Fellowships award 26 grad students opportunity to finish degree

The Graduate College has awarded 26 Completion Fellowships to support the degree completion of doctoral and MFA students in the social sciences, education, arts, and professional programs. The graduate students were nominated by their academic unit on the basis of demonstrated ability to complete research projects of high quality.

“This fellowship support allows some of our top graduate students a semester of full-time effort to complete their dissertation or project,” said Andrew Webber, associate vice provost.

The Fellow’s research explores such diverse topics as:

• an online prevention program for children of divorce

• contemporary immigration issues

• our human ancestors’ adaptations to global warming and ecological changes during the Pleistocene to the Holocene periods

• drug and human smuggling organizations along border regions

• urban design and community development

• protein studies that will contribute to the field of personalized medicine in which it may one day be possible to predict individual susceptibility to diseases and individualized treatment

• a qualitative teacher research study focused on helping pre-service teachers critically examine their attitudes about English language learners (ELLs)

“This award provides mental and emotional encouragement at just the right moment in the process,” says Katherine Nigh, a doctoral student in theatre and film who will graduate this spring. “It’s like having people cheer you on when you're reaching the end of a marathon.”

Her dissertation examines how theatre and performance are utilized to respond to and document national traumas resulting from such crises as Hurricane Katrina and September 11th.

The Completion Fellowship awardees for 2011 are:

• Steven Accardi, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Jesse Boring, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Elizabeth A. Cantú, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• So Yoon Chung, School of Public Affairs, College of Public Programs

• Parker Crutchfield, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Philosophy), College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Tyler Glembo, Department of Physics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Kishonna L. Gray, School of Social Transformation (Justice and Social Inquiry), College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Ashley Brooke Heuts, School of Art (Fibers), Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

• Jamie Holthuysen, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Myunghwa Hwang, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Assen Kokalov, School of International Letters and Cultures (Spanish), College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Matthew Laubacher, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (History), College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Amy Markos, Curriculum and Instruction (Language & Literacy), Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

• Stephanie Meredith, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Clinton Monson, Department of English (Creative Writing MFA), College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Katherine Nigh, School of Theatre and Film, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

• Eleanor “Ellie” Richards, School of Art (Sculpture), Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts,

• Gabriella Sanchez, School of Social Transformation (Justice and Social Inquiry), College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Steven Schmich, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Mariela Soto-Berelov, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Susan Steeg, Curriculum and Instruction (Language & Literacy), Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

• Aparna Thatte, Environmental Design and Planning, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

• Elif Tural, Environmental Design and Planning, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

• Walter Valdivia, School of Public Affairs, College of Public Programs

• Johnny Winston, Center for Biology and Society, School of Life Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Haidee Kathleen Winter, Department of English (Creative Writing MFA), College of Liberal Arts and Sciences