Fellowship Projects

Restoring Names, Recovering History:

The Work of Remembrance with the Unmarked Graves Project

Community Partner	St. Agnes Catholic Church Chapter of the Sister Thea Bowman
Faculty Fellow	Dr. Laura Ping
Student Fellow	Devon Encher

For her American History course, History 201: U.S. History to 1877, Dr. Laura Ping and her student intern, Devon Encher, partnered with the Unmarked Graves Project, led by Deacon Ned Berghausen from the St. Agnes Catholic Church Chapter of the Sister Thea Bowman transcribe pension records from members of the 107^th United States Colored Infantry (Civil War), which was organized in Louisville, KY. 

Ping and Encher worked together to select pension records that students will transcribe in groups.  Students will also use these records in combination with genealogical research from websites such as Ancestery.com to create summaries of the pensions and biographies of the veterans. Dean Berghausen will lead students on a historical walking tour of enslaved and Black Louisville to help students visualize the city as it would have been when these veterans lived here. This work contributes to a larger project to request cemetery markers for veterans buried in unmarked graves in St. Louis Cemetery. The ultimate goals are to publish a book on Kentucky Black Catholics and support the creation of a digital archive of sources on Black Catholics from Louisville.

Food, Justice & Sustainability: Italy

Community Partner	The Food Literacy Project
Faculty Fellow	Dr. Frank Hutchins
Student Fellow	Tania Vergara-Gongora

 

For his Food, Culture, and Justice course, Faculty Fellow Dr. Frank Hutchins and Student Fellow, Tania Vergara-Gongora, partnered with The Food Literacy Project to explore food production, food equity, and environmental sustainability.

The primary goal of the project was to produce food education materials during a study abroad trip to Italy. The videos and short stories were targeted at elementary students in Food Literacy’s Field-to-Fork Clubs. In addition to collecting information about traditional Italian foods, such as where items are grown and how they are prepared for the table.

Bellarmine students also looked at environmental issues in food production. Short videos were recorded on farms, in markets, and in kitchens in various parts of Italy. Key concepts included sustainable farming, and the concept of “food miles,” which focuses on how far food travels from the farm to the table.

Beyond the Numbers: Building Stronger Communities

Community Partner	Lincoln Trail District Health Department
Faculty Fellow	Dr. Lyndsey Blair
Student Fellow	Alex Knyshev

For HLTH 340: Epidemiology, Faculty, Fellow Dr. Lyndsey Blair and Student Fellow Alex Knyshev partnered with Lincoln Trail District Health Department (LTDHD) to support public health initiatives through data analysis and process improvement. 

During the course, students will partner with the LTDHD to analyze annual Community Health Assessment (CHA) data and monitor changes in the health of the communities they serve. Students will identify emerging trends, investigate contributing factors, and recommend evidence-based interventions that can improve population health.

Throughout the course, students will be challenged to look beyond the numbers, recognizing that every data point represents a person, a family, and a lived experience. By connecting epidemiologic methods with community engagement, students will not only develop the analytical skills needed to interpret health data but also the empathy, integrity, and commitment to service that define effective public health professionals.