$40k Grant Funds Interdisciplinary Student/Faculty Research in Trenton  

With a recent grant award of $40,000, professors and students at The College of New Jersey will be spending the summer examining community and environmental transitions in metropolitan Trenton.

Diane Bates and Elizabeth Borland, assistant professors of sociology and anthropology at The College of New Jersey, have been awarded with a competitive grant for the promotion of undergraduate scholarly activity. The professors received the grant from the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and the Alice and Leslie E. Lancy Foundation.

The award will help fund teams of student researchers in summer 2007 and also covers expenses for students to present their research at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research in spring 2008.

Professors from a variety of disciplines on campus will lead teams of students in research relating to topics such as affordable housing, redevelopment of former industrial sites, contamination of the Delaware River and the effects on its species, as well as local concerns about gang violence, immigrants’ rights, and healthcare.

All seven teams will emphasize how academic research can serve community interests. Student researchers will have the opportunity to learn not just techniques, but how working within the community can enrich scholarly research and provide immediate practical applications.

"Trenton is a vibrant community with a fascinating history," said Borland. "By bringing together faculty and students with backgrounds in anthropology, business, biology, planning, nursing, and sociology, we can approach the city from many perspectives. Ultimately, we hope that the project will build bridges with members of the local community, and inform policymakers to foster community development."

Bates shares a similar sentiment. “This project allows us and other members of the College community to conduct applied research while building stronger relationships off campus. Our faculty and student researchers will be engaged in a thorough investigation of real-world issues that can be of immediate use to Trenton, Ewing, and other neighboring communities.”

The NCUR/Lancy Foundation initiative has provided grants to colleges and universities throughout the country since 1999, but funds less than eight percent of proposals received. The program focus is on helping to build communities of student and faculty scholars spanning the academic disciplines but working on a unifying theme. More information on the NCUR/Lancy initiative can be found at their website, www.ncur.org/lancy.

The project has also launched a website, which will be updated with summaries and conclusions as the research progresses: http://www.tcnj.edu/~trenton.