Category: Praxis Independent Study

Emily Chau, BMC ’26

Autism, Language, and Construction of Gender

Semester: Spring 2025

Faculty Advisor: Dustin Albert

Field Site: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)’s Center for Autism Research (CAR)

Field Supervisor: Meg Lyons

Praxis Poster: 

PIS_Emily_Chau_PraxisPoster

 

Further Context: 

In my opinion, the creation of this independent study course was a little unorthodox. Last summer, I did a social work-related internship to explore a social work career path with the help of the Career and Civic Engagement Center’s Beyond Bryn Mawr summer internship program. However, in the Fall 2024 semester I took multiple classes that made me realize that, even though I intend to pursue social work, I deeply enjoyed learning about the behind-the-scenes research work, learning about data science, and exploring different study designs. I wanted to contribute my personal experience of having a sibling with autism, with my research interests in gender diversity, and the data science skills I learned in class into a summer internship. I saw that another student who was part of the Beyond Bryn Mawr program worked at CAR over the summer. Because I am from the area and knew about CHOP’s autism resources through my sibling, I was thrilled to apply. Based on my experience with my last internship, I wanted a more in-depth and longer internship to make deeper connections academically and socially, so I expanded my internship from just a summer internship to a spring and summer internship, leading me to create a Praxis Independent Study course. This way, I could be supported by my internship supervisor as well as a faculty member from the college when exploring my research and career interests.

During this internship, I transcribed audio samples for three studies. The first study examines similarities and differences between the way children and adolescents with autism speak and the way their peers without autism speak. The second study investigates behavioral sex differences in those with and without autism while tracking the gender development of those with gender diverse identities. The third study examines the impact of a social skills workshop intervention on adolescents with autism. Throughout the internship, I was able to observe in-person visits where I watched participants get interviewed, assessed for a potential autism diagnosis, and complete other research tasks. These observations were supported by informational materials and meetings with members of the lab. Furthermore, I worked on a literature review with my faculty advisor about the link between autism and gender diversity which helped contextualize and explain the practices and rationale employed at the lab.

One small aspect of this internship I enjoyed was learning the different quirks of the transcription software. For example, BMC is an acronym, but it must be transcribed as ~BMC since each letter is pronounced. However, an acronym like CHOP would be transcribed as @CHOP to denote that the acronym is pronounced like a word rather than separate letters. It was like learning a new language!

Overall, I am grateful to have worked at CAR during my spring semester, and I am excited about the new opportunities that will emerge when I return for the summer.  Given the current political climate and rhetoric around gender and disability, I am especially motivated to continue this work and serve this population both through this internship and through the other opportunities that this internship may open for me as I enter the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research next semester.

Miles Colescott, HC ’25

Architecture in the Real World

Semester: Spring 2025

Faculty Advisor: Jeff Cohen

Field Site: AOS Architects

Field Supervisor:  Sam Olshin

Praxis Poster: 

PIS_Miles Colescott Revised Praxis Poster

 

Further Context:

After taking the first semester of the architecture studio course that is offered by the Growth and Structure of Cities major, City 226, in the fall of my junior year, I knew architecture was what I wanted to do as a career. From then on, it became all about trying to find as much time in an architecture studio as I could. Over the winter, I applied for jobs at home in Missoula, Montana, going from office to office and pitching myself to them and why they should hire me. Ultimately, these pitches were mostly misses, but one firm seemed promising, especially after talking in depth about going to school in Pennsylvania with the receptionist, who had gone to Villanova. What ultimately seemed like a far off, unlikely outcome was seeming more promising, and after two interviews, I thought I had it. But as the months passed, and contact became less frequent, so I started to look for other options. This search ultimately led to an internship with Daniela Voith, and VMA in Philadelphia for the summer. This opened the doors for me and showed me what it was like to work in an architecture office, and ever since, I have been trying to get more time in an office, working on real world projects besides the other architects. This desire led to me discovering the Praxis program, and ultimately landing a Praxis independent study with Sam Olshin, one of the other architecture study professors, at AOS Architects.

