Original content by Nouri McLucas, TRIP
ABOUT THE CHARLES R. BANTZ CHANCELLOR’S COMMUNITY FELLOW AND SCHOLAR AWARDS
As Chancellor of IUPUI from 2003 to 2015 and founder of the IUPUI Center for Translating Research Into Practice (TRIP), Charles R. Bantz firmly believes in the power of community-engaged research and university–community partnerships that make lasting impacts on our lives and our city, state, nation, and beyond.
The Charles R. Bantz Chancellor’s Community Fellowship and the Community Scholar awards ensure Charles Bantz’s legacy endures through this unique funding opportunity for IUPUI community-engaged scholars. The Charles R. Bantz Chancellor’s Community Awards provide one-year of funding to address a pressing community issue in Central Indiana. Bantz Awardees work in collaborative research teams made up of faculty, staff, students, and community partners. The Bantz Awards are supported by donations, charitable gifts, and campus funding. Additional support for the awards is provided by the IUPUI Office of the Community Engagement and the IUPUI Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 CHARLES R. BANTZ COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS
Dr. Elizabeth Kryder-Reid and Dr. Laura Holzman are recipients of the 2023 Charles R. Bantz Community Fellowship for their collaboration on a traveling exhibit and series of public conversations aimed at deepening critical thinking about environmental injustice in Indianapolis.
Elizabeth Kryder-Reid is Professor of Anthropology and Museum Studies in the IU School of Liberal Arts. Co-Researcher, Laura Holzman, is Professor and Public Scholar of Curatorial Practices and Visual Art in the IU Herron School of Art + Design at IUPUI and Director of the Museum Studies Program in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. The $40,000 Charles R. Bantz Chancellor’s Community Fellowship award will support their work “Indy Toxic Heritage: Pollution, Place, and Power.” Community Partners include The Kheprw Institute, Indy Parks and Recreation, and residents of the Norwood and Riverside neighborhoods.
When asked what drove her interest in this research, Dr. Elizabeth Kryder-Reid stated, “Access to safe, healthy places to live is a human right, and the questions we’re addressing are central to that right. The burdens of living with pollution have been inequitably borne by economically disadvantaged and communities of color. This project explores the structural and systemic issues underlying our toxic heritage. It makes connections across what are sometimes seen as isolated, contaminated places to build a vision of Indy’s city-wide toxic heritage.”
Dr. Laura Holzman agreed, and added, “With support from the Bantz fellowship, we’ll be creating an exhibit that centers community voices, perspectives, and stories. We’ll be highlighting some difficult realities but also celebrating the way generations have fought to create safe, healthy neighborhoods.”
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 CHARLES R. BANTZ COMMUNITY SCHOLAR AWARD RECIPIENTS
Sophia Wang, Wesley P. Martin Scholar in Alzheimer’s Education and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in the IU School of Medicine, and Veronica Derricks, Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Purdue School of Science at IUPUI, received the 2023 Charles R. Bantz Community Scholar Award for research that educates minority communities about the value of early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease and offers free cognitive screenings to community members. The $25,000 grant will fund “A Pilot Study of the BE SMART (Brain Health Education to Promote Cognitive Screening in Minority Communities and to Increase Diverse Participation in Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Clinical Trials) Intervention.” This pilot project will be conducted in collaboration with Indianapolis partners: John Boner Neighborhood Center, the Edna Martin Christian Center, and the CICOA Aging and In-Home Solutions Resource Center.
Dr. Wang, who has dedicated her career to preventing cognitive decline in older adults, stated, “On behalf of the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, we are delighted to be a recipient of the 2023 Bantz Scholar Award. This award will provide critical funding to do cognitive screening in the underserved, diverse communities in Indianapolis who are most at risk of Alzheimer’s disease. With a new era of novel Alzheimer’s disease modifying drugs, the need to ensure equity for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease is more urgent than ever. This award provides much needed support towards achieving this important public health mission.”
Dr. Veronica Derricks continued: “We are grateful for the 2023 Bantz Scholar Award to address this important social problem. Despite ongoing efforts to reduce racial gaps in Alzheimer’s disease rates, the ways in which scientists and researchers attempt to engage racially minoritized communities often ignore their voices and perspectives. We are excited to work alongside community members and our community partners to develop educational tools and materials to improve cognitive screening rates in Indianapolis.”
Thank you to Dr. Charles R. Bantz, TRIP, the IUPUI Office of Community Engagement, the IUPUI Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, and the many public and private donors for supporting the Charles R. Bantz Chancellor’s Community Fellowship and Scholar Awards.
To learn more, visit the Charles R. Bantz Community Fellowship Awards page. To apply for the Charles R. Bantz Chancellor’s Community Fellowship or Scholar Award, visit the Charles Bantz Award webpage.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 BANTZ-PETRONIO TRANSLATING RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE AWARD RECIPIENT
The 2023 Bantz-Petronio Translating Research Into Practice Faculty Award recipient is Holly Cusack-McVeigh, Ph.D. Dr. Cusack-McVeigh is an associate professor of Anthropology and Museum Studies in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI with an appointment in the Native American & Indigenous Studies Program. McVeigh’s scholarly research is deeply grounded in social justice and centered in an interdisciplinary, community-based collaborative approach to address real-world issues. Dr. Cusack-McVeigh and her research team work on toxic museum collections and the repatriation of Indigenous cultural heritage artifacts recovered from illicit collections.
For more information or to apply, visit the Bantz-Petronio Translating Research into Practice Awards page.
ABOUT THE BANTZ-PETRONIO TRANSLATING RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE AWARDS
In 2013, former Chancellor Charles Bantz and Dr. Sandra Petronio established the Bantz-Petronio Translating Research into Practice Award to recognize and honor outstanding interdisciplinary and/or cross-disciplinary faculty research that positively impacts people’s lives within or beyond the State of Indiana. In addition to generating knowledge through scientific inquiry or humanistic scholarship, the award recognizes faculty who actively endeavor to transform knowledge into practices and solutions, demonstrating innovative ways to improve the lives of individuals and the communities in which they live.
Thank you to Dr. Charles R. Bantz, Dr. Sandra Petronio, and TRIP for founding and supporting the Bantz-Petronio Translating Research Into Practice Awards.
To apply for a Bantz-Petronio Translating Research Into Practice Award, visit the Academic Affairs page.