Research grants awarded to students by Alumnae of Northwestern
The Alumnae of Northwestern University has honored eight Weinberg College students with Alumnae Undergraduate Research Grants.
The $3,500 research grants will allow the students to work with faculty sponsors over the summer to explore answers to questions raised by research projects in many fields of study.
The eight Weinberg College recipients, who are among a total of 13 Northwestern students to be awarded grants this year, include:
- Fiona Asokacitta ’21, who is studying how the way that major museums exhibit their objects can be taken as a barometer of cultural and political relations.
- Tanya Bhargava ’23, who is studying biomarkers that may precede the onset of Parkinson’s disease, which if identified could make it possible to begin treatment before the disease worsens.
- Polina Cherepanova ’23, who will develop and run a study measuring the misperception of movement a person experiences after a stroke, for example, and how that can be used in rehabilitative training.
- Delaney Glassner ’23, who, with Medill School of Journalism student Ahlaam Modedina ’21, will combine their perspectives on culture and religion to create a sit-com showing similarities and differences in a “more nuanced and accurate” way.
- Frederick Pardoe ’21, who will seek to determine the phenomena responsible for the creation of jet-generating poloidal magnetic fields in the accretion disks of black holes.
- Harlym Pike ’22, whose project will seek to promote conversations about the effectiveness and inclusivity of the body positivity movement.
- Liana Runcie ’21, who will write a play to illustrate the relationships between micronations and the rest of the world.
Funding for the grants comes from The Alumnae Centennial Endowment for Undergraduate Research, established in 2016 to commemorate the organization’s 100th anniversary. The endowment, administered by the Office of Undergraduate Research, supports students from all academic areas, giving them opportunities to develop and complete independent research and creative projects across a wide range of fields.
“Undergraduate research allows students to take what they have learned in their classes and use it to try and solve problems that they see in the world,” said Peter Civetta, director of the Office of Undergraduate Education. “They learn creative problem-solving and critical project-management skills across all fields of study. The Alumnae Endowment allows us to expand these incredibly meaningful opportunities to more students, creating an environment where student success becomes the norm,”
Added Michele Bresler, president of The Alumnae: “Today, increasing numbers of undergraduates from all disciplines want to pursue research projects on a variety of topics, including music, art history, psychology, biological sciences, radio/television/film, global health, neuroscience, theatre, physics and journalism. The Alumnae Centennial Endowment addresses this need by making such opportunities available.
The Alumnae of Northwestern University is an all-volunteer organization of women that raises funds for a wide range of projects to benefit Northwestern while sharing the university’s academic resources with the community through its Continuing Education Program. Founded in 1916, The Alumnae has given more than $9 million to the university in the form of grants, fellowships, scholarships, an endowed professorship, funding for special university projects and summer internships. For more information, visit The Alumnae website (www.nualumnae.org).
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