Robert Franklin and the Hanford History Project are thrilled to be awarded a three-year grant from the National Park Service titled “Digital Asset Management and Community Engagement to Enhance Understanding of Park Resources” at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Hanford Unit.   Robert will lead a WSU team to write a digital asset management plan for the entire Manhattan Project National Historical Park and train staff on implementation.  In addition, for the Hanford Unit, the WSU team will host community workshops, conduct archival research and consolidate fundings into a summary report.  These findings and the digital asset management plan will be used to curate 6 digital image galleries; develop one digital walking tour of East Pasco; write 10 articles, create 20 oral history vignettes; and produce one story map.  The project includes funding for undergraduate and graduate student interns.  If anyone has or knows students who might be interested in participating, please contact Robert Franklin directly at robert.franklin@wsu.edu.

Robert Franklin and Phil Gruen (SDC) were awarded a TCI IDEA Grant for a class they plan to co-teach in spring 2024 tentatively titled “Infrastructural Racism” looking at social justice in the built environment.  They will be examining how infrastructure projects, specifically in the Tri-Cities (the Lewis Street Underpass and the Pasco-Kennewick “Green Bridge”), shape social and economic inequalities.  The grant is to fund important site visits and relationship building with community partners, and to recruit students.

The Hanford History Project was awarded a two-year grant from the National Park Service, “Create Digital Media to Share African American Narratives Related to the Manhattan Project” and Robert Franklin will be the PI on the grant and oversee execution.

“This project will create a suite of digital interpretive products that will share the African American migration, segregation, and civil rights history associated with the Manhattan Project at Hanford, WA.
Source materials produced through this project, Documenting the African American Migration, Segregation, & Civil Rights History at Manhattan Project National Historical Park (MAPR), Hanford will inform these new interpretive products. Articles, oral history vignettes, a story map and an in-depth digital walking tour will be developed. The goal is to broaden the racial and age diversity of park visitors through digital interpretive products that share diverse and inclusive perspectives as well as engage youth.”

Bob Bauman and Robert Franklin won a 2022 Arts and Humanities Fellowship for their book project entitled Tri-Cities Latinx Community Oral History Project.

Bob Bauman was presented the WSU Tri-Cities Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Excellence Award.