UCTV videos of all projects from 2018 – 2019:
Baskets 2 Bytes: Indigenous Voices – Heritage Preservation and Revitalization
Graduate fellows:
- Alfredo Gaona Gaytan
- Etka Kandhway
- Miriam Campos Martinez
Project summary:
With additional support, this project started on the second year of the Luce Foundation grant. The second Baskets 2 Bytes (B2B) team built on the foundation of the original project by employing anthropological methods including oral history, interviews, and participant observation, along with some archival work, to document the cultural importance of baskets and basket weaving the lives of Indigenous communities.
Project poster:
Historic Places Merced: Digital Preservation of Historic buildings in the Community of Merced
Graduate fellow:
- Anaïs Guillem
Project summary:
This project partners with the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) and the Merced County Courthouse Museum to provide rigorous research using the following methods: digitizing historical inventory, conducting oral histories, sounding archives, and analyzing urban space. This project implements an online platform to record, update, and access the data about architectural heritage of Merced. This project was initially funded in the first year of the grant and was renewed for a second year.
Project poster:
How Did We Get Here? A Comic Book for More Equitable and Healthy Merced Land-use
Graduate fellow:
- Ahmed Correa
- Amalia Perez Martin
- Joshua Semerjian
Project summary:
This community-engaged project aims to answer the following question: what specific policies and practices in Merced’s history have left a legacy of poor health outcomes, segregation, and/or reduced opportunities for low-income folks and people of color? The project connects graduate student fellows with youth journalists from We’Ced Youth Media in collaboration to investigate the history of Merced land use and its differential impact on residents. Research done will be presented in a comic book sponsored by Building Healthy Communities, a comprehensive community initiative launched by the California Endowment.
Project poster:
Cannabis/Marijuana: Economic Impact On the City of Merced
Graduate fellow:
-
Tabesh Zaidi
Project summary:
This project aims to collect data about the revenue generated by the cannabis industry since portions of this revenue are supposed to be allocated to community services and data is not widely available. Forecasts by the State of California and information from city officials provide some information but interviews with those who are involved with the process of legalization, establishing a dispensary, bank officials and community members will inform the study. Non-academic community partners such as Building Healthy Communities Southwest/East Merced County are vital to this project as well as local public health officials and economic development officials in Merced.
Project poster:
Merced: A City of Arts and Culture
Graduate fellow:
-
Camille Paladino Ponce
Project summary:
This project works closely with Colton Dennis and Kathryn Hansen, staff members of the Merced County Arts Council as well as with artist Lisa Gilliland-Viney to assess whether Merced should create an Arts & Culture district in downtown. The focus will be placed on a community development model with the goal being to create buy-in from the diverse communities within Merced. The project aims to create a feeling of inclusion in the planning of this proposed district and guide community members as they create a state-recognized Arts & Culture District. Data collection for this project includes a Qualtrics survey, ethnographic interviews, and focus groups to involve Merced residents and key informant interviews with local stakeholders.
Project poster:
