BIARI at Brown 2012

Global Health and HIV/AIDS 2012

This institute focused on current knowledge regarding HIV and women over the life course in a global context: epidemiology, pathogenesis, transmission and prevention, women-centered HIV treatment, and gender inequalities. Our emphasis was on social aspects, including gender-based vulnerabilities and empowerment, and on most at-risk populations, such as adolescents. The institute presented state-of-the art approaches to women’s HIV prevention: discussions emphasized a holistic approach that includes men/ partners, families, and communities as key influences on HIV-infected and at-risk women. The institute took a multidisciplinary team approach to understanding these complex issues in both resource-rich and resource-poor settings.
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Theater and Civil Society 2012

Convened by faculty from Brown’s Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, this institute explored the role of theater, new media, and public performance in contemporary political and social movements, with a focus on the potential of diverse art forms to advance principles of non-violence, economic and political justice, and civic debate. What is new in today’s social and political movements? What do they owe to theories, traditions, and practices of expressive freedom and participatory politics? We invited scholars from the humanities and critically engaged artists and performers working in different genres to contribute to an interdisciplinary exploration of the ways in which creative production can expand the civic imagination and conjure new understandings of public space.
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Population and Development 2012

With the world’s population officially surpassing seven billion, this institute addressed the crucial and interlinked issues of population and development, particularly as they affect people in the Global South. What are the most significant population issues in the 21st century? How do population dynamics and the policies designed to address them contribute to or detract from equitable development? How can theories and methods in the social sciences contribute to understanding the relation-ship between population and development, and how can this scholarship contribute to better policies and programs? Participants engaged with cutting-edge theory, innovative and tested research methods, and first-rate scholarship upon which to build their own research programs.
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Climate Change and Its Impacts 2012

Water, energy, and digital information are key resources for all societies in the 21st century, demanding a range of products, services, and infrastructure to provide secure, equitable distribution and delivery. Operating in studio format and taking an interdisciplinary approach, this institute had two main goals: first, to explore emerging concepts in engineering, design, and development through a focus on platforms, prototypes, and projects; and second, to delve into the implications of their design and development in society. Applications were welcomed from young engineers and engineering faculty, as well as from engineering education policymakers and those working in agriculture, environmental studies, urban studies, or related fields.
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