Makerspaces

In the Spring 2020 Semester, the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry hosted an amazing program allowing students with the BSU English Department in partnership with the Muncie Arts and Culture Council to explore the “makers” movement becoming increasingly popular in our cities. The investigation covered some of the cool makerspaces here in Muncie and culminated in a large enough collection of stories and data for 2 print books – a compilation of oral histories and a collection of photo essays featuring stories of Muncie makers. Learn more at the website for the project on the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry’s site, and check out these other awesome resources!

Project Website | Seminar Facebook Page | Interactive Map of Muncie & Surrounding Area Makerspaces

 


Faculty Mentor: Laura Romano
Department: English
Community Partner: Muncie Arts and Culture Council
Student Team: Stressca Nathaniel, Tamera Sims, Jack Satter, Elizabeth Baum, Mason Killebrew, Jessica Snow, Andrew (Drew) Catalano, Halie Wills, Sarah Morrow, Laura Romano, Darrin Sims, Elizabeth Riester, Hannah (Cali) Fehr

Anthony-Northside Gateway Project

The Wheeling/Cowing monuments loaded on a flatbed for transport

PHOTO provided by the Anthony Northside Neighborhood Association

The stone gateway at the entrance to the Wheeling Park Addition at Wheeling/Cowing and another remaining stone boundary post on Wheeling are the last standing structures in Muncie born of the generosity of Harriett B. Anthony.

In April 2019 the Anthony-Northside Neighborhood Association (ANNA) discovered these monuments were in the path of the city’s planned reconstruction of Wheeling Avenue. A mad scramble was made to find the funding and resources to save the historic gates. With the help of numerous state and local organizations including Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning, Indiana Landmarks, the Muncie Board of Works, and the Federal Highway Administration funds were eventually allocated for the Indiana Department of Transportation to remove the iconic brickwork and return them to their original locations once the Wheeling project completes.

Read the whole story and see more photos of the project on ANNA’s website!

Tourist Maps for Muncie and Delaware County

Students in Geography 341 (Cartography and Visualization of Spatial Data) partnered with the Muncie Visitors Bureau to produce visual materials that promote Muncie attractions to area visitors. Students collected and organized data during the semester and explored possible map designs for both print brochures and interactive online applications. Guides on restaurants and breweries, Muncie pop culture, the Garfield trail, and the Bob Ross experience are just some of the pieces completed by the students.


Faculty Mentor: Jörn Seemann
Department: Geography
Community Partner: Muncie Visitors Bureau
Student Team:  Alyssa Bilbrey, Jarrett Braden, William Cape, Dan Council, Becca Garrett, Nathan Gidley, Elante Ingram, Jamie Johnson, Benjamin Lutz, Riley Mccreary, Ben Meyer, Jordan Verdeyen, Clay Zeigler

Geospatial Design Laboratory

Geospatial data – data that is associated with a particular location – is an increasingly valuable asset for managing, analyzing, and displaying information related to geographic areas. Students partnered with organizations such as the Delaware County Food Council and Cardinal Weather Service to collaborate on intensive, hands-on projects that resulted in maps, charts, data, and other tools that would benefit the partners. Students identified the project objectives and acquired and prepared geospatial data for analysis. They communicated with community partners to assess progress on the project and produced high-quality products. During the project, students partnered with the Delaware County Food Council, used maps and graphics to tell an engaging story about food access, and designed a digital survey that collected local input as to where residents shop for food and how they perceive food access in the county.


Faculty Mentor: Jörn Seemann
Department: Geography
Community Partner: Muncie Visitors Bureau
Student Team: Jarrett Braden, Bailey Brooks, William Cape, Nathan Gagnon, Becca Garrett, Jacob Haas, Zach Hagemeier, Elante Ingram, Jamie Johnson, Aaron Jones, Connor Kurtz, Joseph Lopilato, Benjamin Lutz, Riley McCreary, Ben Meyer, Patrick Ollier, Rachel Pereira, Nathan Santichen, Kelby Smith, Letia Snorden, Jonathan Strang, Jordan Verdeyen, Maggie Warren, Andy Wilson, Erick Wilson, Jordan Wolfe, Clay Zeigler

Teen Dating Violence

Teen dating violence is estimated to occur in one of every ten dating relationships. Nearly 1.5 million U.S. high school students are physically abused by their partners each year. The dynamics of adolescent abuse, neglect, and battery has mostly gone unnoticed. A study of 10th graders showed that 35% had been either physically or verbally abused; and 31% were perpetrators of that abuse. Given the prevalence of dating violence, communities must work together to ensure that victims have access to resources and increased legal protection. Social workers understand the needs of adolescents and their families. Their role is to support teenage victims while advocating for legal, medical, scholar, and family support. The students who participated in this immersive learning experience worked with Muncie’s A Better Way domestic violence shelter, to gain in-depth knowledge of the concerns of teenage victims facing dating violence. Students also gained a new understanding of how local agencies collaborate to provide services for the victims of teen dating violence.


Faculty Mentor: Ron Dolon
Department: Department of Social Work
Community Partner: A Better Way
Student Team: Petyon Adamiec, Mike Burns, Matthew Curtner, Chrislynn Degraffenreid, Rachael Dunn, MakaylaGrayson, Tika Harlan, Alyssa Hewson, Amanda Johnson, Liv Kennett, Alexis Knight, Hannah Leach, Keyairra Mcdonald, Jordan Otero, Casey Radz, Riley Ridenour, Ruth Schultz, Mackenzie Staver, Savannah Urban, Emily Walls

Working with the Whitely Community to Identify Needs and Resources of Men who are Reentering the Community After Periods of Incarceration

In this immersive project, students identified obstacles men face as they work to reenter the community after periods of incarceration. They conducted interviews to gain a better understanding of the obstacles the group faced and identified resources currently in place to support these men and help them overcome obstacles. A booklet was created listing various resources and outlining the types of support that can be used by the community.


Faculty Mentor: Keisha Warren-Gordon
Department: Criminal Justice and Criminology
Community Partner: Whitely Community Council
Student Team: Tyler Albertson, Caitey Bowen, Evan Dewael, Autumn Evans, Shamyra Fitzpatrick, Alijah Forbes, Parker Hatfield, Taylor Heiser, Andrea Henderson, Jessica Jemison, Amanda Johnson, Heather Jones, Elizabeth Kerns, Aaron Lamey, Mary Lowry, Nathan Ogle, Kendra Quill, Victoria Scaggs, Lisa Sellers, Tyler Sharp, Lianna Shepard, Erin Silha, Lane Smith, Harley Steele, Blake Thomas, Keliah Washington, and Kaitlynn Whitaker