Lisa García Bedolla, vice provost for graduate studies and professor in the School of Education at UC Berkeley, describes how her early experience as a tutor in Berkeley’s public school system shaped her academic path. “That program was designed to take the energy and excitement of Berkeley undergraduates and have them applied to making life and education better for students in Berkeley Public Schools,” García Bedolla said.
García Bedolla explains her approach to research, emphasizing direct engagement with communities. “I’m really interested in why people choose to be political, and it just seemed to not make sense to not actually ask the people, who I’m interested in studying, what their thoughts, feelings and engagement are,” she says in a video that is part of the 101 in 101 series. The series features Berkeley experts summarizing their work in 101 seconds.
She distinguishes community-engaged research from traditional academic approaches. According to García Bedolla, this method involves collaboration with those being studied throughout all stages of research. “It’s really about not just going into the community and thinking you can help people,” she said, “but believing that we can’t actually learn without actually including not only the voices but the knowledge of the people in the community.”
UC Berkeley has implemented this type of research across various disciplines. For example, researchers from the School of Public Health and School of Social Welfare have worked with youth in San Francisco public schools to study chronic absenteeism. In another case, a mechanical engineering professor includes students on projects assessing wildfire risks around the Bay Area. Other initiatives address farmworker safety, youth homelessness factors, and overall community safety.
The university encourages viewers to watch more videos featuring its faculty through its 101 in 101 series.
