Undergraduate Research News
August 11, 2021
The Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative (BEJI) invites students to support its educational programming for incarceration-impacted individuals. Specifically, we have positions for students to serve as tutors for individuals in credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing courses taught by Brandeis faculty and graduate students at local facilities. Work may be in person, or a hybrid of remote/in-person work.
Students will receive credit for their work by enrolling in LGLS 145A, Experiences with Justice. This 2-credit practicum will orient students to the legal/political/social issues associated with mass incarceration and will operate as a think-tank for discussion about how higher ed can best meet the needs of incarcerated or formerly incarcerated students.
Please reach out to Professor Rosalind Kabrhel at rkabrhel@brandeis.edu for more information.
August 5, 2021
BrandeisNOW
121 students presented research across the scientific spectrum
August 9, 2021
The Bisson Lab is looking for Brandeis undergraduate students to work creating multimedia content (illustrations and digital animations) to support our research group in communicating our science and promote science education. Expected start date is Fall 2021 Semester. This is a part-time, paid job. The successful candidate will spend time in the lab interacting with our scientists, learning about our research and helping to train them to produce their own materials.The successful candidate will become an official lab member and receive financial support to travel to conferences and specialized courses - i.e., receive career support from Dr. Bisson.
Science multimedia communication is a lacking but growing market. In the face of the billions of dollars invested in scientific research, few groups manage to properly communicate the impact of their discoveries. While writing skills are regarded as essential to science publication, scientists have a lot to learn from arts and media professionals. We expect our selected candidate to face this challenge as a potential future career. You can find inspirational forerunners like Dr. Janet Isawa (U. of Utah) and Dr. David Goodsell (Scripps Institute).
Any Brandeis student with previous experience (formal and informal) is welcome to apply. Being a science major is not a requirement. Having a science background is not a requirement.
Candidates should send their CV to Theopi Rados at rados@brandeis.edu.
August 5, 2021
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the German Consulate in Boston, the German Center for Research and Innovation in New York, and Euraxess are delighted to host a hybrid/virtual Falling Walls Lab Boston on September 22, 2021, at 6 p.m.
Falling Walls Lab is a platform for candidates from all academic disciplines who would like to present their research work, business model, innovative project or transformative idea in front of their peers and a distinguished jury from academia and business.
The call for applications is now open. Undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, young professionals, entrepreneurs and faculty members are invited to apply. Falling Walls Lab Boston offers an amazing opportunity to pitch ground-breaking ideas and win a week-long tip and a spot in the global final in Berlin, Germany. At the final stage, you will have the opportunity to represent your organization in front of a global audience and to compete for attractive cash and research prizes.
Falling Walls Lab Boston will take place on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 6 p.m.
Applications can be submitted online until August 16. For more information go to: Boston | Falling Walls (falling-walls.com)
To help spread the news of the Falling Walls Lab Boston, we would greatly appreciate it if you could forward our call for applications to emerging researchers and professionals within your institution’s network.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact science@bost.diplo.de or the Falling Walls Foundation (lab@falling-walls.com).
June 30, 2021
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers US citizens an opportunity to spend an academic year abroad conducting research, teaching English, or pursuing a one-year degree. Brandeis students and alumni have recently earned grants to study how social robots can be used to provide one-on-one second language lessons to migrant and native German-speaking children, to examine environmental politics in the Soviet Union in the decade before collapse using the Leningrad "dam" as a case study, and to teach English in India, Greece, Spain, Thailand, and Taiwan. Brandeis offers robust and comprehensive support to potential applicants, from choosing a country and type of grant to developing a project proposal and drafting essays, all the way through to submitting a polished application. Rising seniors, current graduate students, and recent alumni thinking about applying for or interested in learning more about the Fulbright Program are invited to contact Director of Academic Fellowships Meredith Monaghan to set up a Zoom meeting/phone call and discuss the application process.
May 17, 2021
What started for Ryan Shaffer '21 as some light research on the Supreme Court during the Reconstruction Era for a class his sophomore year led to an award-winning thesis and a deepened commitment to racial justice.Jaiden Gividen (’21) was awarded $4,700 to fund a summer immersion Hebrew-language program at Middlebury College in order to develop her language skills in preparation for rabbinical school and working in the Jewish professional world.
Yael Pearlman (’23) was awarded $1,800 to support a summer internship with ITIM, a leading think tank advocating for issues of religion and state within Israel. Hoping to take advantage of the entire summer, she will also pursue Hebrew language study at an ulpan program prior to the start of the internship. She is also receiving funding from the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies.
April 23, 2021
BrandeisNOW
For Anderson Stinson III ‘21, changing course is nothing new. He started on the pre-med track at Brandeis, but in his sophomore year, he switched to focus his studies on what he cares about most.
April 16, 2021
The Hoot
The first ever all-discipline Undergraduate Research and Creative Collaborations Symposium will be held virtually on April 30, showcasing more than 120 projects across the sciences, social sciences, humanities and creative arts. As of now, the symposium is the only event that covers research across all disciplines in the undergraduate population.
BrandeisNOW
Alana Hodson ’19 was born with severe hearing loss, relying on hearing aids and lip-reading to communicate effectively. She attended a tiny high school in rural New Hampshire from which few students go went on to college.
These challenges did not stop her from gaining admission to Brandeis, though. And in her sophomore year, Hodson landed a position as an undergraduate research assistant in the Memory and Cognition Laboratory directed by Arthur Wingfield, professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience.
The Wingfield Lab’s research focus included age-related hearing loss and speech comprehension. Hodson recalls being fascinated. Read More!
