Awards announced for Schiff Fellows, Undergraduate Research programs

Winners of the Jerome A. Schiff Undergraduate Fellows and the Undergraduate Research programs for the 2012-2013 academic year have been announced.

To be named a Schiff fellow, sophomores, juniors or seniors together with a faculty sponsor apply to perform an innovative research or pedagogical project. Each fellow receives a $2,000 stipend and their mentor receives a $500 stipend toward his or her own research.

The program runs for a full academic year. Some summer work is possible in the case of special circumstances (i.e. faculty member on leave; student abroad for one semester). Students and mentors participate in panel discussions and a work-in-progress showcase each year. Additional programming for student fellows may be coordinated within departments (students often present their work in the department, as well as to a larger campus audience).

The following students were named 2012-2013 fellows:

Dan Boyle ’14, biochemistry and neuroscience
With Susan Lovett (biology)
“A Project Lab Module: Linker-Scanning Insertion of GFP into DnaA"

Anna Khazan ’13, environmental studies
With Joseph Allen and Laura Goldin (environmental studies)
“Polyfluorinated Compounds in Commercial Airplanes: Assessing Occupational Exposure for Flight Attendants”

Laura Kim ’13, economics and business
With Raphael Schoenle (economics)
“Teaching Macroeconomics After the Financial Crisis”

Jennifer Mandelbaum ’14, HSSP and women’s and gender studies
With Sara Shostak (sociology)
 “From the Garden to the Plate: Community Garden Education as Primary Prevention of Childhood Obesity”

Leah Naghi ’14, biology
With Chandler Fulton and Elaine Lai (biology)
“Life with Nami: Uncovering the Genetic Secrets of Naegleria minor”

Jessica Podhorcer ’15, history and English
With Charles McClendon (fine arts)
“The Art of Medieval England”

Rocky Reichman ’13, psychology
With Susan Dibble (theater arts)
“Playing for Survival”

Rebecca Richman ’13, psychology
With Mick Watson (psychology)
“Rethinking “Teva” at Camp: Crafting a Collectivist Program for Environmental Consciousness”

Sara Shahanaghi ’14, economics and math
With Adam Jaffe (economics)
“Education Economics: Links between Current Literature and Policy Questions”

Abby Vigderman ’13, psychology and neuroscience
With Angela Gutchess (psychology and neuroscience)
“Relating Information to the Self Relies on Autobiographical Memory”

Honorable mentions:
Lien Phung ’13 (biochemistry)
Melanie Steinhardt ’13 (classical studies)
Amanda Winn ’13 (biology)

The Undergraduate Research Program (URP) funds research projects for students during the summer or for an academic semester in all disciplines. To apply for a URP, a student must have a faculty mentor who will oversee the student's research project. URPs can also provide helpful funding to students who are completing a senior thesis.

The amount of the award varies based on the URP committee's assessment. Summer awards often cover summer housing.

The following students received URP awards:

Rachel Basse ’13 (mathematics, linguistics)
With Sheldon Joyner
“A Nonstandard Approach to the Prime Number Theorem”

Breanna Beberman ’13 (chemical biology, biology)
With Christine Thomsas
“Observing Ghanaian Human-Animal Interactions: A Pictorial Essay”

Michael Chi ’13 (biology)
With Leslie Griffith
“The Effects of Social Enrichment in Larvae on Adult Drosophila Melanogaster Sleep Behavior”

Philip Gallagher ’14 (politics)
With Wendy Cadge
“The Role of Hospital Chaplains in Psychiatric Facilities”

Alice Gelman ’13 (psychology, classical studies)
With Jozsef Fiser
“Validating Visual Research: The Replication of Visual Learning and Top-down Modulation of Cortical Dynamics Experiments in Rats”

Jae Jung ’15 (neuroscience)
With Michael Rosbash
“Circadian Response under Stress in Drosophila”

Eve Markvardt ’13 (anthropology)
With Sarah Lamb
“Russian Female Minority in Helsinki Area: Beyond Stigmatization and Stereotyping”

Chama Mechtaly ’15 (IGS, neuroscience)
With Chandler Rosenberger
“A Comparison of the Level of Integration of the Jewish and Muslim Immigrants from the Maghreb Region in France and an Analysis of theRelationship between the Two Communities”

Kori Perten ’13 (creative writing, English)
With Olga Broumas
“Poetry: Healing Through the Body and the Mind”

Alexander Hall Sheehan ’13 (psychology, East Asian studies)
With Angela Gutchess
“A New Way of Detecting and reacting to Change: Does Asking Why Matter?”

Marisa Turesky ’13 (anthropology, women’s and gender studies)
With Janet McIntosh
“Who Drives the Tractor: How Technology Influences Women’s Farms in the Netherlands”

Rosanna Veggeberg ’13 (neuroscience)
With Michael Rosbash
“Circadian vs. Sleep Controlled Plasticity of s-LNsv Nuerons in Drosophila Melanogaster”