Graduate School

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2014 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Awardee Profiled on NSF Website

A unique profile appears on the website of the National Science Foundation about:

Kathryn Devlin, a doctoral candidate in Psychology who is one of seven graduate students selected from Temple University in 2014 to receive a National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRF)

and

her grandfather, Thomas M. Devlin, who was awarded an NSF GRF 60 years ago.

For the full story, visit http://nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=131557&org=NSF.

First Temple Cohort to Earn a Professional Science Master's Degree Presents Research

Five impressive graduate students constitute the first cohort to earn a Professional Science Master's (P.S.M.) degree at Temple University. Each graduating Biotechnology student presented her/his research at a special symposium on May 6, 2014, as a precursor to earning the degree. Congratulations to the 2014 graduates:

  • Rachel Chiaverelli: Collagen Type I and Its Receptor alpha2 beta1 Integrin in Glioma Pathology; Cezary Marcinkiewicz, Temple University Department of Biology, mentor
  • Stephen Lengyel: Mining de novo Transcriptome Assemblages of the Deep Sea Coral, Paramuricea biscaya, to Understand Stress Response; Rob Kulathinal and Erik Cordes, Temple University Department of Biology, mentors
  • Priyanka Patel: Hepatitis E in Kidney Transplantation; Roy Bloom and Mary Ann Lim, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System, mentors
  • Keith Rafferty: Zebrafish: A Model Organism for Investigating Thyroid-Disrupting Chemicals; Darius Balciunas and Jacqueline Tanaka, Temple University Department of Biology, mentors
  • Jessica Tan: Mutagenesis Screen for Residues Involved in TRPA1 Gating; M. Allen McAlexander, GlaxoSmithKline, mentor

Doctoral Candidate in Art History Awarded Prestigious Rome Prize

Michelle DiMarzo, a doctoral candidate in Art History, has been awarded the Phyllis G. Gordan/Samuel H. Kress Foundation Pre-Doctoral Rome Prize in the 118th Annual Rome Prize Competition from the American Academy in Rome. As one of 31 recipients, Michelle will receive a fellowship, stipend, and invitation to live in Rome for two years while she researches and writes her dissertation entitled Titian and the Culture of Mid-Century Rome: The Venetian Among the Ruins. Michelle was also awarded a grant specifically for research in Venice by the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation. Congratulations, Michelle!

Seven Graduate Students Receive 2014 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The Graduate School is pleased to announce that seven outstanding graduate students have been selected to receive the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) awards. These prestigious awards provide a $32,000 annual stipend for up to three years and $12,000 per year allowance for other academic expenses. Congratulations are extended to:

  • Kathryn Devlin, Psychology
  • Megan Jennings, Chemistry
  • Samuel Markson, Chemistry
  • Kristina Nazimova, Anthropology
  • Steven Schnell, Biology
  • Leah Sheline, Psychology
  • Christiana Teijaro, Chemistry

The selection of seven awardees from Temple University in a given year is unprecedented. At present, two graduate students are finishing the first year of an NSF GRFP award and two others are completing their second year of the award. These individuals include:

  • Anna Fineberg, Psychology, 2012
  • Samuel Georgian, Biology, 2012
  • Vira Oleksyuk, Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2013
  • Sarah Seligman, Psychology, 2013

Congratulations to all!

Doctoral Candidate in Psychology Selected to Attend the 64th Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany

Steven Simmons, a doctoral candidate in Psychology with a specialization in Neuroscience, has been selected by the scientific review panel of the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings to participate in the 64th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Only the 600 most qualified young researchers worldwide are given the opportunity to be enriched by the unique atmosphere of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.

Steven's research topic is "Behavioral Neuroscience: Effects of Nicotine on Learning and Memory." His research requires the use of cellular, molecular, and genetic techniques to better understand nicotine's effects on learning and memory in mice. While nicotine is present in the animal's system, he investigates the effects of associative learning, of nicotine, and of learning on neurogenesis rates in mouse dorsal and ventral hippocampi. His research also examines molecular intracellular signaling cascades involved in learning and nicotine addiction.