The Rose Art Museum is pleased to share that they are now accepting applications for three paid curatorial internships and for the Head of SCRAM (Student Committee for the Rose Art Museum) position at the Rose Art Museum.
These opportunities are geared towards students who are interested in learning more about how the arts can bring people together to think critically about the world around us, inspire new ways of being, and facilitate meaningful dialogues within our communities.
Students are active and integral members of the Rose Art Museum team and will gain hands-on experience learning about various aspects of museum work. Curatorial interns will be introduced to curatorial work, collections management, programs, and other administrative museum operations. The Head of SCRAM will help develop ideas and programs to ensure the Rose is a welcoming space for all, including planning student events, working with fellow students on the Student Committee for the Rose Art Museum, and forming a new student advisory council for the Rose.
No prior experience working within a museum is required.
Interested applicants can apply via Workday. Please note that a cover letter / letter of interest must be uploaded, along with a resumé, through the hiring system — applications without this will not be considered.
WGS is appalled by the anti-Asian racism and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic and devastated by the murder of eight people, including six Asian American women, in Atlanta on March 16, 2021. This past summer (2020), following the brutal murder of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, among many others, students expressed a desire to channel their grief and anger into creative #BLM projects, leading to the first round of WGS micro grants. In response to students who attended our recent Community Check-In, WGS will offer five micro grants of $200 to support undergraduate and graduate students who are engaged in summer projects in pursuit of social change and justice.
The WGS Micro Grants for AAPI Social Justice may fund projects that include, but are not limited to, educational services (e.g., book groups, consciousness-raising activities, creation of syllabi/ reading lists, etc.), creative articulations of advocacy (music, film, blogs, social media, art), grassroots organizing (creation of support groups, solidarity and coalition groups), and more. The project should be broadly related to intersectionality, feminisms, gender, sexuality, and/or racial justice. Priority will be given to students who qualify for financial aid, WGS majors and minors, and/or AAPI minors. Short reports about how the microgrants were used should be submitted in early Fall.
Deadline: April 30, 2021
If you have questions about the grant (application, eligibility, criteria, etc.) please contact Alix Brandon.
February 16, 2021
BrandeisNOW
Camila Cano ’23 not only serves as CAST co-chair Toni Shapiro-Phim's TA for CAST 125a: Confronting Gender-Based Violence, but she helped create the course.
April is the month for LALS prizes!
LALS is calling for photo and essay submissions for the Jane's Photography and Essay Awards.
Deadline: April 9, 2021
Additional information can be found on the LALS Jane's Award website.
Please contact Mangok Bol with any questions.
March 3, 2021
BrandeisNOW
These alumnae are breaking new ground in math and science. Brandeisian women in STEM fields are inspiring the next generation of scientists.
Photo Credit: Photograph by Mike Lovett / illustration by Jessica Tanny
February 28, 2021
BrandeisNOW
The Black Space Portal, created by students and university archivists, centers the historical experience of people belonging to marginalized groups.
Camila Cano '23 (pictured) not only serves as CAST co-chair Toni Shapiro-Phim's TA for CAST 125a: Confronting Gender-Based Violence, but she helped create the course. Born in Mexico City, Cano became alarmed by the scourge of femicide in her home country, which inspired her to create a film about violence in Mexico and to participate in the International Women's Day essay contest. After sharing her work with Shapiro-Phim, the two outlined the new course that addresses gender-based violence and the ways it is being confronted. Read more about Cano.Shapiro-Phim received an award from the Theodore and Jane Norman Fund for Faculty Research and Creative Projects in Arts and Sciences to support Cano's work on developing the course.
February 19, 2021
Quinn Weiner ’21 (2020-2021 Jerome A. Schiff Undergraduate Fellowship recipient) was featured in the most recent issue of BrandeisNow. Read more!The Winter 2021 issue of the American Sociological Association's Footnotes featured works by two current Brandeis faculty members and one graduate of Brandeis on equitable food systems. Read the articles in the links provided below.
Laura J. Miller (Professor and Chair of Sociology), The Pandemic and the Distribution of Choice
Sarah Shostak (Associate Professor of Sociology), Urban Farming: Tell All the Stories
Jane VanHeuvelen (Brandeis SOC BA '08, now Contract Assistant Professor at University of Minnesota), The Social Context of Healthy Eating
Supporting the creation of new work is a key part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. This year we invite Brandeis students, staff, faculty and alumni to create something--a drawing, a song, a poem, etc.—to give to another Brandeisian. We will pay for materials and shipping, and we will coordinate a virtual catalog of works for the community to choose from.
Why give it away?
Because art can support community care. Because making art can guide us in making sense of our lives.
Because at this moment in time, we need and want connection, comfort and hope. Because generosity is an expression of caring, as is the joy of gratitude.
Collaborations are welcome and the gift can come from a student club or administrative or academic department.
The Festival of the Arts website has more information and registration form. Please register by February 28, 2021.
Questions? Email Ingrid Schorr.
December 9, 2020
BrandeisNOW
Undergraduate computer scientists at Brandeis are using machine learning and 3D modeling to add to our understanding of how COVID-19 spreads.
Brandeis Magazine
Vee Zhu ’22 first heard about the novel coronavirus in January from her parents, medical workers on the front lines in Wuhan, China.
November 17, 2020
BrandeisNOW
Brandeis faculty, staff and students explain how they are working together every day to meet the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
October 15, 2020
BrandeisNOW
Lucy Goodhart, a lecturer in international and global studies and politics, worked with Brandeis undergraduate research assistants to gather information about the cost of buying political TV ads.