Emeritus Society funding for undergraduate research
Through the WSU Emeritus Society, retired faculty members continue to support student success and empower experiential learning. In 2022, four arts & sciences students were selected to receive an undergraduate research or scholarship award from the society, along with funding to continue their independent projects.
The annual awards recognize exceptional students engaged in scholarly pursuits and underscore the organization’s “mission to continuously advance our university, community, and state,” said Tom Brigham, society executive secretary and retired psychology professor. “We are very pleased that our awards are something of a tradition at WSU, and we are happy to make a difference for so many.”
Society member Larry Fox, retired veterinary clinical science and animal sciences professor, presented the awards in April during an event hosted by the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA).
The four arts & sciences student recipients for 2022 are:
Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Awards
First presented in 2009, these $500 awards are intended to encourage students to strive for scholarly excellence.
Arts, Humanities, and Creative Activities
Diana Alonso (digital technology and culture)
Faculty mentor: Ruth Gregory
Project: “Design a Website for Undocumented Students Interested in Higher Education in Washington State.”
Goal: Identify the obstacles undocumented students encounter when pursuing a higher education and help overcome those barriers by creating a resource website for incoming and current undocumented Washington college students.
Social, Economic, and Behavioral Sciences
Shir Levy (communication and society and psychology)
Faculty mentor: Christopher Barry
Project: “Perceptions of Confrontational Behavior in Sport Situations as a Function of Athlete Status, Narcissism, and Psychopathy.”
Goal: Explore research on how confrontational behavior is viewed differently as a function of sport versus non-sport contexts, and a person’s history as an athlete or non-athlete, and the perceiver’s self-reported narcissism, psychopathy, and self-esteem.
Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Wyatt Wallis (physics)
Faculty mentor: Mark Kuzyk
Project: “Characterizing Dye Doped PMMA by the Young’s Modulus Measured Against Intensity of Light, CTA Concentration, and Method of Fastening.”
Goal: Investigation of the consequences of applying tensile stress to a number of properties of PMMA fibers.
Undergraduate Research Grant in Arts and Humanities
New in 2021, research grants provide $1,000 to support original undergraduate scholarship.
Nakia Cloud (anthropology major and linguistics minor)
Faculty mentor: Trevor Bond.
Project: Help preserve Nez Perce tribal history by recording video interpretations and memories of current members as they respond to historical photos, documents, and artifacts. Carried out in cooperation with the Tribe Cultural Resource Program, this research is part of a grant-funded effort to digitize and interpret Nez Perce Native American material culture as it is linked to the McWhorter Collection at WSU.
Learn about all seven Emeritus Society undergraduate recipients at WSU Insider.
Top image: Bryan Tower on the WSU Pulllman campus.