In Focus Vol. 9, No. 4

Biological Sciences alumna Kasia Weina is the co-founder of Evergreen Labs in Da Nang, Vietnam. The company is a small business incubator with a unique focus: Growing socially-conscious businesses that address environmental needs. Whether it's supporting helping farmers sell their naturally-grown produce or supplying hotels with furniture made from recycled plastics, Weina and her team are entrepreneurs with hopes for a sustainable future.

Houston, Texas has a sizable Chinese-speaking population, and it's getting larger. To better communicate with their citizens, the Houston Police Department turned to Li-Ya Mar, a UWM graduate with a PhD in Linguistics. She built a curriculum and taught 10-week courses to teach the Police Department some Chinese centered on law enforcement phrases - like, \"Do you have a weapon?\"

When 19th century French revolutionary Louise Michel was exiled to a penal colony in the South Pacific, she encountered the Kanak, the indigenous people oppressed under French imperialism in New Caledonia. And, she discovered their rich oral storytelling culture. Women's and Gender Studies professor Carolyn Eichner details Michel's efforts to document those tales in her new paper.