'Forecaster' reports on grad students’ Photovoice project

On March 11, 2014, the Forecasterfeatured an article on the collaboration of Somali immigrants residing in Portland’s Riverton neighborhood with two Թϱ graduate students, Lily Bottino and Collyn Baeder, to document potential health hazards in the Riverton community through a Photovoice research project.

Bottino, who is studying for her master’s degree in social work, and Baeder, coordinator of Graduate Program in Public Health, who is enrolled in the Master’s of Public Health program, organized the project as part of a study that received a grant from Թϱ’s Center for Excellence in Interprofessional Education.

The project involved members of the neighborhood taking photos of the dangers that surround them, such as piles of cigarette butts and an unfenced playground close to a busy street, in hopes of bringing about change in the community.

“There was something tangible for the participants, which doesn’t always come from research.  It’s not just like taking numbers and making a paper,” said Bottino.

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The Թϱ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.