UNIVERSITY IMPACT IN COMMUNITIES SPRING 2011 The Positive Thinker COLLINS AIRHIHENBUWA MAKES DATA COLLECTION AN UPLIFING EXPERIENCE THE POSITIVE THINKER DR. COLLINS AIRHIHENBUWA BELIEVES CULTURAL EMPOWERMENT CAN IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH RECLAIMING URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS · SUSTAINABLE HOSPITALITY PRacTICES · HELPING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ADAPT DEMONSTRATED IMPACT pring marks the time when the University recognizes a faculty member who has made a significant impact on the community through scholarly engagement work, with the Faculty Outreach Award. S This year’s recipient is Dr. Collins Airhihenbuwa, professor and head of the Department of Biobehavioral Health in the College of Health and Human Development, for his work addressing health disparities and promoting cul- tural equity in South Africa and several other African countries. “What was remarkable about this collaboration with Professor The letters of support for Dr. Airhihenbuwa was his humility and consistency in ensuring that the students and staff acquired the necessary skills to enable Airhihenbuwa demonstrated his them to work independently using qualitative methodologies in concrete—and often their own projects. … Professor Airhihenbuwa showed leadership moving—contributions. To and humility not only in how he deals with students and men - tors but also the subject or participants in the project. He always the left is an excerpt from a nom- showed concern about the people he was studying. It is his ability ination letter written by Olive to empathize with those who need his emotional support, and at the Shisana, chief executive officer same time keep sufficient distance to unpack their experience in a of the Human Sciences Research scientific manner while imparting knowledge to others that make him a unique collaborator. For an example, at the end of the project, Council (HSRC), who worked he came to South Africa to visit the sites and some of the homes with Dr. Airhihenbuwa on a of support group members of people living with HIV and AIDS project called Capacity Build- who participated at different levels on the project. With compas - sion, Professor Airhihenbuwa shook hands and spoke to families of ing for Research on HIV Stigma people living with HIV and AIDS, encouraging and thanking them for in South Africa. The project - having been part of the project. This act of kindness and apprecia involved students and faculty tion was noted by participants, who are used to research projects members in two South African collecting data and never coming back to provide feedback to the community. Professor Airhihenbuwa has put an emphasis on com - universities, and staff from the - munity feedback sessions, specifically responding to the sugges HSRC, to conduct research on tions of the community advisory board, who drove the vision of the the stigma associated with HIV/ project by making inputs on the communities that we targeted for research during the five years of the project.” AIDS, with a cultural lens. You can read more about his work —Olive Shisana CEO, Human Sciences Research Council on page 2. —Craig Weidemann Vice President for Outreach An excerpt of a nomination letter for Dr. Collins Airhihenbuwa, recipient of the Faculty Outreach Award Volume 14, No. 1 CONTENTS Features COVER STORY: REPURPOSING— EAT THIS WAY PUTTING CULTURE FIRST 2 AND RECLAIMING 5 10 Collins Airhihenbuwa focuses on the common NEIGHBORHOODS David Cranage and his students adopt sustain- customs and beliefs of communities to guide his A landscape architecture course provides able hospitality practices—and hope the food public health research students with meaningful real-life experiences industry will too while also helping marginalized communities in Pittsburgh improve their surroundings THE LANGUAGE OF TIME… ON THE TREETOPS AND PATIENCE 12 8 International students realize their potential through Penn State’s Intensive English Have a love of the outdoors? A school prepares Communication Program participants for a career in arboriculture ASK THE EXPERT: ENERGY TO SPARE 14 Dennis Yablonsky talks about how the Pittsburgh PUTTING CULTURE FIRST: region can be a model for the country—and how A RESEARchER FOCUSES ON PEOPLE Penn State can help 2 INSTEAD OF THE PROBLEM Departments INSIDE OUTREACH EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL · World Campus Student Spotlight 16 · Learning English Through 23 · DJ’s Story 29 Creative Writing · Corporate Giving · What’s New Online: TESOL · A Network for Easy Access SCIENCE & · Location, Location TECHNOLOGY 30 · Best for Vets Ranking · Science Education That’s Down to Earth · Science-U · Not Your Parent’s Music Lessons · Putting Farmers on the Digital Map ARTS & HUMANITIES 18 · The Learning Factory Expands · Youth Empowerment ENERGY & THE · The Lab at Penn State Berks ENVIRONMENT 26 ENDNOTE · Belt It Out · Stream Teams · The African American Legacy 32 · How’s My Drinking Water? at Penn State CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES 20 HEALTH · Speaking Out · Help for Injured 28 Servicemembers · IT: Not Just