The Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement announced its third class of Public Scholarship Faculty Fellows, continuing a program begun in 2020 to acknowledge and reward exemplary individuals who are working toward specific public scholarship goals or outcomes.

“I am excited to grow the number of scholars who are building mutually beneficial partnerships with our communities,” Vice Provost Michael Rios said.

Public scholarship is broadly defined as research, teaching and learning that has an impact beyond the university. The Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement views this work as inclusive of different disciplines and types of scholarly activity.

“Our third cohort of faculty fellows truly embodies the diverse forms of public scholarship at UC Davis,” Rios said.

The six new faculty fellows will pursue projects on health equity, municipal reparations for racism and understanding how parents talk to their children, among other topics. Each fellow receives $1,000 in support of their work.

The fellowship program is led by Tessa Hill, associate vice provost of academic programs in the Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement, and a professor of marine science, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Bodega Marine Laboratory and Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute.

The cohort will meet monthly through March 2023 to provide participating faculty with a public scholarship peer group and structured time for advancing their projects. Guest speakers will bring their university and public scholarship expertise to the group.

In addition to helping fellows identify outlets for their scholarship, the program prepares them to communicate their public scholarship to a wide range of audiences and delineate the value of public scholarship in the merit and promotion process.

The 2022-23 faculty fellows are listed here with their project summaries:

Piri Ackerman-Barger

Clinical professor and associate dean for health equity, diversity and inclusion, Betty Irene School of Nursing 

Project summary: A book outlining the fundamentals of health equity; how nurses are uniquely poised to advance health equity; and strategies grounded in the framework of cultural humility that can advance health equity.

Greg Downs

Professor, Department of History, College of Letters and Science

Project summary: Complete reports for the Sacramento mayor's office on the history of race and racial exclusion in Sacramento that will be useful for the city's efforts to create a model for municipal reparations.

Katie Graf Estes

Associate professor, Department of Psychology, College of Letters and Science

Project summary: Perform a comprehensive review of how parents talk to infants across languages and cultures, to be shared with scientific and public audiences; identify where our assumptions about “universal” parenting behaviors differ across cultures; and indicate future directions for research.

Theanne Griffith

Assistant professor, Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, School of Medicine

Project summary: Prepare a nonfiction book proposal that centers around the history of the false and dangerous notion that Black people have reduced sensitivity to pain, which will be complemented by a discussion on the real science of skin.

Andy Jones

Continuing lecturer, University Writing Program, and academic associate director, Academic Technology Services, Information and Educational Technology

Project summary: Create a book made up of prose essays and poems on the responsibilities of a publicly-facing poet, topics raised during the faculty fellows program, and principles of community engagement.

Heghnar Watenpaugh

Professor, Department of Art and Art History, College of Letters and Science

Project summary: Translate data and research on threats to cultural heritage in the Middle East and South Caucasus into public-facing materials and showcase the stories of cultural heritage defenders at all levels.

Read more about the new Public Scholarship Faculty Fellows.

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Becky Oskin, director of communications and marketing, Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement, contributed to this report.