Public Scholarship and Engagement Funds 5 Community College Collaborations
From addressing racial disparities to restoring forests, five newly funded public engagement projects in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis will help communities in California and around the world shape their future.
The campus-community projects were recently awarded 2023 Public Impact Research Initiative (PIRI) grants from UC Davis Public Scholarship and Engagement. The projects were among 13 awardees selected from more than 25 applicants across UC Davis.
“The 2023 PIRI grant winners exemplify the university’s commitment to engaged scholarship and community-driven research,” said Michael Rios, vice provost for public engagement and scholarship. “Through their collaborations with local communities, these projects are paving the way for more inclusive and participatory research, creating lasting social impact and reimagining the university’s land-grant mission.”
The PIRI grants were established in 2019 to support research that is cogenerated with community partners, is of mutual benefit and has a positive public impact. The grants provide critical funding for innovative and impactful community engagement projects that might otherwise be overlooked or underfunded.
Read on for a brief overview, and visit Public Scholarship and Engagement for full descriptions and a list of all team members.
Historicizing Municipal Reparations in Sacramento
How did the City of Sacramento perpetuate and construct racial disparities in the city? Department of History faculty and graduate students will help the Sacramento Mayor’s Office research that question this summer, providing support for the city’s municipal reparations effort.
- Faculty lead: Gregory Downs, professor, Department of History
- Community partner: City of Sacramento Mayor's Office
Restoring and Rewilding a Q'eqchi' Commons
This partnership with Q’eqchi’ Maya in Guatemala and ACDIP, a Q’eqchi’ peasant federation, will help establish communal forests with culturally significant tree species and jumpstart reforestation in two villages.
- Faculty lead: Liza Grandia, associate professor, Department of Native American Studies
- Community partner: ACDIP (Indigenous Peasant Association for the Integrated Development of Petén)
Assessing Soil and Water Quality in Climate-Vulnerable Marin City
Marin City faces issues of crumbling infrastructure, pollution and disinvestment, leading to high rates of chronic health issues and disabilities. This collaboration will address the community-defined need of testing soil and tap water quality.
- Faculty lead: Alyssa Griffin, assistant professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
- Community partner: Marin City Climate Resilience and Health Justice
The Marchand History Lab: Broadening the California Narrative through K-16 Inquiry
The Marchand History Lab will bring together graduate and undergraduate students, TK-12 teachers and other scholars to learn about historical research using UC Davis' special collections, with an emphasis on Latinx and California history.
- Faculty lead: Nancy McTygue, executive director of the California History-Social Science Project, Department of History
- Community partner: California Revealed, California State Library
State Paralysis: The Impacts of Procurement Risk on Government Effectiveness
This project will investigate why developing countries like Brazil do not spend substantial portions of their budgets on public services — despite clear needs — by examining the role of procurement risk as a driver of unspent public funds.
- Faculty lead: Diana Moreira, assistant professor, Department of Economics
- Community Partner: CONASEMS (Brazilian Council of Municipal Health Secretaries)
— Adapted from a UC Davis Public Scholarship and Engagement article.