Summary
Beginning her work in the spring of 2010 as an undergraduate intern, Sim has participated in research projects with the Bureau for Research in Anthropology that span geography, methodology and subject matter. From 2010 through 2011, she worked with her thesis mentor, Mamadou Baro, on the Senegal Village Project. Through this program, the OMVS (Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Senegal) evaluated socioeconomic factors affecting livelihoods in the Senegal River Basin (including regions in Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal). Using the data collected through the project, Sim conducted data analysis for honors thesis "An Evaluation of Organizational Capacity, Networks and Poverty Reduction in Rural Senegal". June 2011, Sim began work as a post-baccalaureate research staff member, innovating electronic data collection systems for the Healthy Homes Initiative, a community health outreach program in Southern Tucson. The Healthy Homes Initiative is a HUD funded grant to improve the overall health of the housing stock in the United States. In Tucson, the Sonoran Environmental Research Institute works with Promotoras (community health workers from the community) to improve the delivery of home health assessments and outreach programs to less-serviced areas of Southern Tucson. The program's impact spans outreach to construction, mitigating health issues like mold exposure, lead poisoning, and asthma. December 2011, BARA began its work on the Arizona Border Schools Chemical Reducation Program, in partnership with ADEQ and EPA. The Chemical Cleanout project monitored and reported indicators of chemical exposure to school members (and the community) in Nogales, Arizona. ADEQ and BARA worked collaboratively with the Nogales Unified School Disctrict (NUSD) to remove expired or toxic chemicals, hold workshops for teachers and administrators on chemical management, and encourage the use of a district-wide chemical management plan. Sim believes that continuing conversations about pertinent issues affecting at-risk communities can help to close the gap in income, social, and political inequality. Projects: Healthy Homes Initiative, Chemical Cleanout, Senegal Village Project