2014 Summer Research Initiative Scholars and Mentors

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences is proud to introduce its 2014 Summer Research Initiative scholars. The SRI is part of the College's longstanding commitment to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities who pursue graduate degrees in the social, behavioral and economic sciences. Each year, a talented and diverse group of scholars work with BSOS faculty members to gain laboratory experience that enhances their research knowledge and skills and to increase the students’ knowledge of, and interest in, doctoral-level training in the social, behavioral and economic sciences. Learn more about the SRI.

 

2014 SRI Scholars

Ogue Addeh is majoring in psychology with a minor in computer science at the University of Maryland. Her interests lie in social psychology, particularly interpersonal interaction, stereotypes,self-concepts, the creative process and the career choice process. Recently, Ogue was a research assistant within the Cultural Psychology Lab, where she helped conduct a study that explored how people react to wrong-doing within personal friend groups. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree and a career as a research psychologist.

During the SRI, Ogue will work with Dr. Edward LeMay, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology.

Beverly Auman is a senior at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She is a double major in anthropology and economics with a minor in nonprofit studies. Her research interests include youth development and education. She also works for the Center for Social Science Research as a survey interviewer, and she is involved in the community service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. Auman recently returned from a semester abroad at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. She hopes to attend graduate school and conduct research concerning issues for urban youth, such as societal violence, education and poverty. Ultimately, she hopes to pursue a career as a university professor conducting research in improving the public education system. Auman is also interested in supporting efforts to increase the quality of educational opportunities available to students living in under-resourced communities.

During the SRI, Auman will work with Dr. Odis Johnson, Jr., an associate professor and interim chair of the African American Studies Department.

Timothy Cordova is a senior government and politics major at the University of Maryland. He is a member of the Honors College and is a recipient of the President’s Scholarship. He also has served as a researcher for UMD’s Center for American Politics and Citizenship. His research interests are in American politics, especially in party politics and polarization in Congress. He is working on a research project with Dr. Frances Lee, a professor in the Department of Government and Politics, on the federal debt ceiling and how party politics have affected this crucial legislation. Cordova hopes to obtain a graduate degree to further advance his studies in the field.

Cordova will continue to work with Dr. Lee during the SRI.

Jasmine L. Davis attends the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a senior majoring in sociology with a minor in gender studies. Her research interests include black feminist theory, symbolic interactionism, African American populations and identity formation. Davis participated in the UCLA Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, where she researched African American women and their social and economic investment in their hair and how it affects their perception of self. Davis has presented at the National McNair Conference. Davis intends to pursue a dual doctorate degree in sociology and African American studies. She hopes to work in the government sector to help increase opportunities for students of color in academia, and to ultimately become a professor at a research institution.

During the SRI, Davis will work with Dr. Rashawn Ray, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology.

Kyle Dorsey is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, where he majored in criminology and criminal justice. His research interests include understanding what motivates individuals to commit delinquent and criminal behaviors, and what factors deter non-offenders from committing such behaviors. Dorsey plans to pursue a Ph.D. in criminal justice at the University of Maryland, and to ultimately become a professor.

During the SRI, Dorsey will work with Dr. Jim Lynch, chair of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Casey Gaskins is a hearing and speech sciences major minoring in Spanish at the University of Maryland. She is a member of the Honors College University Honors program, the Primannum Honor Society and the National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Association. Her research focuses on the effects of communication disorders and hearing impairments upon speech perception and daily life.  Gaskins will pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology while obtaining full-time employment within a facility that permits the implementation of acquired experiences and knowledge of hearing and speech sciences, and hopes to one day obtain a doctoral degree and practice speech-language pathology.

Gaskins will work with Dr. Matthew Goupell, assistant professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, during the SRI.

Modibo Haidara is pursuing a dual degree in Geographic Information System and behavioral and community health with a minor in global poverty at the University of Maryland. His primary research interests include the use of remote sensing to analyze environmental parameters such as precipitation, temperature and vegetative cover to characterize malaria transmission risk in developing countries. He hopes to pursue a career in international development. Recently, Modibo was an intern at the Millennium Challenge Corporation where he served on a project to increase the access of open data in Africa as an incentive for businesses to invest in the African economical market. Haidara hopes to pursue an advanced degree in global health.

During the SRI, Modibo will work with Dr. Matthew Hansen, a professor in the Department of Geographical Sciences.

Elvis Herrera attends the University of Maryland, majoring in Geographic Information Science. He participated in a team project through his geography class which submitted a winning proposal for economic development of a Latin American country. This proposal was granted a $10 billion grant by the Organization for Latin-American Unity. Through this grant, Herrera hopes to continue researching more about Latin American issues.  Herrera plans to pursue a master’s degree in Geographic Information Science.

Herrera will work with Dr. Matthew Hansen, a professor in the Department of Geographical Sciences, during the SRI.

Amanda Holmes attends Howard University as a senior psychology major and an allied sciences minor. Her research focuses on neuroscience. Holmes is a participant of the Howard University Minority Access to Research Careers Program, where she conducts neurophysiology research under the direction of Dr. Mark Burke on the amygdala with respect to pediatric SIV infection.  Holmes plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health before entering an M.D.-Ph.D. program.

