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Mapping Global China: A $600,000 Grant toAdvance Understanding of China's Global Presence

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

WPI faculty members Jennifer Rudolph, a historian of modern China and professor in humanities and arts, and Lane Harrison, data visualization expert and associate professor in computer science, have received a $600,000, two-year International Peace and Security Program grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to advance an international project called Mapping Global China. This initiative aims to create an open-access digital platform that integrates curated datasets, interactive maps, and advanced data visualization to help people better understand China's expanding role on the world stage.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Mapping Global China project has received a $600,000, two-year grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to create an open-access digital platform.
  • The platform will integrate curated datasets, interactive maps, and advanced data visualization to help people understand China's global presence.
  • The project brings together expertise in history, law, economics, cartography, and geography with WPI's strengths in computer science and data visualization.
  • The initiative aims to provide a clearer, more nuanced understanding of China's global presence and support informed decision-making for scholars and policymakers worldwide.
  • Student and faculty involvement is extensive, with two Major Qualifying Project student teams and multiple faculty members contributing to the project.
  • The project includes a collected volume, Global China: Histories, Methods, Encounters, a co-edited book by Rudolph and Carrai, as well as an atlas.
  • Themed working groups, research briefs, story maps, and interviews with experts on various aspects of China's global impact are also part of the initiative.

Statistics:

  • The grant is worth $600,000 over two years.
  • The project will involve extensive student and faculty involvement, including two Major Qualifying Project student teams.
  • A WPI PhD student in computer science will join the project in January 2026 to incorporate cutting-edge machine learning and visualization technologies.
  • A second advanced WPI PhD student in computer science will join the project in the second year of the grant.

Sources:

  • Carnegie Corporation of New York
  • WPI Humanities & Arts Profiles (Jennifer Rudolph and Lane Harrison)
  • WPI Campus News ( Mapping Global China initiative)

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