Public Scholarship and Engagement Closing June 30

Due to the financial challenges facing the University, the Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement will be phased out by June 30.

Society, Arts & Culture

Photo of a set from behind the scenes with two women looking directly at a monitor with other masked individuals in the background

Julie Wyman's "The Tallest Dwarf" Premieres at SXSW

  • by Maria Sestito
Standing at five-feet tall with a long torso and shorter limbs, Julie Wyman realized from a young age that her proportions seemed different from her peers. Growing up, she was often teased and repeatedly told that her body wasn’t suited for some of her dreams for the future.
Illustration of a group of migrants walking across a landscape with American stars and stripes.

How Does Immigration Affect the United States?

  • by Alex Russell

'According to the U.S. Census Bureau, immigrants made up 13.9% of the total population in 2022. Among them are highly skilled workers who fill critical gaps in high tech industries as well those who construct the buildings in which we live and who plant and harvest the foods we eat. Some arrive seeking greater opportunity while others bring hope simply for a life free from persecution and poverty.

Woman sits at a table with elementary schoolchildren

Early Days

  • by Jocelyn Anderson
Dawnté Early ’05, M.S. ’08, Ph.D. ’11, spent midmorning on a recent summer day painting rocks with several 4- and 5-year-old boys.
Child with a virtual reality headset on tries to solve a puzzle

Understanding How Students Learn Through Virtual Reality

  • by Alex Russell
The little boy, about 7 years old, almost disappeared inside the virtual reality headset, yet the way he was holding up his hands showed he knew exactly what to do. A laptop screen showed what he was seeing: digital outlines of hands manipulating Tetris-like blocks. A hand turned a block to make it fit, then picked up another.
Professor Katharine Burnett sits at her desk and is holding a tea pot.

A Cup of Culture

  • by Becky Oskin
In exploring the rich tapestry of global cultures, few elements weave as intricate a story as tea. Tracing the spread of tea culture offers a unique lens for art historian Katharine Burnett, professor and Chair in the Department of Art and Art History, to explore the complex interplay of tradition, globalization, and identity.
Two people stand in an old kitchen

Chicago Cafe: California’s Oldest Chinese Restaurant

  • by Carla Meyer
Astep into Woodland, California’s, Chicago Cafe is an immediate leap into the past. Customers sit on black swivel stools at a classic diner counter enjoying $12 combination plates heaped with chow mein, pork fried rice, fried shrimp and egg foo young (hot tea and fortune cookie included — cash only).
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