Professor: Ronald Spector
Department: History
Title: [Book] “A Continent Erupts: War and the Shaping of Contemporary Asia
1946-1954
Description: World War II ended in August 1945. Yet in many countries of Asia more people died through war-related violence, communal conflict and genocide than than had died during the entire Second World War,
My project is a book length study of the post-World War II conflicts in China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaya and Korea that examines the origins, conduct and nature of these wars as well as their relationship to each other and their long-term consequences. The book is under contract to W.W. Norton for completion in Spring 2018.
The research assistant will have the opportunity to perform independent archival research in repositories such as the National Archives and the and the Library of Congress. I am willing to provide traing in techniques and practices related to working in these repositories.The research assistant will also have the opportunity to familiarize him/herself with the issues and techniques involved in preparing a scholarly book for a mass audience.
Preferred, but not mandatory qualifications for a research assistant
Duties: Independent archival research, library and periodical research, translations,, oral history research, preparation of research summaries. (Student with good reading knowledge of French or an Asian language
preferred.)
Time commitment: 1-3 hours per week (average)
Credit hour option: 1
Submit Cover Letter/Resume to: spector@gwu.edu
Tag: Fall 2016 Research Assistantship
The Effects of New Urban Technological Advances on the Growth of Cities in Developed and Developing Countries [Research Assistantship]
Department: Economics and Elliott School of International Affairs
Professor Remi Jedwab
Project Description:
Professor Anthony Yezer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Yezer) and I (http://home.gwu.edu/~jedwab/) are working on a project on the effects of technological advances in both urban housing (e.g., elevators and skyscrapers) and urban transportation (e.g., electric and underground railways and motor buses and expressways) on the growth of cities in both the developed world and the developing world over the past five centuries.
Since the 19th century, many new technologies have allowed cities to absorb more people, whether “vertically” (in tall and supertall residential and office buildings) or “horizontally” (by accelerating suburbanization and/or creating polycentric cities). We want to use a theoretical model of urban economics and empirical methods to document and quantify the role of these new technologies in the urbanization of the world. We believe that these technologies originated in developed countries, before diffusing to developing countries. As such, we expect the growth of cities in developing countries to follow with a lag the fast growth of cities in developed countries.
For this project, we need to collect data on the evolution of these technologies across space and over time. In particular, we need to find data on the respective evolution of: (i) elevator speeds, (ii) building heights, (iii) modes of urban transportation, (iv) city sizes, and (v) city shapes, for enough cities in the world over time. With this data at our disposal, we will be able to use our model to simulate the urbanizing effects of these technological changes and see how they can potentially produce fast urbanization, in developed countries where these technologies are widely used, but also in developing countries where these technologies are increasingly used.
Lastly, we will ask whether cities in developing countries are really “inefficient” today. As of now, most cities in developing countries are very spread out, so they are more horizontal than vertical. But for these cities to become taller, and potentially more sustainable, they will need elevators that work, meaning fewer power failures than they usually experience. If there were no power failures, one hypothesis that we want to investigate is that we would observe a verticalization of these cities.
These questions are especially important for governments in developing countries, as they have to deal with the very fast growth of their cities and the associated problems of slum expansion and traffic jams. We will present the results of this research at the seminars and conferences of various multilateral and bilateral aid agencies in Washington D.C., as they are particularly interested in learning how to help developing countries with their urban issues.
Duties: The RA will help us with the collection of data on the respective evolution of: (i) elevator speeds, (ii) building heights, (iii) modes of urban transportation, (iv) city sizes, and (v) city shapes, for enough cities in the world over time. The RA will have to find historical sources (encyclopedias, books, research articles, websites, etc.) documenting these for some cities and some years, and compile the information in an excel file that Professor Yezer and I will then use to establish some stylized facts and determine parameters that we will use in our analysis.
