The Service-Learning Fellows program, now entering its eighth year, provides an opportunity for faculty members from a range of disciplines to integrate academic service-learning into their professional practice. Fellows meet regularly throughout the academic year and receive an award of up to $2,500 to develop a proposed service-learning project. The 2012-13 Service-Learning Fellows are:
• Michael Castengera, senior lecturer of journalism and telecommunications, who will connect citizen journalists with student journalists who have worked on the Grady Newsource and are now in the advanced reporting and producing class to develop more in-depth video reports on issues of community-wide interest.
• Ann Glauser, associate professor of academic enhancement, who plans to work with the Office of School Engagement in the College of Education to develop and host campus visits by local school children, allowing students to apply interpersonal, leadership and critical thinking skills.
•Betina Kaplan, associate professor of Romance languages, who will build on the “Practicum in Service-Learning” course, which allows students to use their developing language skills in community settings by creating additional opportunities for students to foster literacy skills with local Spanish-speaking adults.
•Anna Karls, associate professor of microbiology, who will work with the Office of Service-Learning and the Graduate School to expand career development in service-learning and community engagement for graduate students, including the course “Approaches to Community Engagement.”
• Emily Sahakian, assistant professor of theatre and film and Romance languages, who will develop and teach a new course in community-based theater in which students will collaborate with youth from the local community to apply acting and improvisation to solving real-world problems and concerns.
• Ajay Sharma, assistant professor of veterinary biosciences and diagnostic imaging, who will develop clinical rotations for advanced veterinary students to help them apply and communicate their medical skills in a community setting. The interactions should help foster a desire in local children for higher education focused on science, particularly veterinary medical careers.
• Anne Shenk, public service assistant and education director at the State Botanical Garden, who will develop and co-teach interdisciplinary after-school gardening courses that will provide students with experience in environmental and science education by having them work with children in applied, school-garden settings.
• Kim Skobba, assistant professor of housing and consumer economics, who will connect students with local nonprofit housing organizations to give them the opportunity to build job-related skills while learning about management of the organizations and the populations they serve.
• Julie Spivey, associate professor of graphic design, who will identify and support graphic design students in various opportunities to collaborate with community and campus organizations to create visual communication that will inspire positive social impact.