When Provost Paul Ludden came to SMU three years ago he initiated Big iDeas, a program for undergraduate research. Each year the provost-funded program gives 10 groups of students up to $5,000 each for projects that address issues in the Dallas area.
“One of the great things about this program is that students learn how to take an idea and develop it,” Ludden said.
This summer, many of the students are busy with their projects. The issues addressed range from health literacy to socioeconomic and ethnic segregation in Dallas.
One of these groups is making a film about the 65,000 undocumented students who graduate from high school every year in the United States. Daniela Balderas, Erik Burgos-Soto, Leticia Tudón and Nyddia Hannah joined efforts to create the film “Boxed In.” It will concentrate on the challenges local undocumented college students face as they prepare to graduate.
Hannah said some of these difficulties are avoidable, and the current system creates people who are unable to give back and become productive after college.
“They don’t have any rights except for education,” Hannah said.
She explained that the documentary will present the issue without politics, and she hopes this will engage people who would typically not be open to discussion due to their political beliefs.
“At the end of the day, they may have their degree but they can’t do anything with it,” Burgos-Soto said.
While “Boxed In” targets a specific group in Dallas, Rebecca Quinn and Drake “Drew” Konow’s project includes a broad range of socioeconomic and ethnic groups in Dallas.
They will create a literary magazine, called “Tale of One City,” comprised of poetry, art and prose of high school students from all over Dallas. With prompts about what life is like in Dallas, Quinn said the goal of the literary magazine is to promote dialogue among youth of different backgrounds.
“Boxed In” and “Tale of One City” are both projects that were proposed this year. Matthew Gayers and M.C. Coreys’ project, Health Literacy Dallas, is a continuation from 2009, and is part of a movement for Health Literacy across the state.
The project examines the communication between patients and their health care provider.
Ludden said this project was ambitious from its start and has continued growing. In the past year, they have completed two research projects: one with medical professionals and another with patients. The group has also spoken at regional and national health conferences and has coordinated with local hospitals to offer training to medical professionals about how to best communicate with the public.
Big iDeas, capital “D” for Dallas’s nickname “Big D,” offers undergraduate students the opportunity to do independent research. Burgos-Soto said he appreciates this investment SMU has made in its students.
“It is so exciting to see students learn how to generate new knowledge when they are engaged in addressing the most important issues facing our society,” Ludden said.
One of the goals of the program has been to expand the research on campus through student engagement. Ludden wanted to tap into student ideas about the challenges facing Dallas because he feels they have the most at stake.
“I think it’s a really great idea to get SMU students involved in the community rather than just staying on campus,” Quinn said, because some “Students get caught up with college life.”