Holmes will work with Dr. Erica Glasper, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, during the SRI.

Celena Jenkins is a psychology major at Morgan State University where she is a member of the National Council of Negro Women Inc., Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology and the Golden Key Honour Society. Her current research interests include the role of mental health in education, sexually transmitted diseases and fitness. Jenkins hopes to earn a Ph.D. in clinical psychology before pursuing a career with the Department of Juvenile Services, and then teaching at a university.

During the SRI, Jenkins will work with Dr. Carl Lejuez, chair of the Department of Psychology.

Taelor Jones is a senior psychology major at Morgan State University whose research interests include the impact of environmental factors on the behavior of juveniles in underprivileged families and neighborhoods. Jones serves as the corresponding secretary of the Psychological Society at Morgan State, and is also a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and the Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society. She plans to pursuema doctoral degree in forensic psychology.

During the SRI, Jones will work with Dr. Jack Blanchard, chair of the Department of Psychology.

Byron Marroquin is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park where he double majored in geographical sciences and criminology and criminal justice. His research focuses on environmental criminology, where crime and victimization are studied from a spatial perspective. As a McNair Scholar, Marroquin researched Hispanics, cultural space and educational attainment in Maryland from a spatial perspective. His paper won the departmental Harper Writing Award and his research will be featured in Geograffiti, a departmental newsletter. Marroquin plans to pursue a master’s degree in geography and a Ph.D. in criminology before ultimately becoming a professor at a university.

Marroquin will work with Dr. Matthew Hansen, a professor in the Department of Geographical Sciences, during the SRI.

Samantha Martin attends Roosevelt University in Chicago as a sociology major with a minor in psychology. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honors Society. Her research interests include inequity in education, juvenile criminalization and incarceration, and racial and ethnic relations, as they relate to the school to prison pipeline. She works with the Mansfield Institute for Social Justice, where she helps facilitate restorative justice practices in Chicago Public Schools, and as a research assistant. Martin hopes to develop intervention and restorative justice programs in Chicago. She has been accepted into the accelerated master’s program in sociology at Roosevelt University, and ultimately will pursue a Ph.D. in sociology.

During the SRI, Martin will work with Dr. Jim Lynch, chair of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Ana Medina Fetterman attends Ohio State University, where she studies psychology. Her research focuses on the intersection of culture and psychology, particularly the influence of language acquisition on personality and identity construction. Medina Fetterman is considering a career as a clinician or in the academic sector, and plans to pursue a graduate degree.

Medina Fetterman will work with Dr. Yi Ting Huang, assistant professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, during the SRI.

Yadira D. Molina is a political science major at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California. She is working on a research project for the McNair Scholars Program on the Latino Vote Choice in 2008. She was an Honorable Delegate at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City. She also will serve as a Panetta Institute Congressional Intern in Washington, D.C., for the fall 2014 semester. Her research interests include women’s issues, minority rights and the relationship between criminal and political organizations in Latin America. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in international affairs and to work in the field of foreign affairs, ideally at the U.S. Department of State.

Molina will work with Dr. Antoine Banks, professor in the Department of Government and Politics, during the SRI.

Bryant Wesley Randolph is a junior psychology major and child development minor at the University of Memphis. His research interests include developmental, family, social and cognitive psychology, and in motivation and the racial and ethnic and gender differences in body image. Randolph plans to earn a Ph.D. in psychology before pursuing a career as an educator and as a praciticng clinical psychologist.

Randolph will work with Dr. Rashawn Ray, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, during the SRI.

Alexandra Rodriguez is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland, where she majored in Geographic Information Science (GIS) and computer cartography with a minor in Spanish language and cultures. She has interned for NOAA, National Geographic and UMD Facilities Management. Her research focuses on human geography, specifically the development of Latino communities in the U.S., and integrating GIS to help improve these communities where needed.  She will pursue a Master of Professional Studies in the Geospatial Information Sciences Program at UMD. Her goal is to better her GIS capabilities to help communities to survive in this fast-paced world.

During the SRI, Rodriguez will work with Dr. Matthew Hansen, a professor in the Department of Geographical Sciences.

Nishell Savory is a junior at Morgan State University in Baltimore, majoring in psychology. Savory’s primary research interest is to examine memory retention and to scrutinize how one’s environment affects their behavior. She is a member of Psi Chi and Golden Key Honor Society. Savory plans to pursue a doctorate of psychology in cognitive psychology.

During the SRI, Savory will work with Dr. Matthew Roesch, a professor in the Department of Psychology.

Claudia Vargas is a senior enrolled in the B.A./M.A. program in economics and the B.A. program in math at Hunter College, City University of New York. She is a Mellon Mays scholar and participated in the Ivy Plus Conference. She also interns for the Welfare Rights Initiative, an organization that works to ensure that everybody has access to education. Vargas’s research interests focus on developing countries, specifically the impact of economic crises on long term educational achievement. She has researched the effects of education policy changes on high school dropout and graduation rates. Vargas plans to pursue a Ph.D. in development economics and international relations.   

Vargas will work with Dr. Raymond Guiteras, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics, during the SRI.