Research Cafe: Angeline Nies-Berger & Jamie Kwon

Join the School of Graduate Studies as we engage in this interdisciplinary community of practice and dialogue about graduate students' innovative research in a friendly and low-stakes setting.

Event Description

Research Cafe: February 8, 2023

3:00 - 4:00pm

679 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (Room #10)

Center for Advanced Biotech and Medicine, Busch Campus

Zoom option available.

~Snacks & coffee provided!~

Register to attend in person or on Zoom.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to join the School of Graduate Studies as we enjoy, dialogue about, and learn from two fantastic graduate students -- Angeline Nies-Berger (Ph.D. student, French) and Jamie Kwon (Ph.D. student, Planning & Public Policy) -- who will share their research in a friendly and low-stakes setting. Learn more about the presenters and their presentations below!

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1.) "How can a neglected text of a 17th century female author inform current feminist practices?" by Angeline Nies-Berger

Angeline headshot.

Abstract: I will present the ambition of my work: first, how it is significant for the field of 17th century studies, and in particular studies of Madeleine de Scudéry’s otherwise very famous works. Then, I will show why my analysis of this 17-th century text can help develop a feminist framework for analyzing contemporary material (whether textual or cinematographic).

Presenter Bio: After studying French Literature in France and starting my graduate-level studies in the USA in English, I finally found my way at Rutgers's French department. I am working on a 17th century text, "Les Femmes illustres" by Madeleine de Scudéry (1642), under Dr. Jennifer Tamas's mentorship. I intend to contribute to unearthing women's works of the Early Modern period (and before) to show that, contrary to what we usually believe, women always wrote. I also want to show what older texts can teach us about contemporary writing techniques, particularly the reappropriation of female representation in both literature and film.

2.) "Disability, traveling, and access to opportunities: The role of economic resources" by Jamie Kwon

Kwon headshot.

Abstract: Many of the 44 million people with disabilities in the U.S. experience transportation challenges that hinder their ability to fully participate in society. While most studies focus on physical barriers to transportation (e.g., lack of wheelchair-accessible lifts at public transit stations), my dissertation explores how limited economic resources exacerbate physical barriers. I analyze data from nationwide time-use diaries to illustrate how disparate economic resources widen the travel gap between people with and without disabilities. I also interview people with disabilities to understand the benefits and challenges of purchasing a wheelchair-accessible modified vehicle. This research demonstrates how supportive economic policies can complement existing Americans with Disability Act requirements (e.g., installing sidewalk curb ramps). Specifically, my work will recommend changes to current grant programs for vehicle modification that will facilitate travel and increase access to jobs, healthcare, and other opportunities for people with disabilities.

Presenter Bio: Jamie Kwon is a disability and transportation researcher with a focus on poverty and access to privately owned wheelchair-accessible vehicles. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Her dissertation is supported by Howard Leventhal Scholarship at the Institute of Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers. Starting next March, she will be working at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire to continue her work on disability, access to private vehicles, and employment.

About Research Cafe

Research Café brings together the entire graduate student community of Rutgers University-New Brunswick/Piscataway campus to strengthen scholarly literacy and interdisciplinary research communication by providing a platform for budding researchers to connect, share their in-progress research or scholarship, and benefit from peer feedback in a friendly and low-stakes setting. 

Research Café is a monthly, one-hour event to occur at rotating locations across the Rutgers New Brunswick/Piscataway campus (a Zoom option will be available, too). Each event will feature:

  1. Presentations (10-12 min. each) from two graduate students from across disciplinary areas ranging from engineering and biology to history and anthropology.
  2. A Q&A dialogue with peers and attendees.
  3. Conversational time over refreshments and snacks.

Sign up to attend in person or on Zoom at https://grad.rutgers.edu/research-cafe

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Questions? Contact the program coordinators:

Sonal Gahlawat at sg1389@scarletmail.rutgers.edu, Briana Bivens at bb770@grad.rutgers.edu, and Ramazan Güngör at rg835@grad.rutgers.edu.