for Boys THE ECONOMY & WORKFORCE 21 · Healthy Teamwork · Global Talk SCIENCE-U: Cover photo by Phillip Mackenzie SMART SUMMER FUN FOR KIDS 30 Putting CULTURE FIRST Collins Airhihenbuwa focuses on the common customs and beliefs of communities to guide his public health research By Deborah A. Benedetti ore than 33 million people are focus on the negative and do not take of the community. Only after that do M living with HIV, but the spread into account that people’s lives are big- we focus on the negative.” of the disease has begun to reverse, ac- ger and more complex than the problem cording to a 2010 United Nations AIDS being studied,” said Airhihenbuwa, Searching for the Positive report. However, the stigma of HIV/ professor and head of the Department of All PEN-3 domains—relationships and AIDS remains for many sufferers and Biobehavioral Health in Penn State’s Col- expectations, cultural empowerment, even those who care for them. In South lege of Health and Human Development. and cultural identity—aim to help Africa, for example, nurses who care So Airhihenbuwa devised a new re- researchers understand people and their for these patients have experienced the search approach—the PEN-3 model behavior in a cultural context by first withdrawal of family and friends as well —which puts culture first in public focusing on the positive. Positive aspects as intimacy issues with spouses because health and health promotion research of culture include beliefs and practices of their work. projects. Airhihenbuwa, who was raised that promote health, such as encourag- To better understand the HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, used the model in his Capac- ing the growing of one’s own food and stigma in South Africa, Dr. Collins O. ity Building for Research on HIV Stigma buying locally grown products—as is Airhihenbuwa used a research model he in South Africa project, funded by the common in many African cultures. began formulating while a graduate stu- National Institute of Mental Health. For example, understanding why dent in health planning and administra- The project sought to understand the nurses who care for HIV/AIDS patients tion and public health education at the notion of acceptance and rejection face stigma—a finding of the HIV University of Tennessee. There, he came related to HIV/AIDS. stigma project—would involve looking to realize the way researchers described For his research model and the at the multiple roles nurses occupy and the populations they studied often breadth of his outreach initiatives span- their interactions at work and home, differed from how the populations ning more than 27 years at Penn State, Airhihenbuwa explained. saw themselves. Researchers typically Airhihenbuwa is this year’s recipient of As part of the stigma project, Airhi- focused on the problem to be solved, the Faculty Outreach Award. henbuwa’s team trained 30 graduate while people were concerned about how “Everyone has a culture, and there is students at two South African universi- the issue affected them, their family something positive in every culture and ties to use the model. By giving these and community. community,” Airhihenbuwa said. “We future health behavior researchers “Conventional research models in our begin by identifying the positive as- firsthand experiences collecting data field are mostly deficit models, and they pects and unique or existential features from the people participating in the 2 · Penn State Outreach Magazine Phillip Mackenzie Collins Airhihenbuwa, professor and head of the Department of Biobehavioral Health in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development project, Airhihenbuwa is enabling these stigma project with hospital officials. students to better understand the CONVENTIONAL RESEARCH At the project’s conclusion, Airhihen- cultural context of research—preparing “ buwa met with research participants. MODELS IN OUR FIELD ARE them to develop outreach programs to “For me to actually see, talk with, shake reduce HIV/AIDS stigma and improve MOSTLY DEFICIT MODELS, hands and give a hug to participants preventive strategies for this disease. AND THEY FOCUS ON THE was gratifying. It’s one of the highlights This multiplies the impact of Airhihen- NEGATIVE AND DO NOT of the work I do,” he said. buwa’s cultural model for community- TAKE INTO accOUNT THAT based research. African Beliefs PEOPLE’S LIVES ARE BIGGER In the South African project, students Juliet Iwelunmor, a doctoral student used focus groups, one-on-one inter- AND MORE COMPLEX THAN of Airhihenbuwa’s, used the model to views and surveys to collect data from THE PROBLEM BEING understand the decisions mothers liv- people who have HIV or AIDS, health STUDIED.” ing in the southwest region of Nigeria professionals who care for HIV/AIDS pa- make about malaria treatment for tients, family, and community members. —COLLINS AIRHIHENBUWA their children. During her interviews “In the first year of our research, with mothers at a pediatric outpa- we found two sites of stigma—in the tient clinic in Lagos, she learned they family and health care settings,” Airhi- interactions with family and patients.