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Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) / 2020 / Archives for April 2020

Archives for April 2020

Associate Professor Gijanto and Professor Larsen Awarded Three-year NSF Grant to Fund Student Research Experiences

Drs. Gijanto (center) and Larsen (right)

Liza Gijanto, Associate Professor of Anthropology, and Randy Larsen, Professor of Chemistry, were recently awarded an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) grant focused on archaeological investigations of colonial Maryland (Award No. 1950646). The $368,278 grant will fund a multi-year research program for numerous students from across the U.S. 

Each summer during this NSF-REU program, 12 undergraduate students and their mentors will investigate the role of country estates in shaping Maryland society from the mid-17th until the early 19th century. This archaeology REU program is novel in terms of research focus, combining traditional field and laboratory techniques with cutting-edge collection management methods (archaeometry, mapping, dating, photogrammetry). Participants will also receive instruction in ethical curation that includes interpretation in both scholarly publications and museum exhibition. The eight-week program will be hosted by St. Mary’s College of Maryland, with field work occurring at the Cremona Estate in Mechanicsville, MD and collections management and conservation training done in collaboration with the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab) in St. Leonard, MD. The three-year project was scheduled to run in the summers of 2020, 2021 and 2022. However, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Gijanto and Larsen are working with NSF to delay implementation of the project by one year.

This comprehensive and innovative REU program will provide undergraduates with a first-class research experience in archaeology and state-of-the-art training in the latest scientific and methodological approaches to archaeological fieldwork, artifact curation, materials analysis, curatorial interpretation and public engagement with scholarly content. Drs. Gijanto and Larsen also seek to highlight the ongoing archaeological collections crisis, which is largely due to the separation of archaeological fieldwork from collections management and the lack of planning and resource allocation for the proper care of materials once they have been excavated. To investigate the research question and provide solid training in archaeology, students will learn: 1) the use of archaeological, archival, and spatial data to discern the role of country estates in shaping MD society; 2) the relationship between generating a collection and maintaining it; 3) archaeometry and materials characterization; and 4) public engagement through research presentations, publications and museum exhibition. This combination of research and state-of the art training available to early career, underserved students is currently unique among U.S. field schools.

Professor Başaran Receives Three-month Fulbright Global Scholar Research Award

Professor of Religious Studies Betül Başaran has won a three-month Fulbright Global Scholar Research award for the Spring 2021 Semester to conduct critically important archival research in England and India for her book project on the legacy and impact of Princesses Niloufer (1916-1989) and Durrushehvar (1914-2006).

Başaran’s host institutions will be the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, The Centre for Historical Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, and the Centre for Deccan Studies in Hyderabad. As a Fulbright Global Scholar, she will give lectures about her research at each of these institutions, and organize seminars with students who have an interest in Islamic Studies and Gender Studies.

Başaran’s project underscores the agency of Muslim women as important role models and pioneers in world history, in contrast to the contemporary western narrative most prevalent today that reduces them to mere victims or religious extremists.

The story of late Ottoman princesses and their cross-cultural journeys present a unique perspective to investigate the intertwined themes of international politics, religion, royalty, and Muslim women’s agency during a turbulent period of major social and political transformations in the 20th century. The princesses belonged to the Ottoman dynasty and were condemned to life-long exile after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following World War I. Their life is a fascinating story of exile from Turkey to the French Riviera, followed by royal glamor in India as daughters-in-law of Hyderabad’s last independent ruler, where they evolved from foreign brides into cultural ambassadors dedicated to women’s empowerment.

Başaran’s project aims to enhance our understanding of the role of Ottoman princesses as transnational and cross-cultural agents for change during the 20th century.

Assistant Professor Emily Casey Receives Research Fellowship at the Library Company of Philadelphia

Assistant Professor in Art History Emily Casey has received a short-term fellowship from the Program in Early American Economy and Society at the Library Company of Philadelphia to conduct research for her book project, “Hydrographic Vision: Imagining the Sea and British America, 1750-1800.”

The Library Company, founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, is the first successful lending library in the United States and the nation’s oldest cultural institution. Today, it is a research library with a special focus on historic books and cultural artifacts related to the transatlantic British empire and early United States. During the fellowship, Casey will make use of the Library’s collection of maps, navigational pilots, and geographic treatises published in both England and America in the eighteenth century. She hopes to take the fellowship at some point this summer.

Assistant Professor Malena Receives Society-wide Award for Research

Sarah Malena, assistant professor of history, has received the Society of Biblical Literature’s 2020 Regional Scholar Award. Malena was awarded for her paper entitled, “A House for Pharaoh’s Daughter: Diplomatic Marriage and Solomon’s Legacy,” which she presented at the 2019 Mid-Atlantic regional meeting. Her recognition as the Mid-Atlantic recipient of this honor last year made her eligible for this society-wide award.

Malena continues her research into relations between ancient Israel and Egypt during the early Iron Age (circa 1100-900 BCE). Last November, she presented at the annual meetings for the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Schools of Oriental Research. In these presentations, she discussed changes in cultural acceptance of foreign brides in relation to political change in the ancient Near East. As the 2020 Regional Scholar, she will present the next stage of this work at the Society of Biblical Literature’s annual meeting later this year.

Professor Brodsky Awarded $6,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Adriana Brodsky, professor of history, was awarded a summer stipend of $6,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to complete the book-length monograph titled “Jewish Argentine Youth, 1940-1976.”  As Jews were persecuted and murdered in Europe, Argentine Jews looked to the youth for salvation. This manuscript traces how Argentine Jewish youth responded to that and other calls to action as they lived through defining global and local moments. Through their responses, Argentine Jewish Youth played a central role in modernizing their community(ies) in Argentina, and in shaping ethnic identities both in Argentina and in Israel. Brodsky did research for the project in Israel on a Fulbright Senior Scholar award in 2018.