Global Issues, Local Solutions: Research Collaborative Awards $80K to Six Projects

The Atlanta Global Research & Education Collaborative (AGREC), launched in 2020 and housed within the Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC), has awarded $80,000 to support this year’s crop of six “Global at Home” research projects emanating from greater Atlanta universities.

AGREC supports initiatives led by multi-institutional teams working with community partners to address a wide range of global issues. The goal is to create meaningful collaborations, breaking down barriers between institutions and empowering students to put research into action in their communities, for the good of the world.

Each AGREC application team must include faculty co-investigators from at least two of seven participating universities, a list that this year includes Clark Atlanta University, the second HBCU to join the consortium following Spelman College’s addition in 2020. Faculty from non-AGREC universities in greater Atlanta can be brought on to participate in AGREC-funded projects, which must be completed in close collaboration with a community partner, such as a nonprofit, local company or governmental entity.

This year’s projects have prominently featured the theme of cultural adaptation in better addressing issues of public health, focusing on topics such as mental health among Ethiopian and Eritrean communities, tackling diabetes with the city’s refugee and migrant residents, the role of AI in addressing global health inequities and helping South Asian survivors of intimate partner violence. [See the full project list below.]

Integrating indigenous knowledge into the Spanish-language science curriculum and building leadership in sustainable development through equitable community partnerships are also highlights among this year’s projects.

“Through meaningful collaborations, the innovative projects supported by the AGREC network are transforming the academic environment of Atlanta, as they give impulse to new questions and new solutions based on the shared set of values that come from our commitment to interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability,” said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, co-director of the Atlanta Global Studies Center and associate professor of Spanish at Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Since its 2020 launch, AGREC has supported 32 collaborative, interdisciplinary research and education projects with a focus on community engagement and global issues, issuing a cumulative $340,000 in funding in four years.

Last year, Delta Air Lines also granted the AGREC consortium $51,000 to put toward various free passport initiatives that have emerged at Georgia State University, Emory University and other schools to help students overcome the first hurdle to international travel and study.

Call for Proposals

As it announces awardees, AGREC is also issuing a new call for proposals for the 2024-25 grant cycle. Multi-institutional teams may apply for $5,000-$20,000 in funding.

With Clark Atlanta’s inclusion, partner institutions now include:

• AGSC, a consortium of Georgia Tech and Georgia State University
• Emory University’s Office of Global Strategy and Initiatives
• Agnes Scott College’s SUMMIT Center for Global Learning and Leadership Development
• Spelman College’s Gordon Zeto Center for Global Education
• Kennesaw State University Global Education
• Clark Atlanta University’s Office of International Programs.

AGREC welcomes more colleges and universities to join the initiative, particularly Atlanta’s HBCUs and minority-serving institutions.

Taiesha Smith, senior program manager in the Office of the Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research at Georgia Tech, sees this as a key priority.

“We are engaged in capacity-building efforts with HBCUs that support areas such as sustainability, energy, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, biomedical science and climate. The efforts of AGREC align well with GT’s principles of diversity, collaboration, and innovation,” Dr. Smith said.

For its part, Clark Atlanta sees AGREC as helping build on its social-justice tradition and expand innovative thinking among its students and faculty, says Letoya Starr Irving, director of international programs.

“We strongly believe that this partnership will assist our faculty members to achieve CAU’s vision by providing them with the resources they need to conduct innovative academic programs, conduct research that stimulates thinking, engage in creative activities and enhance their overall student experience.”

To learn more, read the full CfP, or attend a virtual info session, please visit the website, https://atlantaglobalstudies.gatech.edu/AGREC#call.

See Funded Projects From 2023-24

Building a user-driven information database to address the service needs of South Asian survivors of intimate partner violence in Metropolitan Atlanta – Georgia State University, Emory University, Rashka Inc.

This project will build a user-driven information database to address the information and service needs of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) within Southeast Asian communities in metropolitan Atlanta. A mobile application will be adapted for use among IPV survivors in collaboration with Raksha, Inc, a Georgia-based non-profit organization serving the South Asian community, utilizing AI and large language models to facilitate broader adoption, streamline the process of connecting users with service providers, and aid in identifying service gaps.

Supporting and Bridging Native Science between Mexico and Atlanta’s K-12 Dual Language Immersion: Digital curriculum development and adaptation – Georgia State University, Kennesaw University, Atlanta Public Schools, Universidad Veracruz Mexico

This study will integrate an Indigenous or Native science curriculum, aligned with academic and intercultural goals, into Atlanta’s K-12 dual language immersion (DLI) programs, to address the lack of science curriculum in partner languages in elementary and middle DLI schools. A recurring APS science summer course will create exemplar instructional materials. Pilot data from summer program classrooms will inform a future proposal to develop a nationally available high school environmental science course.

Improving Diabetes Management Among Refugees in Clarkston, Atlanta – Emory School of Medicine, Georgia State University Prevention Research Center, Ethne Health Clinic

This project will develop, implement, and test the efficacy of an adapted diabetes self-management community outreach worker program for refugees in Clarkston, GA, where members of the Burmese community suffer diabetes at a drastically disproportionate rate.  Once trained, community health workers will continue to assist patients at the Ethne and Grace Village health clinics, providing a sustainable program long-term. The research component of the program will provide critical preliminary information to inform scale-up of the program to other refugee groups and a larger subsequent study will aim to demonstrate the long-term cost-effectiveness of the program for refugee populations across the United States.

Facilitating Mental Health Awareness in Ethiopian and Eritrean Communities through Culturally Tailored Training – Emory University, Georgia State University, Ethiopian Community Association in Atlanta (ECAA), Eritrean American Community Association of GA (EACAG)

This project aims to increase mental health awareness among Ethiopian and Eritrean communities in Atlanta by providing culturally tailored educational resources and community trainings. Culturally relevant themes identified through previously conducted focus groups and interviews with adolescents, young adults, parents and community leaders will be incorporated into educational materials and trainings to improve health communication in these communities by targeting the stigmatizing norms that inhibit mental health.

New funding for continuing projects:

Simuvaction on AI – Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, The American Red Cross in Atlanta

The program gathers students from U.S., Canadian, and European Universities and invites them to think globally about local issues by participating in a simulation. In 2023-2024, students will focus on “AI, Climate Resilience and Health Disparities on a Global Stage” and replicate an international meeting of the Global Partnership on AI, occupying all the participants’ roles. At a time when the (real) GPAI is promoted by the Hiroshima G7 as one of the two international organizations missioned to help the globe with AI governance, this exercise can both engage students in a real-time activity at the center of AI governance and increase AI education and engagement in Atlanta communities.

RCE Greater Atlanta SDG Futures Fellowship
Georgia Institute of Technology, Kennesaw State University, Wundergrubs, Karmalize 

This project serves as the primary youth (ages 17-29) engagement program for RCE Greater Atlanta, providing seven-month leadership and professional development experiences to 15-20 students enrolled in higher education institutions, using the UN SDGs as a framework for project-based learning focused on local sustainability challenges both on campus in local Atlanta communities. 

More information is available on the AGREC website.