I was able to work on a few different projects while at AOS. The first main project was for St. Marks Episcopal Church, in Jacksonville, Florida. Unlike many church communities in the United States, the congregation at St. Marks is expanding. With this growth, the existing facilities have become strained, and the worship service the church is able to provide is less effective. While AOS did a comprehensive master plan for the congregation over a decade ago, due to circumstances at the time, the church couldn’t go ahead with the plan and start construction. This time around, however, the have secured funding and will be able to start construction once we finish the design documentation. I attended zoom meetings with members of the clergy and congregation, and documented their needs that the new building must address. From there, I helped to develop these needs into a detailed program list, with quantities, square footages, and associated adjacencies for each room. This was a lot of fun, and allowed me and the other architects on the project to focus on creating multiple schemes that allowed for different things to take center focus in each one. Lastly, I helped create the floorplans for the decided upon scheme and layout each section of the building, starting by hand before moving into Revit to create a more polished set that was shared with the church. This was a challenging, but very rewarding process, to iterate on these designs and see them come to life. At the end of my time with AOS, we had created a set of finalized floor plans and were polishing up some exterior and interior perspectives that would be shown to the congregation, so they could get a better sense of what the building would look like and the materials we were going to use.

This wasn’t the only project that I got to work on, however. I spent a few weeks diving into the work of Percival Goodman, one of the most prolific designers of synagogues in the United States. For this project, I was specifically looking for synagogues that he designed, which had been recently renovated and rethought, due to falling congregation numbers. I was hoping to find precedent to aid AOS in rethinking a Goodman designed synagogue in Springfield, Massachusetts as they facing this same challenge. Ultimately, this research led me to the shocking conclusion that despite the prevalence of this problem, most congregations would rather sell their existing, frequently historic building, and build something new instead of reconfiguring their existing space. Despite this outcome, the research gave me a much deeper understanding of synagogue architecture and what it means to create a religious space that is appropriate for the congregation that it serves.

As a result of this internship, I gained a lot. First and foremost, I became more familiar with the design programs that are standard in architecture firms today. This includes design drafting software like Sketchup, AutoCAD, and Revit, and rendering programs like Enscape. Next, I gained insights into the many different stakeholders in each project, and some skills and strategies for juggling their competing interests and objectives, to ultimately create a project that all parties are happy and excited about. Lastly, I improved my spatial thinking skills by applying them to design challenges, with real world constraints. This is something that I can refine with practice, and getting to work on projects like St. Marks is the best way for me to improve. Overall, I am incredibly grateful for Sam and the rest of the team at AOS for bringing me on for this spring semester, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Thanks, guys! 🙂

Peyton Davis, BMC ’26

Drawing Boundaries: The Politics of Sovereignty in a Globalized World

Semester: Spring 2025

Faculty Advisor: Elizabeth Corredor

Field Site: New Lines Institute

Field Supervisor: Kallie Mitchell

Praxis Poster: 

PIS_REVISED_ Peyton_Davis_Praxis Poster

 

Further Context:

One of my first assignments for my Praxis course, “Drawing Boundaries: The Politics of Sovereignty in a Globalized World,” I assisted my field supervisor, Kallie Mitchell, on research for a 40-page report. She authored this report on gender-based violence in Tigray, Ethiopia in order to present to U.K. Parliament in March. I helped to find, cross-verify, and categorize facts and testimony related to these crimes. It was eye-opening and sobering to read of these experiences. I learned that, often, sovereignty of territory and sovereignty of body go hand-in-hand. Systemic gender-based violence was used as a method of “claiming” land and women.

