Thirteen students have been selected as the Office of the Vice President for Research’s new Graduate Fellows. They represent a wide swath of student scholarship amongst the CSU colleges and show exceptional skills in communicating difficult subject matter.
One scholar will study lying in a recent election. Another fellow will study peaches in Colorado. Another student will explore the first-hand experiences between animal therapy and people with autism. They come from six of CSU’s eight colleges.
Developing new researchers
“We are incredibly fortunate to have such a distinguished cohort of VPR Fellows joining us for the 2022-23 academic year,” said Sam Halabi, who serves as the senior associate vice president for health policy and ethics. “The VPR Fellows program is one of CSU’s unique contributions to the development of new researchers as it not only supports their work and that of their mentors, but also provides a year-long enrichment curriculum in professional development, issues in diversity, equity and inclusion, and team science. The program shows CSU’s commitment to its students and to the broader scientific community.”
Andrew Hagen was selected as a VPR Fellow. He studies health and exercise science and is part of the College of Health and Human Sciences. He says the program will help him attend a conference in Europe.
“I’m honestly just honored to be a part of this group,” he said. “It’s a really good group of people. It’s always very competitive to become a finalist of the grad student showcase and then the three-minute trials and be successful.”
Selection process
The VPR Fellows were chosen from 27 candidates who participated in the 3-Minute Challenge last month. They prepared their study proposals for presentation to a panel of judges, to be completed in three minutes. Judges scored candidates based on the content of the presentation and effective communication skills.
Becoming a VPR Fellow allows graduate students to access to up to $4,000 for travel and research expenses for the 2022-23 school year. In the past, VPR fellows used the funds to attend professional conferences or extend their research. Fellows will also receive mentoring services and participate in workshops to develop leadership skills, allow further career development and help fellows network with professionals in their fields.
Last year’s VPR Fellows and the incoming cohort will be joined by Anschutz Fellows, another program, for a May 10 reception at the Translational Medicine Institute. This reception honors the work of the graduate student fellows. Among CSU officials scheduled to be present to acknowledge the fellows are Vice President for Research Alan Rudolph and President Joyce McConnell.
Learn more about the new fellows and watch their winning presentations at the links below.
2022-23 VPR Fellows
- Jordan Acosta, Health and Exercise Science. “The Ipsilateral Silent Period as a Neural Biomarker for Gait Asymmetries in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis”
- Tiffany Banks, School of Social Work. “Animals and Autism: A Critical Review of Evidence”
- Kimi Conro, Journalism and Media Communication. “Who Cares if they Lie? Modeling the Roles of Perceived Honesty and Efficacy During the 2016 Presidential Election”
- Christopher Gale, Chemistry. “How to Characterize an Amorphous Shape: The Tale of a Reverse Micelle”
- Andrew Hagen, Health and Exercise Science. “Splitting the Difference: Split-belt Treadmill Training Improves Walking Symmetry in People with Multiple Sclerosis”
- Noah Horesh, Mechanical Engineering. “Equity of Electrical Vehicle Charging Infrastructure at Multi-Unit Dwellings”
- Darcy Hunstiger, Cell and Molecular Biology. “Producing Renewable Petrochemical Alternatives in Engineered Cyanobacteria”
- Heidi Kreckel, Chemistry. “Shoot Tip Cryopreservation: A Solution to the Global Plant Conservation Crisis”
- Sylvia Lee, Food Science and Human Nutrition. “Interactions Among Blueberry Polyphenols, the Gut Microbiome, and Intestinal Permeability”
- Valerie Seitz, Cell and Molecular Biology. “Understanding the Soil Microbiome: How Variation in Root Exudate Composition Influences the Soil Microbiome Membership and Function”
- Derek Newberger, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. “Cover Crops and Rootstocks, Can Either Rescue Colorado Peaches from Colorado Soil”
- Julianne Scamardo, Geosciences.“Quantifying the Role of Large Wood in Shaping Dryland Streams in the American Southwest”
- Annika Weber, Food Science and Human Nutrition. “Improving Health Outcomes with Prebiotics”
