project pericles awards Four arthur vining davis foundations periclean faculty leadership grants to Develop Innovative STEM/Social Science Courses in Partnership with Community Organizations

Project Pericles is delighted to announce that four faculty members representing four Periclean institutions were selected as part of The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (AVDF) Periclean Faculty Leadership (PFL) Program in STEM and Social Sciences. In collaboration with a community partner, they will teach a new, innovative course that incorporates a project that addresses a problem identified by the community. 

These four Periclean Faculty Leaders are joining more than 25 other Periclean Faculty Leaders (PFLs) in STEM and Social Sciences at colleges and universities across the nation. The AVDF PFL Program in STEM and Social Sciences is supporting PFL courses in 2020-2023. PFL courses with community-initiated projects address society's grand challenges: Climate Change, Education Access, Immigration, Mass Incarceration, Public Health, Race and Inequality, and Voter Engagement. This program is creating a cadre of civically engaged scholars that will affect students, faculty, campuses, and their communities for years to come.  This powerful program is supported by The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and The Eugene M. Lang Foundation.
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Among the newly awarded Periclean Faculty Leaders (PFLs), we are excited that their community partners are diverse and range from a climate museum to a local elementary school. These AVDF PFLs represent disciplines including: Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science.

Periclean Faculty Leaders are developing ambitious courses that will make positive impacts on their local communities. An example—Climate Change will be addressed by Christopher Graves at Swarthmore College. In his course “Introduction to Environmental Studies,” students will help build a stronger, more resilient future for the greater Swarthmore area through collaboration with two community partners. Working with Transition Town Media (TTM), students will help implement the Delaware County Sustainability Plan. The students will help TTM to install solar panels onto local buildings. In a second partnership, students will work with Children & Adult Disability & Education Services (CADES) to help install and plant vegetable gardens accessible to people with intellectual and physical disabilities.
 
The Presidents, Provosts, or Program Directors on each Periclean campus nominated faculty members with demonstrated leadership potential who can make significant contributions on their campuses and in their communities. A group of external evaluators selected this new group. Throughout their tenure AVDF PFLs are paired with a PFL at another institution to encourage peer collaboration.  
 
Project Pericles thanks The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and The Eugene M. Lang Foundation for their support of this program. 
 
AVDF PFLs in STEM and Social Sciences, Courses, and Community Partners (Cohort III): 

• The New School, Allison Lichter and Bhawani Venkataraman; Assistant Professor and Chair of Journalism and Design; Associate Professor of Chemistry
  Course: Reporting Climate Solutions
  Community Partner: The Climate Museum
  Peer: Christopher Graves 
  
  
• Swarthmore College, Christopher Graves, Associate Professor, Environmental Science
  Course: Introduction to Environmental Studies
  Community Partners: Transition Town Media (TTM) and Children & Adult Disability & Education Services (CADES)
  Peers: Allison Lichter and Bhawani Venkataraman 
  
  
• Wagner College, Katherine Moccia, Assistant Professor, Biology
  Course: Microbiology
  Community Partner: Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness (SIPCW)
  Peer: Bruce W. Grant 
  
  
• Widener University, Bruce W. Grant, Professor, Biology and Environmental Science
  ​Course: Raised Beds Raise Hopes: Urban Gardening, Ecological Literacy, and Community Writing as Empowerment for Widener First-Year and Stetser Elementary School Students
  Community Partner: Stetser Elementary School
  Peer: Katherine Moccia