The culminating, capstone element of my course was authoring an independent report. At first, I only had a broad idea of what I wanted to do—discuss gender dynamics in the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. Through my own research and feedback from my supervisor, I eventually decided to focus on one specific area. Rojava is a semi-autonomous region in Syria led by a predominately Kurdish government. I chose to analyze the gendered strengths of their democratic model and position it in relation to the fall of the Assad regime. The most interesting challenge in writing this was determining my audience. Unlike writing an essay for a professor, a published piece for a think tank is meant for policymakers and the general public alike.

One major lesson learned from this experience is how much a policy paper evolves over the course of its creation. My original idea underwent many changes as I worked through the process and received feedback. I learned that there is no need for attachment to the first direction I envisioned for the report—in fact, the truly critical writing will naturally evolve as one uncovers more information and develops an argument. Writing sometimes flows, and other times, it’s a frustrating uphill climb. The climb is the point in which I have grown the most!

Katelyn Hung, BMC ’27

(Un)Equitable Development in Chinatown

Semester: Spring 2025

Faculty Advisor: DJ Ferman-Leon

Field Site: Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation

Field Supervisor: Sophia Wan

Praxis Poster: 

PIS_Revised Katelyn Hung - (Un)Equitable Development in Chinatown

 

Further Context:

As a Cities Major with minors in Economics and Data Science, my coursework has consistently explored the causes and consequences of gentrification that disproportionately impact low-income and racial minority communities. This academic foundation sparked my curiosity about the mechanisms for mitigating and preventing gentrification. For my Praxis course, I was fortunate enough to find a role at the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC), an organization whose affordable housing and economic revitalization initiatives allowed me to explore place-based strategies for resisting displacement in ethnic neighborhoods.

As a Neighborhood Planning Intern, my responsibilities ranged from creating infographics about neighborhood programs to more in-depth analysis projects. In this role, I directly supported PCDC’s community development initiatives by contributing research and spatial analysis that informed ongoing planning efforts. One of my tasks consisted of taking pictures of an affordable housing development being constructed in Chinatown. Through this, I began to understand the extensive timeline and the various actors involved in a single housing development project. I also began conducting demographic and economic research through PolicyMap, a software that maps federal data to reveal the nuanced spatial patterns within a given neighborhood like Chinatown. The data I collected helped inform the permanent affordable housing program (via a Community Land Trust) that PCDC is currently planning. My most extensive task was developing a GIS spatial report that identified all the available parking supply in Chinatown. This project was inspired after I reviewed past PCDC surveys where consumers and business owners emphasized the lack of convenient parking. After a conversation with my supervisor, I found out that PCDC had no internal parking study that was up to date, much less one that mapped out parking supply. The Parking Study was the most exciting project for me because I was able to apply my GIS skills to a professional planning setting.

To identify the wider implications of my role at PCDC, Professor Ferman-Leon assigned me readings to explore the broader context of gentrification through histories of urban redevelopment and racial capitalism. Our conversations were enriching and extended my understanding of how neighborhood-level interventions intersect with larger systems of power, finance, and race. His background in community organizing offered great insight into the challenges and opportunities of equitable development.

Overall, this Praxis course was deeply formative for both my academic growth and professional development. I have gained a thorough understanding of the timeline, processes, and partnerships necessary to make a development project come to life. I also learned how long-term planning efforts must respond to the shifting dynamics of a neighborhood over time. This experience offered insight into the role of planning within nonprofit and social justice sectors, and I’m extremely fortunate for the opportunity to learn in a setting closely aligned with my academic and professional goals.

Sally Jamrog, BMC 27′

ARCH B425 Praxis III: Independent Study

Semester: Spring 2025

Faculty Advisor: Wu Xin

Field Site: Philadelphia Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Field Supervisor: Katherine Blanchard

Praxis Poster: 

PIS_SallyJamrog PraxisPoster

 

Further Context:

This spring semester, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with my friend and fellow Bryn Mawr student Ellie Toyama (‘26) at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum) in their Near East collection archives under the supervision of the Fowler/Van Santvoord Keeper of Near Eastern Collections, Katy Blanchard.

