Engaged Scholars Sessions 1 & 2

Session 1

A series of presentations and interactive dialogues on promising strategies, methods, and models.

Chanam Lee (moderator), Professor & Executive Associate Dean, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University. Lee introduced the speakers and provided context on each of their backgrounds.

"I realized I have done community engagement, but I still need to work on the co-creation side of research development." - Chanam Lee

Jeewasmi Thapa (panelist), Senior Program Coordinator, Texas Target Communities, Texas A&M University. During Thapa's presentation, she covered how Texas Target Communities conducts research and community engagement. It was helpful to see examples of work that Texas Target Communities is participating in.

Garett Sansom (panelist), Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University. Sansom brought real-world examples of how his research has assisted with community health. His work illustrated ways to communicate with locals to understand local issues better. Along with understanding local issues, his research supported solutions that continue positively impacting groups across Texas.

James Tate (panelist), Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University. Tate covered his personal experiences in California and sustainable methods for creating architecture.

Amal Bakchan (panelist), Assistant Professor, Department of Construction Science, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University. Bakchan covered the intersection of construction science and ecological aspects that impact communities. At the end of her discussion, she welcomed additional discussion following the presentation. Her main takeaway was that if you really want to work with underdeveloped communities, you have to be patient when building relationships.

Mike Lopez (panelist), Assistant Lecturer, Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University. Lopez presented work that he has completed with AgriLife. Mike concluded his presentation by highlighting the Aggie Research Program.

"One of our goals is transferring knowledge to action." - Mike Lopez

Panel Discussion

Chanam asked what challenges the panel faced when conducting research. Thapa mentioned that community engagement takes a lot of time. She went on to say that managing our own academic schedule, in addition to the schedule of grant writing, is a major part of maintaining the relationship on projects that are happening in classes. One of the challenges she mentioned was that students come and go, but there needs to be infrastructure to maintain relationships.

Sansom mentioned that being honest and not promising something you cannot deliver were key attributes. One of the challenges he experienced was data sharing. He mentioned that aggregate data sharing with large groups created stress for one of the projects he worked on in the past. In addition, Sansom discussed the financial breakdown of grants and how the money is disbursed.

Session 2

A series of presentations and interactive dialogues on case studies and impactful stories.

Debra Kellstedt (moderator), Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist, Family and Community Health, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Galen Newman (panelist), Professor & Department Head, Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University. Newman's brief lecture was on the positive impact of the Galena Park project. The video above presents an overview of the Galena Park project.

Wei Li (panelist), Associate Professor & Founder of the ENDEAVR Institute, Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University. Li's presentation reviewed his research on transportation accessibility. His data displayed the problem of millions of people living in small towns and their ability to obtain autonomous, self-driving cars. Li presented his solution of creating a research project to support a ride-sharing program in underdeveloped communities.

Nasir Gharibeh (panelist), Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M University. Gharibeh's material focused on case studies in civil engineering. His team collected data and reviewed drainage infrastructure conditions in roadside drainage systems.

Sarah Gatson (panelist), Associate Professor & Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences, Texas A&M University. Gatson spoke to the group and shared her personal experience within the field of sociology and developing authentic research. Her discussion was based on storytelling and the human factor behind data.

Panel Discussion

Debra proposed a question about where the panel members came from and how their training prepared them or did not prepare them for their careers in research and academia.

Newman mentioned being problem-focused and solution-oriented when producing research. He also elaborated on building trust with communities. In addition, he said that the relationships you build with communities can be a positive or negative reflection on finding additional communities to support.

Li spoke about having a growth mindset. His journey started with him not having any information on autonomous driving, but over time, he continued to grow his understanding and experience on the subject, and his growth mindset helped evolve his abilities when performing research on the topic.

Gharibeh covered the lack of training in community engagement within academia and the importance of it.

Gatson concluded the panel discussion by reiterating the value behind training and the human impact.