Cambodia, 2014-2015
MCMASTER FELLOWS
JoAnn Burkhardt, Faculty, Education - The purpose of this McMaster research project is to gather data from teachers and NGOs pertaining to their perspective of what they view as their training needs for meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities. In other words, the question, "What do you need to learn in order to develop programming to serve individuals with disabilities and their families?" will be asked of them. The main goal is to gather data via surveys, in order to begin determining the training needs of teachers in Cambodia.
Fred Coulter, Faculty, Education - The purpose of the proposed research project is to measure the impact of training projects on professionals in Cambodia. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), does not have a systematic professional development program for teachers who are typically undertrained from the beginning of their teaching careers. The previous evaluations done will be expanded upon, and new trainings will be conducted for many other professionals, and formal results will be given.
MCMASTER SCHOLARS
Phillip Balla, Senior, Ministry/Psychology - The purpose of this continuing project is to study the practice of cultural Buddhism in Cambodia because it has a direct impact on the efficacy of projects that the learning community produces. This project will use qualitative data gathering techniques such as; interviews, picture-taking, and detailed observation making. This project will culminate into the creation of a training manual for community partners in Cambodia, and for the future McMaster's learning communities that will be translated into both Khmer and English.
Ian Fasnacht, Senior, Communication Studies/ Economics - With the continuous economic growth of Cambodia, Cambodian organizations will need to both persuade and learn how they are being persuaded. This project will teach the fundamentals of rhetoric while illustrating how the concepts can be applied to new technology, such as social media. With provided training material and education, Cambodian organizations, such as Mean Chey University, Cambodia Women's Crisis Center, and Hun Sen School, will be able to continue to empower and improve the lives of the people they work with every day. This project will give Cambodia communities another tool they can use to continue the development of their nation.
Cheryl-Ann Francis, Senior, Molecular Biology/Chemistry - Most of the undiagnosed and untreated cases of Tuberculosis in Cambodia occur in the rural communities among the low socioeconomic status, immunocompromised, senior citizens, and subordinate groups. The purpose of this project is to update the Cambodian medical staff about the new findings about Tuberculosis, which is a disease that poses a threat to the future of the population; also, to reach out to remote communities and provide them with information about the seriousness of a cough. This project proposes to receive information about the causes, symptoms, signs, treatment, and accessibility of medical care in the rural communities.
Nathan Height, Sophomore, Accounting - This research project analyzes and identifies the extent of which business professionals throughout Cambodia are able to use the technological resources available to them. Although a large portion of the country has access to the tools and software needed to efficiently operate an organization, a significant amount of Cambodian business professionals are unable to use these resources to their fullest extent. By facilitating effective instruction throughout the nation on services such as Microsoft Suite, Google Drive, and other Cloud services, this project will allow practiced professionals to use the technological programs available to their fullest extent. The expected outcome of the project is that the instruction will allow business professionals to further develop and study economic trends throughout the nation, putting them in an improved position to effectively run and manage an organization.
Damian Koester, Sophomore, Integrated Social Studies Education - This project has been created to give knowledge about three of the basic medical procedures: the basics for first aid, taking and reading blood pressure, and also giving basic compressions during CPR to the students at the Mean Chey University, Cambodia Women's Crisis Center, and any other schools that we attend. We hope that once this information is given, communities will continue to share the procedures with one another.
Cormack Lazarus, Junior, Molecular Biology - The purpose of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of the ceramic water filters that were installed in Cambodia the previous year, to install at least two new filters, and also to continue to test water in the areas that the team visits.
Ceresa Page, Sophomore, Chemistry - The purpose of this project is to continue the water testing initiative, to evaluate the ceramic water filters, and possibly the installation of new ones in areas needed. Also the Scholar plans to inform the Cambodians through the presentations about treatment of water sources, and the importance of the ceramic water filters. The expected outcome of this project are training materials, treatment methods that are printed in the native Khmer language, and effectively functioning ceramic water filters in various rural areas.
Elizabeth Pienoski, Junior, Forensic Science/ Criminal Justice - The purpose of this project is to provide training to professionals, especially midwives, in Cambodia about the different postpartum illnesses that can develop, and the different techniques used to diagnose and treat the illnesses. A training manual to be translated into Khmer, will be used to accompany the training session. The project is expected to provide Cambodians with techniques and models, in their native language, to recognize, diagnose, and treat the different postpartum illnesses in the most effective way.