Over the course of these last four months, Ellie and I traveled into Philadelphia from Bryn Mawr two times a week to work on inventorying and digitizing the material in the Near East collection from the site of Beth Shemesh, Israel. These artifacts were excavated in the 1930s by Haverford College and accessioned into the University of Pennsylvania’s collection in 1961, mainly consisting of pottery sherds, bits of ceramic or larger incomplete vessels, but we occasionally worked on stoneware from the same site. We looked at lamps, spindle whorls, loom weights, juglets, Cyprian milk bowls, and grinding stones among many other types of objects. We would work on this project a shelf at a time, taking down 1-2 boxes of material a session, carefully making sure each item in the box corresponded with its location status through the Penn Museum inventory software EMu, and photographing items via “shot-down” or “shot-on” camera angles. For more two-dimensional objects such as smaller pot sherds without much curvature, we used “shot-down” photography, during which photos are taken from an overhead angle. Vessels for which simply turning them over would not provide as much information as would be helpful for a researcher looking at these images online, we would employ the “shot-on” technique, during which the camera is placed on a tripod or held freehand, allowing for more photographic, dimensional perspective on a given object. Evaluating each of these items for photography required forethought, especially for items which were significantly more incomplete than others which also might require props to allow for correct orientational positioning. After each session of photography, we would then rehouse and relabel the objects we brought out of storage, assisting with the general upkeep and maintenance of the archive. We found several “unaccounted for” objects over the course of our project, allowing previously lost material to be logged correctly into EMu, and ended up fully digitizing the Beth Shemesh collection!

Katy also had us help out around archives with any other projects that came up during our working hours. We frequently helped her pull material for different researchers and classes as well as set up safe viewing locations for objects. Katy additionally took us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Morgan Library in New York City, on which we got to meet the curators of their exhibition highlighting their cylinder seal collection and a couple curators specializing in rare books and manuscripts. I learned an incredible amount about the processes of curation and what goes into thinking about how material should be displayed in a museum setting as well as what a museum ends up having a final say on. It was also valuable to me to be able to compare the differences between the Morgan Library’s way of keeping materials as opposed to the Penn Museum (a primarily purchased vs. primarily excavated collection).

In addition to the fieldwork I engaged in on-site with Ellie, I developed my skills in art historical and archaeological research and observation through practicing formal analysis on a Khirbet Kerak Ware pot from the Near East collection archives, journaling every week on its formal qualities and materiality as well as practicing various methods of archaeological sketching. Sketching accomplished a similar role in broadening my ability to think critically about these objects as our photography fieldwork assignments in that it encouraged me to consider what features of an object convey its most relevant information. The additional readings and research I also completed on Khirbet Kerak Ware and materiality will culminate in a final paper I will submit at the end of finals week this semester which will also encompass my Penn Museum case study observations.

This whole experience has vastly broadened my knowledge on the behind-the-scenes processes of museum work and has given me an incredible skill set to take into future museum work. I have also learned to more critically and closely observe archaeological artifacts, synthesizing methods of art historical formal analysis with the more scientific, deductive eye often employed in the field of archaeology and plan to continue to develop these skills throughout my time at Bryn Mawr, double majoring in History of Art & Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology.

Anne Nguyen, BMC 26′

Experiential Learning for STEM

Semester: Spring 2025

Faculty Advisor: Leslie Cheng

Field Site: The Paradigm Forum GmbH

Field Supervisor: E. Tabi Haller-Jordan

Praxis Poster: 

PIS_Anne Nguyen_Praxis PosterREVISED.pdf

 

Further Context:

This past semester, I worked with Tabi, my filed supervisor, as a research intern on our ongoing project of humanizing technologists at The Paradigm Forum GmbH. This project was a co-creation of Tabi and the intern team started last summer and this Praxis was a continuation of the project since Tabi and I were both very excited to explore it further.

