Learning About Community Needs, Desires and Priorities

Over the course of the semester students gained insight into the community of Claverito in a variety of ways:

1. SURVEY

In February 2023, local team members conducted a survey with residents to understand their daily life.

Resultados

2. GUEST PERSPECTIVES

Students met with community leader Juan Noa Tuanama several times via Zoom and in-person to ask questions and gain insight into community preferences. Students also heard from local designers Gabriela Vildosola, Coco Alarcon, and Rebecca Bachman about physical and health challenges and the data findings of the InterACTION Labs program which has been working closely with Claverito since 2016.

To support interdisciplinary learning, students heard lectures on related One Health topics from Dr. Kristina Hill (ecological design), Dr. Sona Jasani (health of women and babies), Dr. Larry Gorenflo (traditional cultures and biodiversity), Dr. Robert Lennon (riverine community health), and Dr. Justin Brown (human-animal disease transmission). Dr. Andy Cole (ecology and design), Dr. Lauren Sosa (landscape architecture), and Alec Spangler (landscape architecture) also joined the class for design critiques, and our class had a design idea exchange day with Dr. Clarissa Albrecht’s class of architecture students who were working with a lowincome community in Brazil.

In addition, this course connected with the One Health Scholars program. Penn State students Megan Cherpak (veterinary sciences) and Yael Andrade (public health) joined the class to act as human and animal health consultants to the students’ environmental health projects.

3. TOURS

Community members led students on both a walking and boating tour of Claverito in which students could experience the community firsthand. Drone videos from the InterACTION Labs program also offered a helpful perspective of the community throughout the seasons and years.

4. COMMUNITY MEETING

Students presented their initial design ideas to residents, and residents then voted on their favorite ideas. In exchange for their time and knowledge, students co-created a sign at the entrance of Claverito designed to attract tourists and combat stereotypes.