Time Commitment/Credits: 7-9 hours per week (average); 3 credits
To Apply: Submit Cover Letter/Resume to jedwab@gwu.edu
Conflict, Refugees and Cities in Russia [Research Assistantship]
Department: Economics and Elliott School of International Affairs
Professor Remi Jedwab
Project Description: This project consists of measuring the effects of conflict on forced migration and long-term development in Russia. Before World War II, most people lived in the west of Russia. When Russia was invaded by Germany in 1941, Stalin decided to relocate most people and factories in the east of
Russia, a region that is both colder and less well-connected in terms of transportation infrastructure. This policy of forced relocation was partially enforced until 1989, after which freedom of movement was reinstated. In this project, we want to study what eventually happened to the cities that received a disproportionate number of refugees and factories, and test in particular if people and factories came back to the original cities in the west post-1989, or stayed in these possibly suboptimal locations in the east. We believe that the study would inform policy makers on the long-term spatial effects of wars and resettlement policies. For example, there are many very large refugee camps in Africa and the Middle-East that are currently becoming large cities, and the question is whether such cities will eventually disappear or stay permanently, depending on whether refugees settle there for good or eventually relocate to their place of origin.
Duties: The research assistant will have to help me: (i) locate some additional sources of data (e.g., maps or tables in books or historical studies, etc.), (ii) help me recreate some of this data in excel or in GIS (geographical information system). GIS is a format that is used to produce as well as analyze the maps that can be found in most books or reports. If the student doesn’t know how to create GIS data, I will train the student myself. I have software that is relatively easy to use. GIS skills are strongly valued by bilateral and multilateral aid agencies because they often need maps for their publications.
Time Commitment/Credits: 4-6 hours per week (average), 2 credits; OR 7+ hours per week, 3 credits
To Apply: Submit Cover Letter/Resume to jedwab@gwu.edu
Roads, Trade and Cities in Africa [Research Assistantship]
Department: Economics and Elliott School of International Affairs
Professor Remi Jedwab
Description: The second project consists of measuring the economic effects of road investments connecting cities in Africa over the past 50 years. More precisely, for 42 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 1960-2015, we investigate the relationship between road quality, trade between cities, and
city growth, a traditional measure of local economic development. We already have a first draft of the paper: http://home.gwu.edu/~jedwab/Jedwab_Storeygard_07202016.pdf. We are now trying to improve the paper, for example by collecting and using geospatialized data on the location of border crossings in the same 42 countries over the same period. The location of border crossings will give us additional information on the specific trade costs of trading with cities in neighboring countries rather than cities belonging to the same country.
Duties: The research assistant will have to help me: (i) locate some additional sources of data (e.g., maps or tables in books or historical studies, etc.), (ii) help me recreate some of this data in excel or in GIS (geographical information system). GIS is a format that is used to produce as well as analyze the maps that can be found in most books or reports. If the student doesn’t know how to create GIS data, I will train the student myself. I have software that is relatively easy to use. GIS skills are strongly valued by bilateral and multilateral aid agencies because they often need maps for their publications.
Time Commitment/Credits: 4-6 hours per week (average), 2 credits; OR 7+ hours per week, 3 credits
To Apply: Submit Cover Letter/Resume to jedwab@gwu.edu
Understanding the Maoist/Leftist Insurgency in India [Research Assistantship]
Department: Political Science
Professor Emmanuel Teitelbaum
Project Description: Professor Emmanuel Teitelbaum (Department of Political Science) is seeking a part-time research assistant (15-20 hours per week) for a project on conflict in India. Since 2004, India has been home to a leftist extremist movement in eastern and southern India, in the form of a Maoist insurgency. The project involves the creation of a dataset of incidents of Maoist violence in India from 2004 to the present. We seek to broaden our understanding of the scale of violent insurgencies and the government’s various responses to them, by identifying all such incidents at the village levels all over India.
Duties: Research assistants will be required to read news reports of Maoist insurgency-related events over the last 10 years from Indian news sources, and code them. The preferred candidate will have some familiarity with South Asia, and preferably a basic understanding of Indian politics and society.
S/he should also have critical thinking and analytical skills necessary to comb through news reports and identify pertinent details. Finally, they should be experienced in spreadsheet applications like Excel.
