Fall 2020 Projects :
Improving Operating Room Efficiency
Understanding Memorial Park Visitor Experiences and Interests
Immigration and Criminal Justice in Harris County
Improving Operating Room Efficiency
This project will support Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) by examining operating room efficiency. Efficiency of operating rooms depend on scheduling, allocation of staff, equipment, time for preparation of the patient and other resources. Inefficiencies in operating rooms translates to longer patient wait-times, higher costs for all stakeholders, as well as potentially reduced patient access to needed medical services. Efficient operating rooms have short turnover times, greater patient satisfaction, and improve patient access to allow hospitals to care for more patients in a timely manner. The results of this research will help TCH improve their efficiency and ultimately increase patient access to medical care.
During Fall of 2020, this HART (Houston Action Research Team) will :
- Review existing literature and studies on operating room efficiency and the role of medical efficiency more broadly
- Observe first case scenarios for inpatient procedures from prep-start to wheels-in and turnover scenarios in operating rooms for outpatient procedures
- Identify procedures in place, timings of procedures, and potential causes of delay
- Analyze how changes in procedures may result in less delay and in particular how methods in higher efficiency operating rooms can be applied to other scenarios
- Complete a written report and oral presentation of findings and recommendations for Texas Children’s Hospital
You must be able to commit to regularly observing operating room set ups as early as 6 AM.
This engaged research opportunity is available to Rice undergraduate students for Fall of 2020. An interdisciplinary team of four students, each of whom will bring different, but equally important, skills, knowledge, and experiences, will undertake this project. Team members will each work approximately 10 hours per week on this project between August 24th and December 16th under the guidance of Frank Gerow, MD (Baylor College of Medicine) and Alan Steinberg (CCL) and will receive $10/hour for their project work. Work time will be flexible, although team members must attend weekly meetings and must coordinate time to work with other team members on the project as needed. Undergraduate students from all fields of study with interests and/or skills in at least some of the following areas are encouraged to apply:
Health policy, healthcare, economics, observational research, literature review, data analysis, professional writing, public presentations, teamwork, community engagement, non-profits
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE April 5, 2020
To inquire or apply contact Dr. Alan Steinberg, steinberg@rice.edu
For more about Rice’s HART Program, visit: ccl.rice.edu/hart
Click the following link to start your application: How to Apply
Understanding Memorial Park Visitor Experiences and Interests
This project will support the Memorial Park Conservancy (MPC) in better understanding who visits the park during peak park usage times, what areas of the park are used during peak hours (beyond Seymour Lieberman Exer-Trail), where those visitors come from, what aspects they engage with when visiting, and visitors familiarity with existing programs and interest in other opportunities. This information will help MPC make informed, evidence-based decisions regarding resource allocation and future planning as they continue with their master planning process. This experiential learning opportunity will enable students to apply the knowledge and skills gains from Rice courses to complete work that will benefit residents and visitors to the City of Houston.
During Fall of 2020, this HART (Houston Action Research Team) will :
- Design a survey of visitors to Memorial Park that will elicit information to answer the questions of interest to the Conservancy and in line with previous surveys
- Train and work with Conservancy volunteers who will assist in surveying users to maximize data collection potential
- Analyze the results of the survey with the primary aim of understanding who visits Memorial Park and what activities they are aware of and engage in
- Identify any barriers to using natural areas of Memorial Park
- Identify opportunities to apply survey findings to future planning efforts by the MPC
- Complete a written report and oral presentation of findings and recommendations for the Memorial Park Conservancy
This engaged research opportunity is available to Rice undergraduate students for Fall of 2020. An interdisciplinary team of four students, each of whom will bring different, but equally important, skills, knowledge, and experiences, will undertake this project. Team members will each work approximately 10 hours per week on this project between August 24th and December 16th under the guidance of Richard Johnson (Director of Sustainability) and Alan Steinberg (CCL) and will receive $10/hour for their project work. Work time will be flexible, although team members must attend weekly meetings and must coordinate time to work with other team members on the project as needed. Undergraduate students from all fields of study with interests and/or skills in at least some of the following areas are encouraged to apply:
Urban planning, nature, parks and recreation, sociology, survey research, demographics, interviewing, research design, landscape architecture, data analysis, professional writing, public presentations, teamwork, community engagement, non-profits
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE April 5, 2020
To inquire or apply contact Dr. Alan Steinberg, steinberg@rice.edu
For more about Rice’s HART Program, visit: ccl.rice.edu/hart
Click the following link to start your application: How to Apply
Immigration and Criminal Justice in Harris County
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) advances solutions and builds coalitions to reduce mass incarceration and foster safer Texas communities. The current federal immigration policies thrust the intersection between immigration and criminal justice policy into the spotlight. In early 2017 Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez ended the county’s partnership with federal authorities that involved sheriff deputies performing immigration related duties. Later that year the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 4 requiring cooperation of local criminal justice agencies with federal immigration authorities. This created a conflict between local, state and national policies. Texas’ proximity to the border and Harris County’s large immigrant communities make these policies especially relevant. This project will support the TCJC by consulting with stakeholders and using relevant data to identify effective policies for Harris County moving forward.
During Fall of 2020, this HART (Houston Action Research Team) will :
- Review and analyze existing literature on the intersection between immigration and criminal justice
- Identify stakeholders and relevant data within this intersection
- Collect information from stakeholders to build a holistic understanding of the effects of SB 4 and thoughts moving forward
- Analyze data regarding Harris County on the intersection between criminal justice and immigration
- Based on the data analyzed and information from stakeholders, identify potential policies for Harris County moving forward
- Complete a written report and oral presentation of findings and recommendations for the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
This engaged research opportunity is available to Rice undergraduate students for Fall of 2020. An interdisciplinary team of four students, each of whom will bring different, but equally important, skills, knowledge, and experiences, will undertake this project. Team members will each work approximately 10 hours per week on this project between August 24th and December 16th under the guidance of Jay Jenkins (TCJC) and Dr. Alan Steinberg (CCL) and will receive $10/hour for their project work. Work time will be flexible, although team members must attend weekly meetings and must coordinate time to work with other team members on the project as needed. Undergraduate students from all fields of study with interests and/or skills in at least some of the following areas are encouraged to apply:
Law, criminal justice, immigration, sociology, policy, research design, data analysis, professional writing, presentations, teamwork, community engagement, non-profits
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE April 5, 2020
To inquire or apply contact Dr. Alan Steinberg, steinberg@rice.edu
For more about Rice’s HART Program, visit: ccl.rice.edu/hart
Click the following link to start your application: How to Apply