A new month for new beginnings, new mindsets, and new intentions.

UNIVERSITY NEWS AND EVENTS

Howard University Partners with AI for Societal Decision-Making Institute

Professor of Sociology and Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Terri Adam, is a co-PI on a new AI for Societal Decision-Making (AI-SDM) Institute award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Information and Intelligence Systems Division. Dr. Aarti Singh, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon, is the lead PI. The institute brings together scientists from various disciplines, including computer science, sociology, public health, education, and psychology, to work collectively on research on advancing human and autonomous decision-making under constrained and dynamic crisis events. Specifically, the institute is designed to use AI to advance decision-making in public health and disaster management. Dr. Adams brings to the team her expertise in behavioral responses to crisis and disaster management. 

Drs. Adams and Singh represented AI-SDM recently on Capitol Hill, educating congressional staffers on the societal benefits of the work and emphasizing the work will aid decision-makers and not seek to replace them.

Inclusiveness for All Congratulations, Dr. Perry!

This year, Political Science Professor Dr. Ravi Perry was invited to be the keynote speaker at the final conference of the Erasmus+ project All Inc, a project funded by the European Union to advance inclusive LGBTQ+ development and curriculum in K-12s schools and higher education. All Inc! promotes inclusive education by bringing together pupils, (trainee) teachers and the wider school community to build LGBT+ friendly schools. All Inc! is active in Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. His speech, entitled “It’s Our Time: LGBTQIA+ Rights in Global Education” discussed the global LGBTQIA+ rights that have expanded considerably in many developed countries throughout the 21st century, providing access to historically restricted opportunities for advancement for LGBTQ community members and allies. However, the rise of right-wing populist ideologies threatens the sustainability of recently established gains from marriage equality to non-employment discrimination.  

As a guest of the US Consulate Munich, Perry honored to keynote the All Inc (Inclusive) conference at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and to discuss how the Erasmus+ project and LGBTQ curriculum inclusion efforts in secondary schools across the globe saves lives and how social science research demonstrates that exposure to LGBTQ stories makes everybody better. While in Germany, Perry met with members of the Bavarian Parliament, recorded an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia video message that was shared worldwide, and conducted an international interview at BR - Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Public Broadcasting) discussing American and European LGBTQ issues and his personal background with journalist Sandra Limoncini. 

There is more work to do; as of today, the Bavarian Parliament has yet to pass a queer action plan as has every other state in Germany. Perry notes how he will be glad to go back and celebrate when that happens; it’s surely on the horizon.  

Unveiling of English Heritage Blue Plaque for Claudia Jones

Dr. Carole Boyce Davies, the new chair of the English Department was an invited speaker at the unveiling of an English Heritage Blue Plaque for Claudia Jones, the Trinidad-born, African American journalist, activist, who founded the first Black newspaper in London, The West Indian Gazette and Afro-Asian Caribbean News and launched the first London Carnival in 1959.

The Blue Plaque series honors individuals who have made a major contribution to the development of English culture. Professor Boyce Davies has written two books about Claudia Jones in addition to several essays, encyclopedia entries, articles, and interviews on the subject.

Faculty Publications

The Gift: How Objects of Prestige Shaped the Atlantic Slave Trade and Colonialism

Dr. Ana Lucia Araujo, Professor in the Department of History, recently released The Gift: How Objects of Prestige Shaped the Atlantic Slave Trade and Colonialism, is now published online. Physical copies will be available in the United States in December 2023.

The Gift explores how objects of prestige contributed to cross-cultural exchanges between Africans and Europeans during the Atlantic slave trade. An eighteenth-century silver ceremonial sword, commissioned in the port of La Rochelle by French traders, was offered as a gift to an African commercial agent in the port of Cabinda (Kingdom of Ngoyo), in twenty-first century Angola. Slave traders carried this object from Cabinda to Abomey, the capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey in twenty-first century's Republic of Benin, from where French officers looted the item in the late nineteenth century. It draws on a rich set of sources in French, English, and Portuguese, as well as artifacts housed in museums across Europe and the Americans.

According to the manuscript, Dr. Araujo defines how luxury objects impact European-African relations and how these economic, cultural, and social interactions paved the way for the European conquest and colonization of West Africa and West Central Africa.

To read more, you can purchase the book below.

COAS Alumni Open House Recap

The 2023 COAS Alumni Open House Homecoming Celebration offered a wonderful opportunity for COAS Alumni to reestablish connections with their fellow alumni and reminisce on fond memories of Howard University and the College of Arts and Sciences.

The event highlighted the latest achievements in education, research, and infrastructure within the College of Arts and Sciences, which have all been made possible through the continuous backing of our esteemed alumni.

The event included words from the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Rubin Patterson, as well as greetings from Associate Dean Dr. Gladys Francis and Director of the COAS Honors Program, Dr. LaTanya Brown-Robertson, followed by food and fellowship in the newly renovated lobby of Alain Locke Hall. The Open House event set the stage for Yardfest, a cherished Howard University homecoming tradition that will unfold just outside Alain Locke Hall. We cannot wait to celebrate our COAS Alumni again next year!

The Association for Ethnic Studies (AES) is hosting the 51st Annual Conference

November 2-4, 2023, at Howard University

AES is the oldest ethnic studies association in the United States, the Association for Ethnic Studies (AES), was founded in 1972. A non-profit organization, AES provides an interdisciplinary forum for scholars and activists concerned with the national and international dimensions of race and ethnicity. The Association welcomes scholars and teachers at all educational levels, students, libraries, civic and governmental organizations, and all persons interested in ethnicity, ethnic groups, intergroup relations, and the cultural life of ethnic minorities. As a non-profit corporation, AES provides a vehicle for interested members and donors to promote responsible scholarship and advocacy in the diverse fields of inquiry which constitute ethnic studies. 

This year’s conference theme is: (Re)Turning South: Politics, Book Bans, Anti-Revisionist Histories, and Rebellions. Hosted by the Department of Political Science 

All Howard undergraduate and graduate students may attend and/or present for free, but all must register to attend.

For more information, or to volunteer, please get in touch with Dr. Ravi Perry.

The College of Arts and Sciences G.E.T. Academy

The College of Arts and Sciences G.E.T. Academy is officially underway!  The Grants Management Team is very proud to say that we were able to successfully execute two very productive Kick-Off events in the month of September and have received a great deal of positive feedback from attendees on the Academy’s effectiveness.  We are so excited to continue to do so through our upcoming "Fall G-CAD Work Sessions". Please see the Save-The-Date below!

As a reminder, the Grants Enhancement Training Academy will further the mission of Howard University and the College of Arts and Sciences: Research, Mentorship/Teaching, Service, and Research 1 status.  In addition to the overall mission, the objectives of the G.E.T. Academy are the following:

• To build faculty members' confidence in the area of grants management and increase application rates,   including interdisciplinary research, in the College of Arts and Sciences,
• To educate faculty members on the three major stages of the grants life cycle (pre-award, award, and post-award), along with sponsoring agency and Howard University policies and procedures associated with each stage, and
•  To establish a fun learning environment and increase camaraderie amongst colleagues and trust between the COAS Pre- and Post-Award Grants Management Team and faculty.

We can’t wait to host you at our upcoming events! Hurry; slots fill FAST!  Please stay tuned to your email and the COAS Newsletter for more details on how to RSVP to the Fall Work Sessions!