Cambodia Project (2008-2009)
McMaster Fellows
Jo Ann Burkhardt, Faculty, Education – Project to assess efficacy of integrating learning community model and international education pedagogy. Project will design tools for data collection, with a focus on pre- and post-travel assessment interviews and journal prompts to assess student learning.
Lori Robison, Faculty, Social Work Program – Project will research culturally relevant models of conflict resolution in order to produce training and materials on conflict resolution to staff of Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center.
Associate Fellow
Don Buerk, Faculty, History – Project will provide historical contribution to learning community and continue development of “An Intelligent Traveler’s Guide” to Cambodia and a checklist of “indicators of democracy” that McMaster scholars can readily observe.
McMaster Scholars
Niki Bare, Senior, Social Work – Project will research documentation methods for gathering evidence in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault against clients at the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center in order to strengthen photography documentation procedures.
Laura Derov, Junior, History – Project will provide equipment and training materials to the Cambodian National Volleyball League Disabled (CNVLD), a rehabilitation program for victims of landmine accidents that employs volleyball and wheelchairs as a means to reintegrate individuals back into society.
Tyler Dunham, Sophomore, English – Project will continue previous work teaching English language workshops to small groups with a focus on vocabulary relevant to the workplace.
Rachel Flad, Junior, Forensic Science – Project will conduct water tests in a variety of locations to determine levels of arsenic, a widespread problem in Cambodia. Results with recommendations for remediation will be returned to appropriate organizations in the country.
Nigel Hogan, Sophomore, Molecular Biology – Project will provide Cambodian doctors and medical technicians with the latest research on effectively treating tuberculosis, a significant health problem in the country. A booklet in Khmer will be developed that outlines the research and distributed to health professionals.
Allison Johnson, Junior, Middle Childhood Education – Project will develop training materials to help teachers understand and employ active learning concepts in their classrooms, which aligns with national priorities for teacher education and student education completion goals.
Kristi Kaiser, Sophomore, Social Work – Project will develop materials to educate women and teen girls about identification, contraction, and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. Project will work with both urban and rural populations.
Amanda Losby, Senior, Criminal Justice – Project will work with young adolescent females through the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center to understand the physical changes that occur with puberty and issues of reproductive health through small group discussion and accessible print resources in Khmer.
Chantille Millender, Junior, Social Work – Project will research sex trafficking, social organization, and family structure in Cambodia through pre-travel research and interviews with people in country. Project will compare field data to existing research. A workshop will be presented to increase awareness in an effort to reduce the activity.
Sarah Plas, Senior, Accounting – Project will utilize micro-lending data collected in January 2008 to help women at the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center develop small business plans and basic business skills.
Nicholas Weber, Senior, History/International Studies – Project will examine the roots of rural poverty through participation in a residential building project. This is a continuation of a previous project that examined poverty through disparities in the quality of housing stock in rural and urban locations.
Rebecca Zebrowski, Sophomore, International Studies – Project will compile an oral history of medicinal herbs in Cambodia with the goal of developing print materials in Khmer to promote broader awareness of natural healing practices.