In his personal essay to the selection committee, Steven acknowledged that "[t]he attendees at the Lindau Meeting are elite with respect to their contributions and innovative thinking towards bettering their science disciplines." He further stated that he believed "it is incumbent upon research scientists to openly discuss ideas and consider experimental methodologies with peers in related disciplines to better their own research. Additionally, it is beneficial to employ a diverse set of methodologies to address important research questions, and acquiring a professional network for detailing and advancing such procedures is a prerequisite before improving methodologies in the laboratory."

In a reference letter written on Steven's behalf, Thomas Gould, Professor of Psychology, noted that "Steven introduced a new technique to my laboratory to look at the effects of nicotine and learning on hippocampal neurogenesis rates in mice. He communicated with investigators from multiple universities in the neurogenesis field to establish a protocol and implement the technique in my laboratory." Dr. Gould further observed: "This line of research provides a unique opportunity to uncover the cellular basis of nicotine's ability to modulate learning and memory processes.... I was most impressed with Steven's diligence in researching this technique." He concluded by calling Steven "a rising scientist."

Steven will attend the 64th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting scheduled for June 29 to July 4, 2014, in Lindau, Germany. For expanded information, see our press release.

Doctoral Candidate in Kinesiology Awarded Graduate Student Research Grant

Lindsey McGuire, a doctoral candidate in Kinesiology studying Psychology of Movement, has been awarded a 2013 Graduate Student Research Grant by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The award is given to applicants with research proposals within the general topic areas of student-athlete well-being and college athletics participation. Recipients are graduate students studying topics of specific interest to the NCAA and its membership who demonstrate the competencies necessary to successfully complete the proposed study. Grant recipients are provided with an expense paid trip to the annual NCAA Research Committee meeting to present their research proposal. The research is expected to culminate in an article suitable for publication in a scholarly journal or in a completed master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation.

Lindsey's award is for her doctoral dissertation research study entitled "Temporal Changes in Depression and Neurocognitive Performance in Male and Female Collegiate Student-Athletes: A Longitudinal Evaluation Pre- and Post-Concussion Injury." It carries with it a $7,500 stipend.

M.F.A. Candidate in Printmaking Exhibits Work at Kent State

Francine Affourtit, an M.F.A. candidate in Printmaking, installed 100 prints as part of the Room of Relief exhibit at Kent State. The exhibition was held from September 3 to October 11, 2013, at the Kent State School of Art Gallery. Room of Relief was an exhibition of large-scale relief print installations designed by three printmakers sharing a strong creative and philosophical interest in art that illuminates contradictions in the human condition. For the exhibition, it was written that "Francine K. Affourtit creates colorful relief prints that masterfully manipulate the surface of her material to manifest illusions of space and dramatic, yet ambiguous personal relationships. Her work is poetic as well as tragic, but offers us, upon close observation, a deep faith in our transcendent potential."

Francine herself noted that through the installation Totem, she sought to build a visual language that transcribes the complexity of the human condition into a lyrical configuration. Drawing inspiration from Ojibway scholar Basil H. Johnson’s translation of the concept of Totem — “that form from which I draw my meaning, purpose, and being” — she created a series of hieroglyphs that represent the fragments of the psyche. Rendering the images in woodblocks allowed her to repeat forms while shifting details, mimicking the call and response of a poetic refrain. The shapes and hieroglyphs reappear like an echo sounding the trace of human emotion. The recognizable forms slip from representation to abstraction, like the mutability of certainty, revealing the inevitability of its failure. The photo above depicts part of Francine's work.

Doctoral Candidate in Criminal Justice Awarded Graduate Research Fellowship

Liana Taylor, a doctoral candidate in Criminal Justice, has been awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Institute of Justice. Liana's research is entitled "Evidence-Based Treatment and Responsivity: Individual and Program Predictors of Recidivism During Juvenile Drug Court and Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment." Liana was selected for this competitive and prestigious award because her proposed dissertation research advances basic criminal justice knowledge, practice, and/or policy in the United States. The award includes a research grant of up to $25,000 toward costs associated with her dissertation research.