At the beginning of the semester, I explored the barriers and pathways to experiential learning regarding STEM and the way to engaging STEM talents learners in active learning. This led me to develop a learning & reflective journal for college students, particularly in STEM, that accompanies them through their time in college. The journal is created with a goal of enhancing students’ self-awareness and introspection in their values, identity, skills, learning, growth, visions or the lack thereof and encouraging mindsets and habits for change-making.

Some of the themes in the journal currently are values, connection, courage, and mindfulness. This journal uses reflective prompts, such as “When have you taken a risk even though there was no guarantee of desired outcomes?”, provocative texts from books and speeches, concept introductions of helpful practices like loving kindness, exercises targeting areas such as risk-taking and expanding comfort zone, and goals tracker for intentional habit building. This is still a work in progress and is being reiterated to incorporate feedback from students and staffs. I’d like to share a prototype of this journal with more students and staffs to gain different perspectives on whether and how this journal would be helpful for students.

Because I am a math student, questions emerge about how to connect math and humanizing technologists. Since math is commonly considered a very technical subject, which it is indeed, I explored different ways it could be understood and practiced as a humanized subject. Tabi and I had many discussions about what a moral dimension of mathematics, or Moral Mathematics, could look like. Eventually, I created a framework of moral mathematics, an approach and way of understanding and using math considering that impacts of math on humans and society, including 1) life through the mathematical lens, 2) process skills in mathematics, and 3) ethical implications of mathematics. We believe that this framework can be introduced and applied to various technical subjects to better attract students, engage students, and encourage students to think civically, interdisciplinarily, and innovatively. I would love to work with professors and teachers and find ways to implement this framework into math and technical classrooms, whether that is through incorporating experiential learning into the lesson plans or creating spaces students can collaborate and innovate.

I told Tabi that through this experience, I have become so much more interesting and knowledgeable as a person, not just from doing research and reading, but also from observing how she thinks, leads, and communicates. I became more a more intentional story-teller and approached communicating with others from a place of values and visions. And since this internship was a co-creation and learning partnership, I was pushed to be self-motivated and take initiative to steer the direction and assignments of the project. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to not just be hands-on, but to have agency and “skin-in-the-game”, and get to let my creativity roams freely and to learn so much from doing the work and from my supervisor.

Natasha Ring, BMC 26′

Solar Education in Philly

Semester: Spring 2025

Faculty Advisor: Don Barber

Field Site: Philadelphia Solar Energy Association (PSEA)

Field Supervisor: Liz Robinson

Praxis Poster: 

PIS_Natasha Ring- PIS Final Poster(24 x 36 in)

 

Further Context:

My advisor first mentioned doing a Praxis Independent Study to me as a sophomore, when I declared my major in Environmental Studies. As an Environmental Studies and Education double major planning to pursue a career in Environmental Education, it seemed like a great way for me to explore local organizations working in environmental education and to learn from one. This led to me, almost a year later, reaching out to Tiffany Stahl about doing one. She connected me with Liz Robinson and Philadelphia Solar Energy Association (PSEA), where I have done my Praxis Independent Study.

The thing that stood out to me about PSEA was the fact that they worked with schools. I grew up in a school district where learning about climate change, sustainability, and the environment was woven into our curriculum from the very beginning. We took field trips to the local nature center, explored the river across from my high school in labs, and talked about the difficulties with installing solar panels in my town. Placements at local schools in Philadelphia and Norristown through various classes in college showed me that my experiences were the exception, rather than the rule, and made me really interested in making environmental education a part of the public-school curriculum.

This couldn’t have come at a better time, as Pennsylvania’s new science standards, called STEELS standards, go into effect this July and PSEA was involved in creating these solar education kits to supplement the new curriculum. These solar education kits will be free kits for middle school classrooms using repurposed solar panels donated by a farmer. They will come with a handful of lesson plans, aligning with the new STEELS standards, and working on these kits has been my main responsibility this semester.

