Senior Sequence

Grand Challenge Rsh Groups

Grand Challenges & Research Database

Each Grand Challenge (GC) has a dedicated page on the class web site (GC database). The GCs are written by Professor Keith Pezzoli with input from mentors and experts. The GC’s narrative and associated resources (e.g., bibliographies, multimedia, links) provide cutting-edge perspectives of significant research fields, interconnections among these fields, and inspiration to help students define a topic for their project. Each Grand Challenge includes a brief introduction of the challenge: Who cares? Why? What types of research are being done in this area? What types of research methods are appropriate to address the topic (e.g., interview, survey, archival analysis, participant observation, ethnography, GIS, etc.). What are the most pressing research needs in this field of inquiry? The field study a student decides to do must have empirical data and be connected to some academic body of literature. A student’s project is doable if they can formulate clear questions and find the data to answer these questions within six months. Grand Challenges provide scholarly context and suggest topics for research teams. For ease of reference, the Grand Challenges are grouped under 10 Areas of Concentration (AOC). Click here to access the Grand Challenges Database: http://www.seniorsequence.net/index.php/aoc/

Grand Challenges, Research Groups and Teams
The mentors listed under the GCs may or may not be available during a particular year. If you want to work with one of these mentors then contact them directly and see if they’d be willing to work with you. I will provide you with a script on how to go about this (i.e., a professional approach to win their hearts, time and attention).

Working in a research team in not required. But we highly recommend it. The ideal team size is three students, but any number from 2-5 is ok. Student research teams can meet to discuss progress and provide support to one another during the six-month sequence. To facilitate the formation of teams we created eight groups. Professor Pezzoli will manage the groups. Student leaders will lead and manage their particular researcht teams (teams can include students from one or more groups).

8 Research Groups (within which students may choose to create one or more research teams)

Food & Foodsheds
    food justice/security/sovereignty, regional food hub
Water & Watersheds
    quality/supply, watershed planning, land-sea interface
Land & Ecosystems
    ruralism, natural resources, metro-wildland interface
Energy & Climate
    renewable energy, climate action plans, adaptation
Built Environment & Health
    buildings, transit, infrastructure, healthy living space
Economy & Livelihoods
    green jobs, sustainable development, bioregionalism
Communications & Empowerment
    ecological democracy, social media/networking
Human & Organizational Development
    education/training, leadership, cultural development

Research Teams should be composed of 2 to 5 students who:

• Share similar research interests (the selected Grand Challenge serves as the team’s common frame of reference)
• Support one another during the six-month Senior Sequence journey: Sept 2011 to Mar. 2012 (the team will function as a source of critically constructive feedback and encouragement)
• Seek mutually reinforcing opportunities to collaborate with one another on certain tasks (finding/sharing contacts, reviewing literature, selecting methods, conceptualization, etc.)
• Create a categorically organized list of readings, web sites, experts, ideas, questions, data, etc. useful for researchers in their domain of investigation (this effort will build on initial input provided by the team’s mentors)
• Produce a team contribution to the Senior Sequence class of 2012 Sustainable City-Regions Reader (the Reader is a summary of student research highlights, prepared by the mentor , to be published at the end of the Senior Sequence)
• Create an optional 5 minute group video vignette that highlights the research team’s accomplishments. This video vignette could take a number of forms. Every student will be expected to do a 3 minute postercast of their individual poster (technical support will be provided).

II. Each “Research Team” has one or more designated mentors (faculty, researchers and/or other professionals).

Mentors should:

• Play a facilitators role by providing intellectual guidance. The mentors helped create the Grand Challenges and research Opportunities database.
• Meet with the student Research Team on three occasions over a six month period: once at the beginning (Oct), middle (Jan) and end (Mar) of the Senior Sequence.

In addition to the Grand Challenges database we are partnering with The Global Action Research Center (The Global ARC) to generate content and leads that you’ll find useful for your research, including ways to dovetail your research and internship obligations. This will be explained in class. See: http://theglobalarc.org. Sustainable San Diego is another excellent source of ideas and leads for community-based research and action, see: http://sustainablesandiego.org/index.htm