Events

Past Event

Environmental Humanities Grantee Showcase

April 30, 2026
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM
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Online and In-person: Fayerweather Hall (Room 513), Columbia University, 1180 Amsterdam Avenue, New York

Event Description 

In efforts to feature the progressive work being done by each of the Center for Science and Society’s Environmental Humanities-funded projects, we will be hosting our first Environmental Humanities Grantee Showcase. In 2025, we awarded grants to three incredible projects. Our featured presenters include: 

Presentors

  • Ton-Nu Nguyen, Graduate Student in History
  • Quynh Luong, Graduate Student in East Asian Languages and Civilizations

Description

This collaborative research project and publication series takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of rivers and our relationship to them. The project takes place in Vietnam and is centered around the impact of the development of the Hoa Binh hydroelectric dam. By combining pre-recorded and new oral histories with young Vietnamese artists, researchers, and cultural practitioners, the project aims to create an archive of writings, performances, and research for those working at the intersection of environmental engineering and nation-building. 

Presentors

Description

Through a three-phase public-facing excavation project, Catherine and a team of archaeologists, anthropologists, and architects aim to stoke important conversations in the late industrial urban Midwest regarding property protection and affordable housing construction. The goal: to inspire Chicago residents to consider decentralized flooding mitigation and soil remediation at the scale of the block. In tandem with training local students in excavation practices, the project uses anthropological and environmental methods to analyze the history of residential demolitions and their impact on the urban environment in Chicago. Team members also gathered ethnographic data, environmental data, and local histories in the process. 

Presentors

  • Taylor Mitchell, Graduate Student in Anthropology

Description

In Cebu (Sugbo), Philippines, several community organizations are working to challenge food insecurity and the climate crisis more broadly by advocating for alternative food systems. For the first time, Taylor and her partners will document the efforts of numerous organizations (including Communities for Alternative Food Systems Initiatives, Slow Food Sugbo, Cebu Seed Savers, and Native Tree Advocates Inc.) to revitalize traditional methods of food production, supply, preparation, and consumption. Ultimately, the project aims to create an online seed archive documenting the techniques, cultures, and stories about Indigenous food practices through art, poetry, and research.

Event Information

Free and open to the public; registration required. Contact [email protected] with any questions. 

Hosted by the Center for Science and Society. 

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