This project involves faculty and students  from the Drexel Engineering Department in addition to those from PSEA, and it has been great to work collaboratively with everyone. It has really opened up my eyes to all the different considerations required when designing these kits, with questions ranging from how the lessons we’re developing will supplement the new curriculum to the best way to store the solar panels in a classroom. It has also taught me so much about how to actually write a lesson plan, and how to differentiate a good lesson plan from a bad one. Overall, this semester at PSEA has been invaluable for me and I am so appreciative of everyone I’ve gotten to work with this semester.

 

Pragya Silwal, BMC 27′

Evidence for Measuring & Shaping Policy

Semester: Evidence for Measuring & Shaping Policy

Faculty Advisor: Shannon Mudd

Field Site: Econsult Solutions Inc.

Field Supervisor: Cassandra Brown

Praxis Poster: 

PIS_Pragya Silwal_Revised

 

Further Context:

This Spring, I worked as a Research Analyst at Econsult Solutions, a boutique consulting firm in Philadelphia. As an Economics major with minors in Cities and Data Science, the intersection of urban policies and economics is deeply exciting to me.

I designed this course specifically with the intention of learning how data-driven insights are produced and how policy recommendations are formed within the domain of urban economics. During my time at ESI, I’ve been able to achieve this while working on projects for a broad range of clients throughout the U.S. . I’ve been involved in tasks ranging from collecting and visualizing data, creating GIS maps, to reading and consolidating policy pieces and background literatures for the diverse clientele.

My favorite part has been learning to use ArcGIS and working with spatial data. During my first week at work, I was shown a map and asked if I had any ideas around it. Latching on to that moment, I began experimenting with GIS and ended up producing multiple maps for different projects. Additionally, I also have been able to get to the more theoretical part of Economics while conducting economic impact analysis for clients and learning to use corporate software like Implan.

This semester has been a wonderful exposure to the world of economic consulting – what the day-to-day activities look like, and the skillsets needed to prepare for it. On top of that, ESI has been an amazing place to work, thanks to both the scope of their work and the office community. I’m grateful to have had this learning opportunity.

Claire Ford, BMC ’25

Exploring Experiential Learning as Transformation

Semester: Spring 2025

Faculty Advisor: Alison Cook-Sather

Field Site: Tri-Co Philly Program

Field Supervisor: Calista Cleary

Praxis Poster: 

PIS_FINAL Ford, Claire - PIS Final Poster (24 x 36 in) (1)

 

Further Context:

Going into my second semester of senior year, I was excited to take up the opportunity to self-design a praxis independent study in which I could focus my learning on non-traditional educational contexts. I was inspired by a course I took last semester, Making Space for Learning in Higher Education, with Dr. Kelly Zuckerman, and the work we did to understand and practice education as a means for change. I was stuck on this idea of change, and the process of transformation that occurs throughout education. With this in mind, I went back to a place of transformation for myself, and reflected back on my time as a program student within the Tri-Co Philly Program in the Fall semester of 2022.

The Tri-Co Philly Program is an opportunity for students from Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore Colleges to participate in classes taken at the Friends Center in the heart of Philadelphia. Students take two courses within the program that center around the city of Philadelphia and participate in weekly field activities to become more familiar with the city. I truly enjoyed my experience within the program, and appreciated the different, more experience-based learning my classes took part in. This led me to a self-designed internship with the Tri-Co Philly Program that was my praxis independent study, “Exploring Experiential Education as Transformation.”

Due to the nature of my internship, I was able to take up a wide range of learning and assignments to fit exactly what I wanted to study. When separating these interests into two main categories, I, as highlighted in my poster above, worked to organize data reflecting the impact of the Philadelphia Engagement Grant for all three colleges, as well as explore the wide range of experiential learning that occurs within the Bi-Co.