Time Commitment/Credits: 10 or more hours per week (average); 3 credits
To Apply: Please send your resume and a brief statement regarding your interest and relevant experience to ejt@gwu.edu and piplaniv@gwu.edu. Please indicate in your email how many hours per week you are available to work.
Podcast: How We Manage Stuff [Research Assistantship]
Department: Elliott School Center for International Science & Technology Policy
Professor David Alan Grier
Project Description: “How We Manage Stuff” is a weekly audio podcast designed to give young leaders a more sophisticated understanding of technology and how it impacts organization. Available on over 20 major platforms, it combines in-depth interviews, thoughtful commentary, with sketch comedy. It’s guests have included Futurist George Dyson, WorldSpace (original XM Radio) Founding Executive Tiffany Norwood, ICANN Board Chair Steve Crocker, and Federal Trade Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen. The project has a staff of 8 and is currently lead by David Alan Grier (Honors Director Emeritus & Associate Professor of International Science & Technology Policy) and Tamara Carleton (Innovation Board Member, Stanford PhD and GW Honors Class ’97. The archive of episodes can be found at http://HowWeManageStuff.com
Duties: For Fall ’16, the Producer RA duties will involve during research ( and potentially some writing) of the scripts needed to complete the current season of the podcast. Duties will involve organizing and annotating scripts from the first six season of the show, researching background of the guests for the fall and researching the innovation system from DARPA, which underlies the major themes of the series. We are offering it as an 8 hour a week RA with credit but could adjust the requirements for the right candidate. We would ask for a short writing sample – a paper from GW class would be perfectly fine – and a statement of the qualities and skills that you would bring to the project. Inquiries can be sent to grier@gwu.edu
Time Commitment/Credits: 7-9 hours per week; 3 credits
To Apply: Submit a short writing sample and statement of the qualities and skills that you would bring to the project to grier@gwu.edu.
PWP in Science, Technology, and Public Policy [Teaching Assistantship]
Department: International Affairs
Professor Catherine Woytowicz
Project Description: I am looking to hire a GTA or PWP (undergraduate teaching assistant) for my spring course – Science, Technology and Policy (IAFF2190W). This is a practical, but nontraditional class played like a White House briefing team. We interview and brief experts in many fields. We write talking points, policy briefs, op eds, and briefing books.
Duties: The duties are primarily to help students use critical thinking to write about science and public policy issues. The course duties take about 10hrs/week and may include:
* attend class (7 – 10pm Thursday nights)
* hold 2 office hours/week (not on Thursdays)
* maintain experts database for student interviews and
call Society, NGO, industrial, military, and academic contacts
* help manage speakers/experts
* assist with protocol reception
* receive mentoring from Dr. Woytowicz based on goals
The selected candidate will be required to attend a welcome dinner with the previous teaching assistant cadre at a date when all can attend. Former PWPs now work at the White House, CSIS, on the Hill, and for private firms. We keep in close contact – even after graduation. This is a great opportunity for those interested in science policy, teaching, or staff work.
Time Commitment/Compensation: 7-9 hours per week (average); $1125 PWP (based on 20 student cap)
To Apply: Submit the following items to drcat@gwu.edu by 5pm on Friday, 23 September:
* a cover letter of up to two single-spaced pages that clearly notes your year and major, why you want the position, what you would like out of the position, and your general career goals
* a resume (this can be informal)
* a writing sample of up to one single-spaced page on any science policy issue answering the question “Why is this issue important to the United States?”
* a statement of up to one single-spaced page on a notional mentoring goal (writing, briefing, teaching, etc) you would want to do
Representing Black Men's Health & Sexualities: HIV Risk and Social-Structural Context [Research Assistantship]
Department: Psychology
Professor Lisa Bowleg
Project Description: Team Represent is lead by Professor of Applied Social Psychology, Dr. Lisa Bowleg. The team consists of a postdoctoral scientist, two Master’s level project directors, two doctoral students, a business manager, and a staff research assistant. Currently, we are conducting two National Institutes of Health-funded HIV prevention studies with Black men in DC. Men Count, is a HIV prevention intervention for unemployed and unstably housed young Black heterosexual men. Menhood is a mixed methods (i.e., qualitative and quantitative) study with Black men in DC designed to understand how factors such as neighborhoods, stressors such as police harassment and gentrification, and resilience at the individual and neighborhood-level are associated with HIV risk and protective behaviors. Data collection on Men Count is ongoing, but we are about to begin quantitative data analysis on Menhood, and write manuscripts to disseminate the qualitative findings from Menhood. Additionally, we will be writing two grant proposals — one focused on Black gay, bisexual and men have sex with men’s health, and another focused on gender transformative intervention for young Black boys — and seek assistance with that venture.
