The Labyrinth Project is a collaborative inquiry into nature in Los Angeles. Wetlands, lawns, rats, cats, coyotes, mountain lions interact with human affect, state power, indigenous politics, aesthetic pleasure, local governmental power and much more. Also, Satan. Using a mix of participant-observation, structured interviewing, collaborative urban anthropology, historical and archival digging, ecological observation, and analysis of social media content, we explore…
PROJECT SUMMARY Los Angeles County enjoys rich wildlife diversity in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains, but little is known about the abundance, biodiversity, and population dynamics of mammals within the built city environment of Los Angeles. Mammals are a charismatic part of ‘nature’, yet public perceptions and interactions with urban mammals have not been characterized in L.A. Wild…
Principal Investigator(s): Joan Donovan In my current research program, I theorize how information and communication technologies transform the practices of everyday life. My dissertation, Technologies of Social Change: Mapping the Infrastructure of the Occupy Movement from #OccupyWallStreet to #OccupySandy, focuses on technological infrastructure used by networked social movements, particularly Occupy, to communicate and coordinate campaigns and actions. Studying networked movements…
Principal Investigator(s): Patrick Allard Our research addresses critical gaps in our knowledge of our chemical environment and its effect on several aspects of biology and health. In particular, we are interested in understanding how exposure to environmental chemicals may alter the epigenome, reproduction and the process of aging.To tackle these important issues, we are using the model system Caenorhabditis elegans.…
Principal Investigator(s): Patrick Allard A major focus of the laboratory is to understand how environmental exposures alter the function of the germline and therefore reproduction. To address this question, we are using the model system Caenorhabditis elegans. The genetic tools available in the nematode allow the mechanistic dissection of environmentally disrupted germline pathways as well as the comprehensive interrogation of our chemical…