social sciences to join the 2022 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.

Deadline: January 14, 2022
As a grantmaking organization, UCHRI primarily funds UC faculty and graduate students who participate in innovative research and projects that engage a variety of disciplines and stakeholders. There are multiple award and grant opportunities currently open for applications and submissions. Visit their website for more information.

Deadline: February 22, 2022
In Other News
Two faculty members who received funding from the UC Davis Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement have gone on to win awards for their community-engaged research.
Caitlin Patler, Erin Hamilton, and Paola Langer featured their DACA research in a recent policy brief. Their research finds substantial improvements in birth outcomes for births conceived in the nine-month period following the announcement of DACA.
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 building and supporting meaningful relationships between communities and UC Davis scholars that work together to solve today’s problems and tomorrow’s challenges. We envision a university unbound that seeks to serve the public, equitably and inclusively, resulting in reciprocal and mutual benefit to California’s communities and beyond.

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