Winter 2022 Letter from Director Joe Hoereth
IPCE Director Dr. Joseph Hoereth rounds up 2022
Friends of IPCE,
I hope everyone has had a great end to the fall semester.. I always look forward to this time of year, as reflecting on our impact catalyzes the work ahead. I'm excited to share what we here at the Institute have been working on this past semester, and to look forward to what's next in the new year.
In August we welcomed 18 undergraduate students in the Urban Public Policy Fellowship (UPPF) program for the 2022-2023 academic year , and they are already hard at work at their internship sites. This cohort represents a large array of policy and research interests, and I am excited to see their progression as leaders as they navigate internships and research projects throughout the academic year. We also welcomed four new Graduate Mentors for the program: Ryan Fulgham, Marissa G. Leal, Alejandro Monzón, and Lamonica Sykes. Read more about their backgrounds and the experience they are bringing to the program on our staff page here.
On October 19th, we presented Associate Professor in Computer Sciences Chris Kanich as part of IPCE's Civic Engagement Lunch Talk series at the UIC Daley Library. His presentation was titled "Civic Engagement as a Computer Scientist". Dr. Kanich reported on findings from a research project at the intersection of sociotechnical cybersecurity and privacy. Over the past year, Dr. Kanich participated in the municipal redistricting process as a data scientist, a software engineering practitioner, and a commissioner in the Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission. The talk provided an overview of his experience in multidisciplinary civic engagement, and explored potential opportunities for future efforts at the intersection of computer science and civic engagement. A recording of the talk is available here, and stay tuned for spring dates for lunch talks from our other 2021-22 Research Award recipients Dr. Jennifer Brier, Dr. Federica Fusi, and Dr. Kate Lowe.
We are excited to announce the research projects that the Institute will help fund this year as part of our Civic Engagement Research Awards. The five faculty members are: Thea Crum, MUPP, Great Cities Institute and Department of Urban Planning and Public Affairs; Alana Gunn, PhD, Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice; Allyson Holbrook, PhD, Department of Public Administration; P. Zitlali Morales, PhD, Department of Education and Department of Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS); Robin Reams, PhD, Department of English and Director of Undergraduate Studies; and Rebecca Woodard, PhD, Department of Education. We look forward to the profound insights and contributions of their work.
IPCE is also now accepting applications for our Discourse Awards, which provide support for UIC faculty and research staff to host a public discourse event (in-person, hybrid, or online) that brings research or a policy topic into a public conversation. Learn more and apply through January 13 here.
Please keep us on your radar as we continue to announce upcoming IPCE and IPCE-sponsored events and initiatives, and bookmark our newly refreshed website for updates on all things about the Institute!
Have a wonderful start to your new year,
Joseph K. Hoereth, PhD