Hello everyone!
My name is Priyanka Jayakodi. I’m a fourth year PhD student in Cultural Anthropology and a returning CHI fellow. I couldn’t be more excited to continue this journey. My dissertation focuses on environmental health in communities affected by Chronic Kidney Disease epidemic in Sri Lanka. Being part of CHI has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my graduate experience at MSU. Prior to joining the CHI fellowship, I had little experience in coding and as there were lots of “figuring outs” (to cite Dr. Watrall’s encouraging words) during my previous experience. They were truly the most productive learning opportunities. I was also fortunate to collaborate with and learn from an amazing group of fellows from various disciplines, which has enriched my academic experience.
During my previous fellowship year (2023-24), I developed a project titled Mapping Mahaweli, a website based on the Accelerated Mahaweli Development Program (AMDP) in Sri Lanka. The AMDP is Sri Lanka’s largest national development initiative, dating back to the 1960s. The bulk of archival data on the AMDP is stored in physical formats at the University of Peradeniya and the National Archives in Colombo. To address the lack of digitized documentation on the AMDP, the Mapping Mahaweli project serves as a digital repository, providing essential information on the program. Additionally, I compiled a series of stories called Mahaweli Memories, which feature narratives shared by settlers of the AMDP that I collected during my pre-dissertation fieldwork in the Ampara and Anuradhapura districts. The interactive map I created is powered by Leaflet.js and MapTiler, showcasing two critical components of the AMDP: dams and town centers built under the initiative. The map was built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
This project was my first adventure into coding, and I learned so much throughout the process. There are sections of the website that I’m excited to further develop this year. In my next post, I’ll share more details about my future project plans.
Stay tuned!
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