RE Log - Spring 2024

SPRING 2024 Ransom Everglades LOG 39 A closer look at the fellows’ projects: Bridging Humanities and STEM: Learning to Code Through Music Christine Keedy Brown ’24 Keedy Brown explored the use of music to help local elementary school children with little computer science experience learn to code and write programs. The Quest for Knowledge: An Exploration of the Impact of Local Journalism on Communities Emma Dvorkin ’24 Dvorkin examined “news deserts” — counties with only one newspaper — to understand the challenges facing small- town newspapers and their importance to democracy. Soviet Jewish Diaspora in NYC: Acculturation Dynamics of the Fourth Wave Daniela Gardiner ’24 Gardiner studied the extent to which fourth-wave Soviet Jews, who immigrated around the time of the fall of the USSR in 1991, acculturated in New York City religiously, socially and generationally. The Culture of Youth Sexuality Trinity Haisch ’24 Haisch studied the historical context of queer stigmatization, including current trends in American schools and recent legislation, and how it affects the culture of youth sexuality today. Artificial Intelligence in the Art World Camille Lugo ’24 Lugo studied artificial intelligence and investigated its impact on the creative industry, examining whether or not AI can create “real” and authentic art like human artists. Finding Creativity in Work Skye McPhillips ’24 McPhillips immersed herself in the art of cigar rolling by traveling to a cigar factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, where she interviewed and surveyed employees to understand the intersection between work and creativity. Today’s Chinese Cubans: Fighting to Keep their Cultural Identity Alive Elisa Sotero ’24 Sotero traveled to the Chinese district in Havana, Cuba, the Barrio Chino , to understand how Chinese Cubans have maintained a distinct cultural identity after their arrival 150 years ago to Cuba. Finding the Value of Education: An Examination of Kliptown, South Africa Julia Torto ’24 Torto explored the role of education in underprivileged communities with a case study of the Kliptown Youth Program, an after-school program in Johannesburg, South Africa, that has helped empower young women. The Effect of Place on the Creation of Identity in Third Culture Kids Jude Yeo ’24 Yeo examined how physical setting helps create identity in third-culture kids (those raised in a culture different from their parents), and he shared his findings from research and interviews through a website. An Alternative Examination of the Armenian Genocide: The “Human” in Human Trafficking Mikey Zoi ’24 Zoi sought to understand the systems and conditions that allowed for human trafficking rings to flourish throughout the Armenian Genocide, centering his ethnographic and historical research at the National Armenian Heritage Museum in Watertown, Mass.