In Brief: February 8

Skinner Green to speak on contemporary Caribbean art

Far more than an exotic tourist destination, the Caribbean has been fertile ground for contributions in economics, politics, science, literature, music and art. From the small islands have come four Nobel Prize winners and luminaries such as Alexander Hamilton, Colin Powell, Sidney Poitier, Derek Walcott, Jamaica Kinkaid, Eric Holder, Shirley Chisholm and Bob Marley.

Dr. Rebecca Skinner Green, art history, has been engaged in a project to explore the wealth of Caribbean creativity through the lens of contemporary art, looking at the emerging Caribbean aesthetic and the influences that inform it, from the region’s multiple ethnicities and social, cultural and political aspirations to the anxieties of life in that space.

Skinner Green will present “Forging the Path: Establishing Contemporary Art in Trinidad and Tobago” from noon-1:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 11) in 208 Bowen-Thompson Student Union.

She will share the work of some of Trinidad and Tobago’s most prominent visual artists, who come from very different backgrounds, along with their discussions and critiques of their art and how it addresses post-colonial issues while maintaining local awareness and flavor.

Her talk is sponsored by BGSU’s Institute for the Study of Culture and Society, where she is a fellow this semester.

Fahle scholarship to boost undergraduate research

In 1990, the Fahle family of Tontogany, Ohio, presented the College of Education and Human Development (EDHD), previously the College of Education and Allied Professions, with a generous gift to endow the Orville F. and Naomi Fahle Fund to support student research activities. The Research Development Council recently updated the award process, and the new Fahle scholarship will specifically highlight undergraduate research.  Under the revised process, one EDHD undergraduate student will be awarded a $6,000 tuition scholarship to be distributed during the fall 2016 and spring 2017 academic semesters ($3,000 per term). Additionally, the faculty mentor overseeing the progress of the project will be awarded $1,000 to his or her professional development fund.

Students interested in applying must solicit a faculty mentor who will provide guidance in the development of a research proposal. The faculty mentor is responsible for providing support to the student in writing the proposal; mentors will also oversee the research throughout the award year.

All proposals will be assessed for merit based on the quality of five determining factors. Applications will be measured based on the nature of the project and its purpose, goals and methods; the project’s significance and anticipated outcomes; anticipated deliverable products; student research responsibilities and, finally, how the project will enhance the professional and intellectual growth of the student.

Find more information on this scholarship opportunity online.