Wisconsin Idea Undergraduate Fellowships Projects: 2003-04

The following eleven projects were awarded for 2003-2004.

Oakhill Correctional Institution and the Oregon Community: Learning Together
Bryn Andersen, Professor Richard Barrows (Agricultural & Applied Economics), ParentShare.

This project aims to create a strong, sustainable collaboration among the community of Oregon, local service organizations, and the Oakhill Correctional Institution in order to provide inmates with programs and resources addressing literacy, parenting skills, and family reconciliation and connections. An analytical paper will be written that will assess the success of the program and the possibility of replication in other communities.

Development of a Stormwater Audit to Improve Urban Water Resources in Residential Areas
Eric Booth, Professor Kenneth Potter (Civil & Environmental Engineering), Friends of Lake Wingra/Friends of Pheasant Branch.

This project will develop and apply a stormwater audit to approximately 50 sites to gauge how residential properties handle stormwater runoff and then offer ways to improve the management of this runoff through modest practices such as rerouting downspouts or the creation of a rain garden. Additionally, community volunteers will be trained on how to administer stormwater audit procedures.

Southeast Asian Political Action Committee: Democracy at Work!
Lauren Bresnahan, Associate Professor Marlys Macken (Linguistics), United Refugee Services of Wisconsin.

Through interviews of political figures, academics, and Southeast Asian community leaders in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California, as well as library research, development plans for a Political Action Committee will be formulated expressing the economic, political, and social needs of the Southeast Asian refugee community.

Helping Overcome Poverty through Education (HOPE) for Teen Moms
Angela Cunningham, Assistant Professor Sherrill Sellers (Social Work), East Madison Community Center.

HOPE will introduce and reinforce the importance of obtaining a post-secondary education to teen mothers in high school through an eight-week support and education group. The group will include tours of local college campuses, guest speakers on financial aid and healthy relationships, and tips on study skills, time management, and dealing with problem situations. The participants will be assessed on measures of self-efficacy, knowledge of resources, and future educational plans at the beginning and end of the program.

Nutritional Health of Homebound Elderly
Vicktoria Danilova, Professor Linda Baumann (Nursing), Meals on Wheels.

In order to enhance the nutritional health and quality of life of the homebound elderly population of Dane County, this project will develop educational materials about maintaining a balanced diet, survey Meals on Wheels recipients about their nutritional concerns, and develop new strategies to improve food-related quality of life.

Reach Out and Read: Improving Literacy in Underserved Children of Madison
Julia Frye, Sharon Younkin (Community Service-Learning Coordinator, Family Medicine), Wingra Family Medicine Clinic.

To support children's language and literacy development, Reach Out and Read trains physicians to talk to parents about reading aloud to their children, provides free books at well child visits, and places volunteer readers at clinics. This project will implement Reach Out and Read at two nonprofit medical clinics in South and East Madison through coordinating book donations, volunteer training, and program evaluation.

Improving Health Care of the Homeless
Jacqueline Gerhart, Professor Murray Katcher (Pediatrics), The Salvation Army.

This project will improve and restore programs associated with the MEDIC Clinic, which provides health care to people who are homeless in Madison. Transportation services and a guest speaker program will be organized, childcare for the clinic will be improved, and past patient medical records will be analyzed to determine patterns in care provided by the clinic.

Jóvenes "Crescendo" Por Mœsica (Youth Growing Through Music)
Anne Jaspers, Assistant Professor Sandra Magaña (Social Work), Catholic Charities.

The goal of this project will be a support group that will use music to build the confidence and self-esteem of area Latino immigrant children. Children in the group will participate in group music lessons and reflective journaling as well as performances for the larger community.

Changing Attitudes: Rural Education about HIV/AIDS (CARE about HIV/AIDS)
Amy Luther, Professor Raymond Kessel (Genetics), Midwest AIDS Education and Training Center.

CARE will focus on research and education of rural communities and healthcare professionals regarding the importance of HIV antibody testing. Educational strategies will be developed using information from surveys of healthcare workers and community leaders in rural areas of Wisconsin.

Urban Agriculture and Outreach at Troy CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
Ryah Nabielski, Assistant Professor Jonathan Foley (Environmental Studies), Friends of Troy Gardens.

This project will focus on bringing fresh, organic produce to North Madison residents through the creation of a farm stand on Troy Drive as well as the development of a coupon program to provide low-income families ready access to this produce.

Seeing Straight Through Depression: The Hmong Video Project
Youa Xiong, Amanda Moua, Associate Professor Jeanine Mount (Pharmacy), United Refugee Services of Wisconsin.

Few Hmong people seek help for depression because it is often not recognized or understood in their culture. This project will research and produce one video in Hmong and one in English to educate about the signs and treatment of depression. The videos will be distributed to organizations and libraries across Wisconsin and to national Hmong service organizations.