Fifth Annual Temple University Graduate Fellows Research Symposium

The event was held on September 21, 2013. Click on the cover below to view the program booklet:

Doctoral Candidate in Music Performance Invited to Participate in Major Events in Central and South America

Ana Catalina Ramirez, a doctoral candidate in Music Performance, was invited to two major events this Fall. First, she was asked by the Centro Nacional de la Música to make a professional digital recording with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica in early September. She performed as the only soloist on Clarinet Concerto by maestro Carlos Escalante Macaya. Second, Ana was invited to participate as a recitalist and teacher at the III Congreso Latinoamericano de Clarinetistas, which was held at the end of October 2013 at the Universidade de Brasilia, Brazil.

Liberal Arts Alumna Publishes Book on Race

Yaba Blay, an alumna of the College of Liberal Arts' Ph.D. program in African American Studies, released her book entitled (1)ne Drop: Conversations on Skin Color, Race and Identity. The book was made available on November 29 at a launch party at the Painted Bride Art Center in Old City, Philadelphia. Yaba is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Africana Studies at Drexel University and publisher and editor-in-chief of BLACKprint Press.

Doctoral Candidate in English Publishes in Anthology

Alison C. Rollins, a doctoral candidate in English, has published a paper entitled "One Ori is Better Than Two: Issues of African-American Community, Identity, and Spiritualism in Ishmael Reed's Japanese by Spring." The article appears in the anthology called On the Aesthetic Legacy of Ishmael Reed: Contemporary Reassessments, which is edited by Samuel Ludwig. Alison holds a Future Faculty Fellowship.

Media and Communication Alumnus Wins Book of the Year Award from the American Journalism Historians Association

Richard Popp, an alumnus of the School of Media and Communication's Media and Communication Ph.D. program, has won the Book of the Year Award from the American Journalism Historians Association (AJHA). The award recognizes the best new book in the country about journalism and mass communication history. Rick's book entitled The Holiday Makers: Magazines, Advertising and Mass Tourism in Postwar America was published by Louisiana State University Press in 2012. An earlier version of the work was named Best Doctoral Dissertation by AJHA in 2009. Richard is an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He received the award and spoke about his book at the 32nd Annual AJHA Convention in New Orleans in September 2013.

M.F.A. Acting Program Achieves Top Tier Ranking Nationally

Education Portal has identified the M.F.A. Acting program at Temple University as second in the country only to Yale University's program! It notes that the two-year program prepares working actors to teach acting at the university level, with a secondary focus on training students in the classics through ensemble acting for careers in television, film, and theater. See education-portal.com/articles/Best_Graduate_Schools_with_Acting_Programs_List_of_Schools.html for more information.

Doctoral Candidate in Urban Studies Receives AAUW American Fellowship

Sendy Guerrier, a doctoral candidate in Urban Studies, is the recipient of an AAUW American Fellowship for the 2013-14 academic year. AAUW (American Association of University Women) provides one of the world’s largest sources of funding for graduate women. Its awards are highly competitive. The competition for Sendy's dissertation fellowship award was open to women who have completed all coursework, passed all preliminary examinations, and received approval for their research proposals — and who will complete their dissertation writing between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014. Sendy's dissertation is entitled "A Feminist Geographic Analysis of the Impact of Social Networks on the Labor Market Outcomes of Haitian Immigrants Employed in the Long-Term Care Industry."

Doctoral Candidate in Kinesiology Awarded AHA Predoctoral Fellowship

Boa Kim, a doctoral candidate in Kinesiology, has been awarded a Winter 2012 Great Rivers Affiliate Predoctoral Fellowship by the American Heart Association for her work entitled "Effects of Laminar Shear Stress on Mitochondrial DNA Integrity in Endothelial Cells." This highly competitive predoctoral fellowship award is one of the major fellowship awards in cardiovascular research. The award period runs from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2014, with a progress review at the conclusion of the first year. The stipend for the two-year period is $25,000 per annum. Ms. Kim is a former awardee of a University Fellowship from Temple.

 

What's on display?

Check out the current exhibitions at Tyler School of Art.

 

Writing Center Offers Writing Retreats

The Writing Center offers writing retreats that are designed to help graduate students and faculty with their writing projects, including dissertations, proposals, and articles for publication. The writing retreats offer intensive and focused writing time, one-on-one mentoring, goal-setting support, fellowship, and motivation. A nominal fee is charged for each retreat to cover program costs. For more information or to register for this or another writing retreat, visit the Writing Center's website.