Amy Taylor
Major: Nursing
Type of Experience: Research
Mentor: Evelyn Clingerman, Nursing
Amy Taylor worked with Professor Evelyn Clingerman in the School of Nursing to study the effects of stress on health outcomes of migrant farm workers. Dr. Clingerman’s research is aimed at identifying and analyzing sociological components that may affect stress levels of migrant farm workers that can lead to high incidences of disease. Amy’s main tasks included attending research group meetings, reviewing results from the focus groups, and performing content analysis on the participant interviews.
Jacklyn Cheng
Major: Plan II
Type of Experience: Research in South Africa
Mentor: Mark Musick, Sociology
Jacklyn researched efforts for education and social change in the summer of 2008. Her goal in this research was to coordinate education, health, and sociology to uncover her strengths in understanding public health. Jacklyn’s main focus was HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Specifically, she investigated the correlation of public health education knowledge and availability concerning HIV/AIDS. Her underlying focus is increasing education to promote positive changes in the lives of South Africans.
Ali Fakhreddine
Major: Biology
Type of Experience: Research in Austin, TX
Mentor: Jacqueline Angel, LBJ School
Ali assisted Dr. Angel with research focusing on the long-term needs of the existing and emerging Hispanic elderly. In addition, he focused on the current national programs available to serve the growing needs of the elderly. His findings show that delayed mortality rates can sometimes result in a reduced quality of life and increased disease and disability in populations of Hispanics as compared to non-Hispanics.
Michelle Robinson
Major: Sociology and Government
Type of experience: Internship in Austin
Mentor: Lucia Gilbert, Educational Psychology
Michelle had the opportunity to intern at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in the Participation and Success Division. This division is a byproduct of the Closing the Gaps Initiative, and some of its goals include having more participation in higher education by underrepresented populations and increasing funding to Texas institutions for the purpose of research. Although Michelle’s tasks ranged from data collection to reviewing proposals and publications, her primary function was to be a spokesperson for the student population in Texas. In addition to introducing members of the Board to the students’ points-of-views, Michelle also tapped into her knowledge of sociological theory and research to give the Board members a social perspective they may not have considered.
Kristina Kelley
Major: Sociology
Type of experience: Research at UT
Mentor: Ed Anderson, Human Ecology
Kristina conducted research on Dr. Ed Anderson’s Texas Families Project, which is a longitudinal study of approximately 360 divorcing families. The study seeks to understand the experiences of custodial mothers and their children after divorce and through the repartnering process. Kristina’s responsibilities included interviewing children and families in their homes and providing her own assessment of the families and their functioning through interviewer impressions surveys. Through this experience, Kristina gained an appreciation for the connection between data collection and the evolution of the families and their partners through time. In addition, Kristina was chosen to present her work at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in California in Spring 2007.