Category: Research Awards

2017 Urban Research Awards: Impact of Air Pollution and Climate on Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

School of Public Health Ph.D. candidate Lindsey Butler will investigate the the impacts of maternal exposure to traffic related air pollution (TRAP) and extreme ambient temperatures on the risk of structural birth defects and stillbirth, particularly those resulting from placental dysfunction. Lindsey will serve as the project’s PI in collaboration with four co-PIs from the […]

2017 Urban Research Awards: Hidden Problems in Secret Corals

Hidden Problems in Secret Corals: Exploring Microplastic Abundance in Local, Temperate Corals Along an Urban Gradient Research Assistant Professor Randi Rotjan, in collaboration with Associate Professor Juanita Urban-Rich from the University of Massachusetts-Boston, Assistant Professor Koty Sharp from Rogers Williams University and Associate Professor Sean Grace from Southern Connecticut State University, will study New England […]

2017 Urban Research Awards: Crime, Race, & Politics

Examining the Role of Crime, Race, & Politics in City‐Level Crime Control Outputs Assistant Professor Shea Cronin will construct a cross‐sectional dataset of large cities which can be used to test questions about crime concentration, segregation and crime control outputs. Professor Cronin will address the following research questions: To what extent are measures of the […]

2017 Urban Research Awards: Closing the Opportunity Gap in Early Education and Care by Recruiting and Training High Quality Literacy Teachers

Associate Professor Stephanie Curenton, in collaboration with Paul Leech, Chief Operating Officer of the Boston-based childcare provider Nurtury, Inc., will  analyze cultural competency training and programs for early childhood educators intended to improve outcomes for urban preschool students. Over the course of this research project, Professor Curenton and Nurtury will partner with Jumpstart, a national […]

2017 Urban Research Awards: Dehumanization in the City

Dehumanization in the City: How Urban Ghetto Black Male Imagery Activates Dehumanizing Attitudes toward Black People Through his research, Political Science Assistant Professor Spencer Piston seeks to address the problem of urban police violence against black people by focusing on their dehumanization. Specifically, he will identify conditions under which this form of prejudice shapes public […]

2017 Urban Research Awards: Summer Mental Health Access for Urban Youth

Associate Professor Jennifer Greif Green in collaboration with Assistant Professor Elizabeth Bettini, Professor Donna Pincus and Ph.D. candidate Rachel Oblath will investigate mental health service access for urban youth during the three summer months when school is not in session. The aim of this research is to examine whether and where urban youth receive mental health services […]

2017 Urban Research Awards: Armored Cities

Armored Cities: Violence and Urban Seclusion in Latin America Sociology Assistant Professor Ana Villarreal seeks to examine a new form of urban seclusion taking place in municipalities and communes across Latin American metropoles in response to increased violence and fear. Villarreal is targeting cities that have created enclaves of gated communities, dubbing them armored cities. […]

2017 Urban Research Awards: Protecting our Urban Water Sources

Protecting our Urban Water Sources: Developing a Solar Energy-Activated Reduction Catalyst Chemistry Associate Professor Linda Doerrer with Ph.D. candidate Jessica Elinburg recently developed a pre-catalyst that uses solar energy to reduce nitrate in water. Pollution of urban water sources with excess nitrate presents a significant problem for cities and city residents. Nitrate-enriched rivers, lakes, and […]

2017 Urban Research Awards: Mapping Amman, Jordan

Professor Betty Anderson, in cooperation with Georgetown University Associate Professor Fida Adely, seek to conduct a mapping study in order to understand the modern population of Amman. Their project will map mobility patterns in Amman, Jordan, a city of regions and neighborhoods historically segregated by socio-economic status. Anderson and Fidely will examine how physical mobility […]

2017 Urban Research Awards: Mapping Amman, Jordan

Professor Betty Anderson, in cooperation with Georgetown University Associate Professor Fida Adely, seek to conduct a mapping study in order to understand the modern population of Amman. A growing private sector and Jordan’s status as one of the safest countries in the Middle East has made Amman a safe haven for immigrants and refugees, resulting […]