Two students in the 2015 cohort, Kristen Laciste and Maggie Wander, have been selected for the Social Science Research Council Dissertation Proposal Development (SSRC-DPD) Program. This opportunity is for second-year Ph.D. students to develop their dissertation proposals by funding field research, organizing workshops, peer-reviewing dissertation proposals, and training students in interdisciplinary methodologies. Kristen Laciste’s project looks at black female dandyism as a form of empowerment. This summer, she will use the SSRC-DPD funds to travel to Accra, Ghana for a symposium and for post-conference activities, as well as visit and examine an exhibition. Maggie Wander’s project explores contemporary artists and curators in Oceania who engage with environmental issues. She will use the SSRC-DPD funds to conduct interviews and archival research in the United Kingdom and Honolulu, Hawai’i.