Author: Jes Beals

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VIDEO: Sanglim Yoo: Discovering New Ways to Improve Cities

Video screen shot

Ball State University Alumni magazine recapped the recent immersive learning work of CERES Affiliated Faculty Sanglim Yoo, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning.  Funded by Provost Immersive Learning grants, Dr. Yoo has led student teams in analyzing the potential of brownfields in Delaware and Grant Counties as sites for solar farms and in assessing and improving economic sustainability efforts in Muncie.  These projects also allow students to improve their skills in using socioeconomic and demographic data and the geographic information system (GIS) mapping tool.  Read more on the BSU Alumni Magazine’s website!

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Published Article: Voices of Partnerships within the Critical Service-Learning Framework

Congratulations to the Whitely Community Council’s Ken Hudson and Frank Scott, as well as Ball State Associate Professor Kiesha Warren-Gordon (Criminal Justice) for their recently published article in the Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education! “Voices of Partnership within the Critical Service-Learning Framework” discusses how community partners can be involved in all states of the critical service learning process, including course planning and collaborative research.

ABSTRACT:

Over the course of the past three decades, service learning has become a major component in higher education. Heretofore, however, there has been no published research that focuses on the community partner or that assesses the role of the community partner within the community-service-learning (CSL) model. This paper fills that gap by focusing on the community partner relationship as delineated by Mitchell (2008), the community partner’s position in CSL, and the authentic relationships between the community partner, class, and instructor. Specifically, we address the following question: How do community partners articulate their voices within the CSL framework? This paper argues that community partners may articulate their own voices and concerns through the use of autoethnography, as well as through involvement in all stages of the CSL process, including course-planning and subsequent collaborative scholarship.

READ MORE!

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Makerspaces

In the Spring 2020 Semester, the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry hosted an amazing program allowing students with the BSU English Department in partnership with the Muncie Arts and Culture Council to explore the “makers” movement becoming increasingly popular in our cities. The investigation covered some of the cool makerspaces here in Muncie and culminated in a large enough collection of stories and data for 2 print books – a compilation of oral histories and a collection of photo essays featuring stories of Muncie makers. Learn more at the website for the project on the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry’s site, and check out these other awesome resources!

Project Website | Seminar Facebook Page | Interactive Map of Muncie & Surrounding Area Makerspaces

 

Faculty Mentor: Laura Romano
Department: English
Community Partner: Muncie Arts and Culture Council
Student Team: Stressca Nathaniel, Tamera Sims, Jack Satter, Elizabeth Baum, Mason Killebrew, Jessica Snow, Andrew (Drew) Catalano, Halie Wills, Sarah Morrow, Laura Romano, Darrin Sims, Elizabeth Riester, Hannah (Cali) Fehr

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Anthony-Northside Gateway Project

The Wheeling/Cowing monuments loaded on a flatbed for transport

PHOTO provided by the Anthony Northside Neighborhood Association

The stone gateway at the entrance to the Wheeling Park Addition at Wheeling/Cowing and another remaining stone boundary post on Wheeling are the last standing structures in Muncie born of the generosity of Harriett B. Anthony.

In April 2019 the Anthony-Northside Neighborhood Association (ANNA) discovered these monuments were in the path of the city’s planned reconstruction of Wheeling Avenue. A mad scramble was made to find the funding and resources to save the historic gates. With the help of numerous state and local organizations including Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning, Indiana Landmarks, the Muncie Board of Works, and the Federal Highway Administration funds were eventually allocated for the Indiana Department of Transportation to remove the iconic brickwork and return them to their original locations once the Wheeling project completes.

Read the whole story and see more photos of the project on ANNA’s website!

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Tourist Maps for Muncie and Delaware County

Students in Geography 341 (Cartography and Visualization of Spatial Data) partnered with the Muncie Visitors Bureau to produce visual materials that promote Muncie attractions to area visitors. Students collected and organized data during the semester and explored possible map designs for both print brochures and interactive online applications. Guides on restaurants and breweries, Muncie pop culture, the Garfield trail, and the Bob Ross experience are just some of the pieces completed by the students.

Faculty Mentor: Jörn Seemann
Department: Geography
Community Partner: Muncie Visitors Bureau
Student Team:  Alyssa Bilbrey, Jarrett Braden, William Cape, Dan Council, Becca Garrett, Nathan Gidley, Elante Ingram, Jamie Johnson, Benjamin Lutz, Riley Mccreary, Ben Meyer, Jordan Verdeyen, Clay Zeigler

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Geospatial Design Laboratory

Geospatial data – data that is associated with a particular location – is an increasingly valuable asset for managing, analyzing, and displaying information related to geographic areas. Students partnered with organizations such as the Delaware County Food Council and Cardinal Weather Service to collaborate on intensive, hands-on projects that resulted in maps, charts, data, and other tools that would benefit the partners. Students identified the project objectives and acquired and prepared geospatial data for analysis. They communicated with community partners to assess progress on the project and produced high-quality products. During the project, students partnered with the Delaware County Food Council, used maps and graphics to tell an engaging story about food access, and designed a digital survey that collected local input as to where residents shop for food and how they perceive food access in the county.

Faculty Mentor: Jörn Seemann
Department: Geography
Community Partner: Muncie Visitors Bureau
Student Team: Jarrett Braden, Bailey Brooks, William Cape, Nathan Gagnon, Becca Garrett, Jacob Haas, Zach Hagemeier, Elante Ingram, Jamie Johnson, Aaron Jones, Connor Kurtz, Joseph Lopilato, Benjamin Lutz, Riley McCreary, Ben Meyer, Patrick Ollier, Rachel Pereira, Nathan Santichen, Kelby Smith, Letia Snorden, Jonathan Strang, Jordan Verdeyen, Maggie Warren, Andy Wilson, Erick Wilson, Jordan Wolfe, Clay Zeigler