The Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies will host a webinar on applying for two grant opportunities, the Baumanis Grant for Creative Projects in Baltic Studies and the new Academic Events and Projects Grant, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, from 12:00-1:00 pm EST.
Both grant opportunities are open to a wide variety of proposals and applicants in the field of Baltic Studies. To highlight one possibility, 2024 Baumanis grantee Sophie Peng will discuss her ongoing project, “Lace Narratives: Hand-work (EE: Käsi-Töö).” The Baumanis Grant awards up to $7,000 for any creative project (e.g., book, film, exhibit, etc.) that promotes Baltic studies. Preference will be given to topics with a pan-Baltic or comparative aspect.
New for this grant cycle, the Academic Events and Projects Grant is designed to complement other AABS grant opportunities and support the growth of the field via events targeted at the next generation of scholars and projects that advance Baltic Studies outside of the Baltic states.
AABS Student Representative Aimee Herring (University of South Carolina) and AABS Assistant Director of Outreach and Engagement Ben Gardner-Gill will discuss application requirements and timelines for both grants. There will be ample time for Q&A with attendees.
All interested parties are invited; prospective grant applicants are encouraged to attend. Registration is required.
Panelists:
Sophie Peng
University of Helsinki/ University of Glasgow
Sophie Qiaoyun Peng is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Helsinki (Department of Cultures) and an Affiliated Researcher at the University of Glasgow (School of Social & Political Sciences). She defended her PhD thesis, titled “Lace-up the North: exploring the meanings of hand-knitted woollen lace fabrics in Haapsalu (Estonia) and Shetland (Scotland)”, at the University of Glasgow in 2023. Peng’s interest and enthusiasm in the Baltic Studies started around a decade ago when languages of the Baltic States were made as elective course options to her. She went to study Latvian first, then Latvian and Lithuanian, after that she decided “why not” and topped Estonian up: which eventually led her to the textile research career path, specifically — lace.
Aimee Herring
University of South Carolina
Aimee Herring is a Ph.D. student at the University of South Carolina, where she has recently transferred from Educational Foundations and Inquiry to (Linguistic) Anthropology. Her research interests concern migration, language, identity and belonging, with a focus on the Baltic region. Her anticipated dissertation research will center on the Lithuanian response to increased migration flows, including how migrant identities are constructed through linguistic practice, as well as how borders and identity are understood and constructed through discourse, social imaginaries, and material practices. Aimee’s relationship with the Baltic region goes back to the mid-1990’s, when she worked first as a Peace Corps volunteer/TEFL teacher in Klaipeda, Lithuania, and later, as a TEFL instructor, teacher trainer, and program lead for youth instruction at Soros International House in Vilnius, Lithuania. Aimee married into a Lithuanian family, and maintains ties with friends, family, and former students and colleagues there
Ben Gardner-Gill
AABS
Ben Gardner-Gill serves as AABS Assistant Director of Outreach and Engagement. In this role, he oversees AABS’ donor relations and fundraising efforts, maintains AABS’ presence on social media, advertises AABS’ grants and awards, assists the AABS Administrative Executive Director in maintaining and updating AABS’ website and publishing annual print newsletters and quarterly e-newsletters, and develops and proposes new strategies and initiatives for fostering outreach and community engagement.