GPASC Summer Grants 2025

GPASC is pleased to announce the awarding of two summer grants for 2025. 

Michael Giammasi (Thomas Jefferson University):

Exploring Shofuso's Design Roots to Outreach to the At-Large Philadelphia Architectural Design Community

Project Summary:

Shofuso was constructed in New York City for multiple purposes: to reconcile relationships between hostile countries, to enthrall the public as an exotic exhibition, and to explore international design principles. As the years have passed and Shofuso moved from New York to Philadelphia, it has continued to captivate visitors and has become a community home-base for Japanese and Asian Philadelphians. It has not, however, captured the design community in Philadelphia as it once had in New York. Arthur Drexler, the MoMA curator and impetor of Shofuso, noted that in New York, nearly every great architect of the time had made the pilgrimage to study its construction and design techniques.

While I’ll be tackling multiple projects at Shofuso—including transposing my completed research into a permanent historical narrative installation to help visitors see beyond the site’s immense beauty—it’s the work to re-engage the architectural and landscape architecture disciplines that I believe will have the most lasting impact on Shofuso’s mission and future.

A key piece of that effort is a course at Longwood Gardens, taught by Harriet Henderson, RLA. A former Dreer fellow in Kyoto and lecturer at The Barnes Foundation, Henderson’s course dives into the design principles and practices of traditional Asian gardens, such as ours here in Philadelphia. While my research over the past year has made me something of an expert on Shofuso’s history and context, this course will help me uncover and better articulate the design language embedded in the site, and share it with the broader design community.

I’m excited for the opportunity to expand my bachelor of landscape architecture education (expected May 2026) in such a niche, driven, and practical fashion. This course offering feels like a fortuitous part of my larger pursuit at Shofuso—and just one small but essential step in reintroducing the design significance of this place to Philadelphia. I’d be honored to represent GPASC as a steward of Shofuso and of the intersections between Asian studies, architecture, and public design.

Caroline Keller (University of Delaware)

SASLI Summer Language Program: Hindi

Project Summary:

During the fall semester I took a discussion course on racism and social exclusion with a group of history and history education majors. The class was taught and organized by Dr. Ramnarayan Rawat, who has a wealth of knowledge in the area of Dalit Studies and who encouraged me to apply for this program. Through our readings and his thoughtful and insightful comments during our discussions, I developed an appreciation for the history of activism that I had previously been ignorant to. This course inspired me to continue reading and learning about Dalit activism and history, but I have come across challenges in my study because of my limited understanding of the languages in which most of the important concepts of their activism are born from. This is why I applied to and am attending the SASLI Summer Language Program this summer and will be learning Hindi. 

I had to go through a program outside of my university (University of Delaware) because Hindi is not offered through the language department. This is not my second language, it will be my third. I am an avid language learner and have been learning Spanish seriously for the past three and was privileged enough to study abroad in Spain for the month of June after my first year in university. It was through this experience that I learned the importance of language learning in context and opened my eyes to a wider world of language learning. I intend to apply for the Critical Language Scholarship for Hindi this fall after my summer study to be able to strengthen my knowledge and learn in a real-life context. Academically I would also like to be greater equipped for my chosen area of study, any research opportunities, and for graduate school.

Congratulations to Michael Giammasi and Caroline Keller! As a condition of the grant, they will submit reports at the end of the summer and give presentations at next spring's GPASC Undergraduate Research Conference. 

GPASC2025 Undergraduate Conference Report

GPASC2025, the annual undergraduate research conference of the Greater Philadelphia Asian Studies Consortium, was held on April 26 at Ursinus College. Ten presentations were made in three panels, and a special Virtual Reality presentation was also offered. (For details see the program posted previously.) After lunch, a keynote presentation was given by Nora "Nohraku" Suggs, a master of the shakuhachi (traditional Japanese bamboo flute). 

Five awards were given for outstanding presentations, and a special award was made to two students for their innovative VR presentation. 

The awards for outstanding presentations:

Sebastian Bonilla (Swarthmore College): From Classical Waka to Contemporary Rap: The Poetics of Food Across Language and Culture

Cameron Cardona (St. Joseph's University): The Devadasi System and Brahmanical Patriarchy

Zhao Gu Gammage (Haverford College): Constructing China--MENA Relations in Chinese Cold War Propaganda Posters

Michael Giammasi (Thomas Jefferson University): Shōfusō & Utsushi: The Japanese House Past, Present, and Future

James C. Singleton (St. Joseph's University): How Dalit People Mentally Experience Caste

The award for innovative presentation:

Kazi Morshed and Jiovani Santiago (Penn State Abington): China VR: People, Places & Spaces  

Contratulations to the award recipients, and to all the presenters who made this such a successful conference!

Pictured (L to R): Kazi Morshed, Jiovani Santiago, Matthew Mizenko, Zhao Gu Gammage, Sebastian Bonilla, James C. Singleton, Cameron Cardona, and Michael Giammasi

Nora "Nohraku" Suggs gave a presentation on the history and characteristics of the shakuhachi, and performed several pieces. 

And a short clip of Nora Suggs playing while reading shakuhachi notation:

And photos from the virtual reality project (presented by Kazi Morshed, Jiovani Santiago and mentor Dr. Pierce Salguero from Penn State Abington):

Opening the conference:

Presenter Krystal Diaz (University of Delaware) on Tokyo Ghoul:

Panel C: (L to R) Austin Helmer (St. Joseph's), James C. Singleton (St. Joseph's), Astrid Bemis-Driscoll (Haverford), Lisa Carter (Delaware), Dr. Amber Abbas (St. Joseph's):

Deepest thanks to the participants, mentors, guests, Nora Suggs, and Ursinus colleagues including Flavia Pietrobattista, Yukino Tanaka, Stephanie Sun, Teresa Ko, and for the administrative and logistical support from Ursinus College. Thanks also to the GPASC board: Frank Chance, Charles (Chip) Desnoyers, and Masako Hamada.