Duties: 1. Conduct literature searches of the peer-reviewed literature 2. Attend team trainings/workshops (e.g., quantitative analysis, writing for peer-reviewed publications) 3. Assist Dr. Bowleg and other team members in the completion of manuscripts (e.g., fact checking and verifying information such as HIV incidence and prevalence data; tracking down U.S. Census Bureau data), developing tables, and depending on skill and experience, writing sections of publications. 4. Qualitative data coding using Nvivo (qualitative software) 5. Assist with cleaning and management of the newly collected Menhood data 6. Cleaning, updating, and maintaining the team’s Endnotes bibliographic library 7. Participate in Team Represent research-related meetings 8. Other research-related tasks (e.g., assisting with presentations, conference abstracts, etc.)
Time Commitment/Credits: 10 hours or more per week; 3 credits
To Apply: Submit cover letter and resume to lbowleg@gwu.edu
Write Soon as You Get This: The Lanphear Family Letters, 1854-1870 [Research Assistantship]
Department: University Writing
Professor Mark Mullen
Project Description: What is interesting about this project?
While the Lanphear story is not, ultimately, a very happy one, the letters themselves are a lot of fun to read. There is humor, no shortage of family drama (no one seems to have liked Reuben’s second wife at all, for example) and each of the family members emerges as a distinct character in the ongoing story. A key element of this project is that I am transcribing their letters as written, leaving all grammatical and punctuation idiosyncrasies intact. If you are at all interested in the richness of language, or in learning how ordinary working class people in the nineteenth century actually spoke and wrote you will enjoy working on this project.
Duties: The Research Assistant would be responsible for:
a) checking the accuracy of existing transcriptions
b) offering their own suggestions for particularly difficult instances of handwriting interpretation
c) identifying terminology, events, or references that would need further explanation for a general audience
If the RA has an a research project that he or she is currently working on that would be a good fit with this project we could talk about additional research work. While I haven’t selected the “for credit” option I would be open to changing that depending on the needs and interests of the RA.
Time Commitment/Credits: 1-3 hours per week (average); 0 credits
To Apply: Submit Cover Letter/Resume to: ishmael@gwu.edu
Computational Study of Genomic and Epigenomic regulation of Gene Expression [Research Assistantship]
Department: Physics
Professor Weiqun Peng
Project Description: Recent revolution in genome technology has ushered us in an era of high-quality high-throughput quantitative genomics data, opening up new dimensions in the understanding of biological systems. My group employs data-driven approaches (data mining, machine-learning) to study genomic and epigenomic regulation of gene expression, working closely with leading experimental groups in the respective fields. This project aims to characterize the biological significance of intron retention, one of the key forms of alternative splicing in eukaryotes, in gene regulation and cellular function. Our preliminary work in human CD4+ T cells demonstrated that regulated intron retention coupled with mRNA degradation might serve as a novel post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism underlying T cell activation. In this project, we will 1) explore intron retention-mediated regulation across diverse immune cell types and in human cancer; 2) characterize the molecular mechanism underlying intron retention at the sequence, epigenetic and network level; 3) examine how regulated intron retention coordinates with other regulatory modes to achieve expression robustness and plasticity.
Duties: Seeking motivated students who are enthusiastic about learning and cutting-edge research. Strong programming skill is necessary. Knowledge in biology is a big plus. Duty involves 1) Tailor and apply existing code to large functional genomics data sets 2) Develop novel analysis tools for genomics research
Time Commitment/Credits: 7-9 hours per week; 3 credits
To Apply: Send cover letter and resume to wpeng@gwu.edu
