Three U-M scholars share their research and answer questions about engaged scholarship and how this work brings together academy and community.

Barbara Israel conducts community-based participatory research in collaboration with partners in diverse ethnic communities. She is Principal Investigator of the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center, which involves multiple funded research and intervention projects aimed at increasing knowledge and addressing factors associated with health disparities and quality of life in Detroit, Michigan.

Larry Gant's research focuses on neighborhood based responses to health disparities and social economic challenges in post-industrial cities in the United States and urban metropolitan areas in Europe, sub-Saharan African and China. Another strand of research includes the use of visual and performance arts based settlement house programs to create indigenous creative classes of residents for community capacity development.

Kathleen Sienko heads research endeavors in two separate labs. In the Sensory Augmentation and Rehabilitation Lab (SARL), Sienko and her team focus on the potential long-term and short-term effects of biofeedback as a means to improve balance. In the Lab for Innovation in Global Health Technology (LIGHT), Sienko and other participants study how to address healthcare dilemmas in resource-limited settings.

The Learning in Real Life series is sponsored by the U-M Library, the Center for Engaged Academic Learning, and the Vice Provost for Global and Engaged Education.