The first part of my internship involved gathering data about the Philadelphia Engagement Grants, which are grants allocated by the Tri-Co Philly Program that Tri-Co faculty can apply to once a semester to “enrich the curricular content of an on-campus class by facilitating student experiences in the city” (Tri-Co Philly Program). The grants sponsor student excursions to the city such as interacting with a Philadelphia-based organization, taking a walking tour hosted by an alum, and going to see a play that speaks to themes within the class. The grants covered a wide range of student excursions but shared similar excitement and eagerness to connect students with the city of Philadelphia. My role involved the creation of both a spreadsheet to store all the information regarding the Philadelphia Engagement Grants, and various infographics to represent not only the numbers, but the more humane impact these grants have on both students and faculty alike. Thank you to Calista Cleary for the guidance, and for allowing me the opportunity to explore this source of knowledge through the creation of this internship.

In addition to this, with the guidance of Alison Cook-Sather, I explored the wide range of experiential learning both in and outside of the Bi-Co. My research took me to interview three professors within the institutions. I learned their different and unique conceptualizations of experiential learning, as well as their perception of student engagement and learning in experiential education. Thank you to Professor Borowiak, Professor Montes, and Professor Lillehaugen for taking the time to speak with me this semester. I utilized this research, along with numerous conversations, reflections, readings, and other sources to map out a continuum of experiential learning. My questions for consideration are those I actively engaged with throughout this process, what I want you as a reader to use as guidance when imagining education, as well as what I am asking myself as I move towards post-graduation. Thank you to Alison Cook-Sather for advising, challenging, and inspiring me throughout this process!

Nada Elshafey, BMC ’26

Visualizing the Germantown YWCA

Semester: Fall 2024

Faculty Advisor: Min Kyung Lee

Field Site: Friends for the Restoration of the Germantown YWCA

Field Supervisor: Ann Doley

Praxis Poster: 

Elshafey_Final poster_resized

 

Further Context:

“Visualizing the Germantown YWCA” is an independent study that builds on my work as a Digital Scholarship Summer Fellow, where I collaborated with a team to create a website preserving the history of the Germantown YWCA. My role focused on the building page, where I developed an interactive floor plan map that allowed users to explore the building
through clickable rooms, revealing their functions and history. However, the lack of architectural documentation limited what I could achieve in representing the building. Recognizing the potential for further research, our project director, Professor Min Kyung Lee, suggested continuing the project as a Praxis independent study.

The study has three main phases: collecting archival materials, improving the floor plan map, and creating a new architectural visualization based on my findings. Research formed the foundation of my work but proved to be a far more iterative and ongoing process than I anticipated. My first task was exploring Temple’s Special Collections, marking my first experience as a researcher in an archive. I spent four hours examining historical materials,
discovering floor plans and reconstruction blueprints. While many lacked sufficient detail, they were valuable as the only resources available at the time.

Archival research required adaptability and persistence. I often didn’t know what I would find and had to remain open to new directions. This study also highlighted the importance of connecting with professionals and seeking guidance. My field supervisor, Ann Doley, continuously helped me understand what the Germantown community needed our preservation work to be like. She also connected me with community members who shared memories that answered some of my questions and provided photos revealing more of the building’s interior than what is available online. Librarian Molly Ward at the Joseph E.

Coleman Library was also instrumental in pointing me to critical resources, including The First 100 Years of the Germantown YWCA book. She also helped me locate the building on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, which revealed that the Athenaeum of Philadelphia held 12 blueprints. Visiting the Athenaeum was a turning point. There, I found the detailed, scaled plans, sections, and elevations I had sought since the beginning. These documents are the closest we have to being inside the building which makes them the foundation for creating new visualizations, ensuring the building’s architecture and history are accurate, preserved, and accessible.

What surprised me most was how research is never truly “finished.” Each step led to another, requiring constant reassessment of my goals. This iterative process extended the research phase far beyond my initial timeline but also deepened my understanding of the building and its context. The journey of discovery—layering findings, refining representations, and adapting my approach—became integral to the project itself.