2. Structure of the engineering/anthropology
collaboration at The University of Memphis
• Collaboration centered around projects that share participatory
themes
• Main (current) collaboration
• Participatory community resource management plan with Scenic Hills
• Second (newer) collaboration
• Engineers without Borders effort to design and build water sources with
community residents in Yarvicoya, Bolivia
3. Who is collaborating?
Two applied anthropologists
Engineering professor
Applied anthropology graduate student
Scenic Hills Planning Committee and Neighborhood
Association (Scenic Hills)
4. The collaboration began from a shared
common interest:
Scenic Hills
United Housing,
Inc. (UHI)
Engineering
professor David
Arellano, PhD, PE
and The University
of Memphis Herff
School of
Engineering
5. UHI’s Involvement and Background
To increase
homeownership among
low to moderate
income homebuyers
(United Housing, Inc.,
n.d.)
UHI’s mission: Roots of Project
2009, buying
and rehabbing
homes
6. Scenic Hills’ History and Background
• Scenic Hills Neighborhood built in 1958
• Good housing stock and shared parkland
• Loss of homeowners in the last two decades
7. Collaborating with Engineering
Need
Project needed
anthropologist to
facilitate community
partnership
Research design
Research designed
with our roles in
mind
Implementation
Communicated via
email and meetings
(with residents and
team)
8. Plan
workshop
Work with SHPC
Executive
Committee
Share research
results with
Dr. Arellano
Planning with
Dr. Arellano
CIM in
Scenic Hills
EWB
Yarvicoya
meeting
EWB president
attends
Anthro Club
meeting
Finish CIM
data
Analyze CIM
data
Research
Summer 2012 Spring 2014Fall 2012 Fall 2013
Collect
surveys and
analyze
results;
share with
Dr. Arellano
1st Scenic
Hills Picnic
Summer 2013
2nd Scenic
Hills Picnic
Collaboration Timeline
Scenic Hills
finalizes
Committee
9. Challenges
Residents sometimes
dubious about CDC presence
• Strategies used to
overcome challenge:
• Drawing on the cultural
capital provided by
university-based partner
• Talking to people through
participant observation
Bureaucratic policies made
some of the processes slow
• First Ad Hoc Committee
meeting stalled due to
Memorandum of
Understanding
• IRB approval process
initially slow
10. Outcomes
For Scenic Hills:
Committee on Dam
Maintenance and
Operations
Innovative funding
strategy to pay for
infrastructure work
Repairs to Loch
Nevin Dam
For Engineering:
Community
engagement
Site and funding for
student
For Anthropology
Participatory
research/community
development
opportunity
New case study in
Scenic Hills
Model for
participatory
community resource
management
For The
University of
Memphis
A successful example
of engaged
scholarship
New inter-agency/
trans disciplinary
collaboration
For UHI
Increased
community
development work
11. Ways to improve this model
Create more opportunities for meetings
Bring engineering student on at same time as anthropology
student
Build strategies to avoid bureaucratic obstacles:
• Explain participatory research to IRB office
12. Benefits
1) An extension of anthropology and engineering networks into each other’s
disciplines
2) An extension of university networks into the community and UHI
3) A 3-way partnership between the university, UHI, and Scenic Hills
4) Community empowerment – the community has formed their new
committee and a new leader has emerged
13. Conclusions/ Reflections
• Although they experienced varying
levels of participation, community is a
partner
Scenic Hills
community
members
• Community development
• Qualitative data collection via
participatory research
Applied
anthropology skills
useful in project
14. Potential next steps
Hold world café-style (charette style) civil
engineering lunch and learn at Scenic Hills
Invite engineering partners to help Scenic
Hills analyze CIM data
Co-present results as a model at
anthropology or engineering
conference(s), and to the State of TN
Co-design potential Anthropology for
Engineers class
Write up results for paper with research
partners Amy Schaftlein and April Steele
15. A huge thank you to:
my research partners and
to this panel.
Questions?
First Annual Scenic Hills Picnic,
Loch Nevin Park, Summer 2012
Reference:
United Housing, Inc.
n.d. “Mission.” http://unitedhousing.org
