Hongmei Lu Nominated for 2021 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award
The Graduate School is pleased to announce that Hongmei Lu is Michigan Tech’s nominee for the 2021 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award in the area of Humanities and Fine Arts.
Lu received her PhD in Environmental and Energy Policy in the Department of Social Sciences in 2020, advised by Audrey Mayer. Her dissertation was entitled, “From Garden City to Sponge City: Urban Green Infrastructure Policy Development.” As described by her advisor, Lu's dissertation focused on Chinese policies and policy actors in the rapidly-emerging area of urban green infrastructure. Green infrastructure is increasingly used around the world to solve common environmental problems in cities, such as flooding, air pollution and climate change. In China, as in the rest of the world, urban green infrastructure has a significant environmental justice dimension; green space is more commonly found in wealthier neighborhoods and has a positive feedback effect on real estate prices and rents. In response to the rapid urbanization of China, the central government has put forth an increasing number of policies such as the Sponge City program to try to address flooding and pollution issues through the implementation of green infrastructure. As Lu’s work is revealing, the success or failure of these policies often rely upon the presence of astute policy agents who can shepherd programs and projects through a sometimes byzantine bureaucratic system.
Currently, Lu is working with Angie Carter (SS) on a Portage Health Foundation-funded, community-based research project for local food system development in Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula and explores how grassroots coproduction within a local food system can improve community well-being, especially food security and food sovereignty during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Carter said, "It's been wonderful to have Dr. Lu's experience studying collaborative governance and environmental planning as part of our team on the Western UP Food Systems Collaborative over the past year.”
Lu was nominated by the Social Sciences department and the nomination was supported by Mayer, Shan Zhou and Melissa Baird.
The CGS/ProQuest Award operates on a two-year cycle with regard to fields of competition. The next competition will occur in 2022 and will consider applicants who have completed their degrees between July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 in mathematics, physical sciences and engineering as well as social sciences. Consider nominating your PhD graduates next year.