By Rohini Thakkar
Jocelyn Olcott talks about her project "The Value of Love: Global Perspectives on the Economy of Care".
On January 31, the Duke India Initiative (DII) held its first event of the semester where five faculty members spoke about their research projects in India, which are supported by the DII for the year 2019-20.
The event kicked off with welcome remarks from DII co-director Dr. Mike Bergin. Bergin provided an overview of the DII and the faculty awards.
Presenters Leela Prasad (Religious Studies), Mike Bergin (Civil and Environmental Engineering) Christopher Sims (Center for Documentary Studies), Jocelyn Olcott (History), and Rachel Coyete (Ph.D. candidate) who presented on behalf of Avner Vengosh (Nicholas School of the Environment) talked about their individual research projects.
Their research topics ran the gamut, from Gandhian Traces after Life-in-Prison, to Dust and Air Pollution as well as an assessment of Water Quality in Northwestern India.
The DII Faculty Grantees’ Presentations engaged both graduate and undergraduate students, and faculty members in aspects of research happening in or related to India. The event also provided a forum for a lively Question and Answer session with the audience.
The DII granted five research grants totaling $61,900 for the year 2019-2020. This is the second year that the DII has awarded grants to Duke faculty members doing work in or on India. The grantees’ projects reflect the DII’s commitment to promoting and intensifying collaborations within Duke and amongst Duke and partners across India as well as to foster multidisciplinary, multi-cultural research, educational and entrepreneurial activities related to India.
