Social Impact Research Fund

This project aims to investigate and improve health outcomes for people with limited English proficiency in Boston, suggesting the use of graphics. More specifically, the graphics suggested are images with limited words to convey information and bridge the gap between providers’ and patients’ comprehension with medical language.

After going to Lobster Night my sophomore year at BU I found myself questioning both the logistics and ethics of this annual event. Considering that each student gets their own lobster, I couldn’t comprehend how buying thousands of lobsters for just one night could possibly be a sustainable practice. I also took note of the immense
amount of waste produced in the just one hour that I was there. Through this project I want to look into the potential impact on New England lobster populations, where the waste is going, and the ethics of live boiling as a cooking technique. I’m aiming to come up with some data backed solutions and take suggestions from the student body that can reduce the amount of waste and cost, while keeping the tradition alive.

My research project will investigate migration as a humanitarian issue, focusing on the sociopsychological and systemic challenges migrants face in the U.S. immigration process. Drawing on my experience in an immigration law office, I will examine the path to obtaining a U-Visa, a critical yet often misunderstood avenue for victims of serious crimes seeking protection and stability in the U.S. My overarching goal is to challenge the prevailing perception of migrants as political problems and instead advocate for their recognition as people with inherent dignity. This research will culminate in a symposium I will host in the spring, inviting dialogue around the central question: How can migration be addressed with humanity at its core?

Valeria Yraita-Zevallos and Tsz Ching (Jeffrey) Ho propose to create six well-researched and vibrant videos, each one profiling an environmental justice activist or movement. They plan to feature their profiles on Professor Sam Deese’s website, along with their own Spanish and Chinese translations of each video transcript. Valeria and Tsz Ching have already created (and translated) video profiles that currently appear on the website. They seek now to add substantially to this online collection. They propose profiles of Dolores Huerta, Wangari Maathi, the UK Miners’ Strike, among others.

Anthony Martinez proposes lab work intended to add to the existing research on treating chemically contaminated soil (from, for example, hazardous waste accidents such as that associated with the battery manufacturing company Exide Technologies) with nutrients in order to measure and promote ecological recovery. Anthony plans a literature review, soil work supervised by CGS Professor Sandra Buerger, a presentation at a scientific conference in the spring, and, if possible, a scientific paper documenting his experiment and results. 

This research project explores how homeless families and individuals think about, discuss,
value, and manage the ways stigmatization affects homeless people’s circumstances in Boston. Via qualitative inquiry through recurring, in-person video interviews, the project examines the experiences and emotions of the homeless population in parts of Boston while also providing some basic resources.

Examining Izakaya, or “a place for sake” when directly translated, a type of restaurant developed in the Edo period (1603-1868) characterized by its focus on alcohol and intimate atmospheres, this research project 1) examines the reality of “Izakaya” culture by conducting surveys for young adults 2) captures the systemic and institutional structure behind these phenomena by examining the culture of Japan 3) offers practical measures to ensure the safety of not only women but young men and queer individuals at Izakaya and 4) after looking at potential similarities to US fraternity culture, also suggests practical measures universities in the US can adopt to ensure the safety of women, young men, and queer individuals in fraternity culture.

This research observes how gut symbiosis can be reestablished in intestinal microbial models of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients using probiotics.  The project will use four models: 1) a bacterial community of a healthy microbiome 2) a bacterial community for a typical CKD microbiome 3) a model of healthy microbiome with probiotics and 4) a model of CKD microbiome with probiotics to develop data analyses to see if the types of bacteria found in the experimental models changed with the overall purpose of observing if the use of probiotics reestablishes symbiosis in the gut microbiome of CKD patients.

Gabriel Calistro’s research project was focused on tracking the spread of microplastics polluting the Massachusetts coast. Working with CGS Lecturer Sal Genovese, Calistro designed the project, which required him to spend mornings and evenings pulling samples from estuaries, mudflats, rivers, and salt marshes to measure the density of the tiny bits of plastic—all under 5 millimeters—in areas north and south of Boston. After collecting the samples, he analyzed them in a CGS lab.

再保险

In contrast to this gloomy trend, Richard Samuel Deese and Michael Holm’s project explores how democracy can survive. Beyond making the case that the health of democracy anywhere on earth is connected to the health of democracy everywhere on earth, their book and podcast series advance the idea that the preservation of democracy is essential to meeting the challenge of climate change. Since electoral democracy allows for the free exchange of ideas and information and the peaceful transition to new governmental leadership on a regular basis, the preservation of democracies around the world will enhance the adaptability and resilience of our species as we face the mounting challenges of the Anthropocene.

圣

Antibiotic resistance has been deemed a world-wide crisis by the World Health Organization, the CDC, and other prominent public health organizations. Diseases that were once treatable no longer respond commonly used antibiotics. Simultaneously, the antibiotic discovery pipeline has slowed, limiting the number of new drugs available.

For this project, Sandy Buerger looked at the previously underexplored area of traditional cures. Through trial and error, over years and years, people in the past discovered treatments that would reduce symptoms and help people recover from illness. Her goal in this project was to test these traditional treatments for antimicrobial activity. In order to do this, Buerger and student researchers researched and compiled different methods that were used in the past, recreated them in the lab, and then tested them against common bacterial species.

After recreating the traditional cures, they created suspensions that contained the extracts in a form free of any microbial contamination. These sterile suspensions were then tested against a range of bacterial species, including both gram positive and gram negative species. Using the Kirby-Bauer disc method, they were able to see that a number of the solutions tested resulted in inhibition of bacterial growth. This work represents a first step in establishing these solutions as possible treatments to antibiotic resistance infections.

In the video above, Buerger and undergraduate student researchers Adam Lazarchik and Elizabeth Guerrero discuss their research on historical cures.

“Think globally, act locally.” This adage from the 1960s best sums up the scope and direction of research Peter Busher conducted with support from the Global Impact Research Fund. His research investigates the interaction between sap flow in trees and foraging behavior of the North American beaver, Castor canadensis.

Using a model from the OPEnS lab at Oregon State University, he had Boston University undergraduate students construct sap flow sensors, which measure the water movement in trees. This requires theoretical understanding of sensor design, construction skills and computer programing ability. Students involved in the project (Brianna Connor, Ryan Connor, Will Regan) worked diligently to construct working sensors, although field trials were interrupted by the global pandemic. However, Busher was able to deploy a commercial sensor in the field during the autumn of 2020 and preliminary results are promising (beavers are taking trees with higher sap flows).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Data collection will continue during the spring and autumn of 2021. Support from the GIRF allowed undergraduates to gain unique and invaluable experience and for the collection of preliminary field data. Tree sap flow data from a local area (Quabbin Reservation, central Massachusetts) may reflect the larger impacts of anthropogenic climate change on both plant and animal behavior and provide a baseline for comparison with sites in northern Europe and Russia. Thus, data from a local research project using undergraduates may reflect global patterns and continuing research will enhance the connection between local action and global impact.