2024 Award Recipients

Independent Research Projects

Juan Fernandez Gonzalez, Master’s of Architecture Candidate, Graduate School of Design, “Sustainable Renovations of Louis Kahn’s Buildings”

Sustainable Renovations of Louis Kahn’s Buildings will document selected brick and concrete buildings by the architect Louis Kahn that were recently renovated to become more sustainable. The project consisted of drawing wall assemblies and technical construction details, using a thermal imaging device to document heat transfer, interviewing the architecture firms who led the renovation projects, and studying Louis Kahn’s archive at the University of Pennsylvania.

Eduarda Lira da Silva Nabuco de Araujo, PhD candidate in African and African American Studies, and History, “Ancestral Futures: Ecologies of the Sacred in Afro-Brazilian Spiritualities” 

This project contributed to the scholarly endeavor of highlighting alternative Afro-Brazilian liturgical notions of ecology in the past and present. The funded research pursued fieldwork in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and resulted in ten oral histories with leaders of Afro-Brazilian religions to foreground alternative ways of conceiving of non-human or more-than-human agents and our relationship to them, a key paradigmatic shift to address the climate crisis.

Yunzhi Liu, Master of Arts, Regional Studies East Asia, “Havoc or Harmony: the Past and Future of Whales in Japan” 

This interdisciplinary research project investigated the dynamics of whaling in Japan, analyzing its social, political, and environmental implications, aiming to inform sustainable marine ecosystem management and enhance public discourse on marine biodiversity. Through archival research and fieldwork in Japan, the research work offered insights into the complexities of marine conservation and the role of cultural practices and public perspectives in shaping environmental policies and global oceanic issues.

Matthew Lukacz Przemyslaw, PhD., History of Science, “Deciding about Nature in the Age of Algorithms: Technopolitics of Biodiversity Conservation in the EU” 

This research examined the role of algorithmic decision support software in the history of science and in the history of global public policy efforts to address biodiversity protection. The dissertation followed one software suite, MARXAN, through three distinct political regimes of Australia, the United States, and the European Union (EU). The funding made possible preliminary research on the use of MARXAN in biodiversity policy in the EU.

Maria Begona Peiro Salvador, Doctor of Design Candidate, Graduate School of Design, “Planned Relocation as a Last Resort Strategy in the Face of Climate Change”

This research project focused on government-driven planned relocation (PR) initiatives being adopted as a last-resort adaptation strategy in informal settlements. The aim was to examine the factors that influence decision-making processes, both on the side of the actors driving institutionalized PR processes and the informal settlers relocating.

Nicholas Rhodes, Master of Architecture Candidate, Graduate School of Design, “Planting Roots: Cross-Cultural Perceptions of Contemporary Straw-Based Construction” 

Straw-based construction has the potential to help turn the building industry from a carbon emitter into a carbon sink, but negative public perception in the US challenges adoption. This research explored the UK’s successful efforts in mainstreaming straw construction, examining the sociocultural context driving policy changes, technical innovations, and greater acceptance of bio-based materials. Ultimately, this project explored lessons from the UK to shift perceptional paradigms of straw-based construction materials in the US.

Makio Yamamoto, Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Urban Planning Candidate, Graduate School of Design, “Taking(s) on the Mississippi”

Taking(s) on the Mississippi allowed an analysis of the Birds-Point New Madrid Floodway which investigated the relationship between law, flood infrastructures, and sovereignty along the Mississippi River. A combination of fieldwork, legislative, and legal analysis resulted in a report describing the history of water control at the New Madrid floodway, providing a base to imagine resilient flood control systems at the heart of our nation’s largest watershed.