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Celebrating Student Achievement
The Herald interviewed a few
Meredith alumnae who are continuing
their research after graduation.
Research topic at MC:
My research focused on the intersec
tion of Western and Eastern culture
from the 1930s to the 1950s based
on the biographical accounts of
Nien Chang, Adeline Yen Mah and
others, and historical fact. I specifi
cally focused on how Western culture
influenced the social landscape of
China from the mediums of fashion,
education and changing social norms
of women during the period.
Takeaway:
I learned more about a culture that is
different from my own. Specifically,
there are several stereotypes that
seem to be floating about regarding
women in non-Western cultures (i.e.
they are oppressed by men and can
not attain a decent education, gain
ful employment, etc) and tend to be
exaggerated from a Western view.
How did MC research impact you/
your career?
Although my research is not directly
related to my graduate studies, it has
been more help than i could possibly
have imagined. The skills that I gained
with writing and critical thinking have
been very important in my graduate
studies. While most people may be
lieve that the life sciences do not de
mand students to know how to write,
they are very mistaken. I think I have
written more papers and assignments
than I have done problem solving and
studying anatomical diagrams!
Tamara M Shovelton ‘14
Major in History, Minor in Religious
Studies
Photo Credits: Tamara Shovelton
Research topic at MC:
Queen Elizabeth I and her relation
ships with men.
Takeaway:
I learned the importance of having a
community around you that could help
to guide you towards your dreams.
Marlena Brown ‘15
Major in History and English, Minor
in International Studies
What are you working on now at
grad school?
I am currently writing my Master’s
thesis on the “Lessons of a Queen.”
Based on the relationships of Queen
Elizabeth I during her adolescence.
How did MC research impact you/
your career?
My research at Meredith helped me
to get to where I am today. Having
to write these as an undergraduate
taught me how to do research. I had
a leg up coming into grad school
because I had already written both
a historiography and a thesis. Doing
research at Meredith gave me the
opportunity to participate in CSA day
when I was a senior and it was one of
the best things I ever did.
Puja Patel ‘14
Major in Psychology and Socioloav
What are you working on now at
grad school?
Currently I am working on my Master’s
degree in Physiology at NC State,
which is a big switch from the hu
manities! But I am pursuing a lifelong
dream in the sciences (my intention
was to enter Meredith as either a
biology or chemistry major so I could
attend vet school, but I also came in
with many minds!).
Takeaway:
Bicultural efficacy is an individual’s
belief in his or her ability to live ef
fectively and satisfactorily within two
cultural groups without having to
compromise his or her own sense of
cultural identity. The results indicated
that high levels of communication with
one’s mother, whether in the adopted
culture’s language or native culture’s
language, affect the young adult’s
sense of self and ability to navigate
between cultures.
What are you working on now at
grad schopi?
Currently working on neurocognitive
impacts of HIV/AIDS and substance
use as a part of the HARP lab at
Duke University. I hope to continue
researching these topic in terms of
cross-cultural intervention methods as
a part of the 5uke Global Health Mas
ters in Science program next year.
How did MC research impact you/
your career?
Having the freedom to explore topics
that were completely in line with my
interests and having the opportunity to
work closely with such amazing fac
ulty was a priceless experience. I was
able to use all of the research skills I
gained at Meredith for my Clinical Tri
als Assistant position at Duke Univer
sity. The research experience gave
me an upper hand and paved the way
for my success here at Duke.
Ariel Nikas‘14
Major in Mathematics, Minor in
Studio Art
Research topic at MC:
Physiologically-based pharmacoki
netic modeling of the antibiotic ertape-
nem.
Takeaway:
Using some clinical data We can map
the location and effective agents of a
drug at any given point in time after
administering it with some confidence.
Models like these can eventually be
used to recommend effective dos
ing levels for different weights and
heights, as opposed to a certain
amount based on the average person.
What are you working on now at
grad school?
Currently, I am working on quantifying
and predicting how ultrasound waves
bounce back from elasto-dynamic
tissues in the human body in order to
decrease uncertainty and better iden
tify potentially dangerous tissues, like
cancer or tumors, sooner.
How did MC research impact you/
your career?
Meredith College taught me the skills
and perseverance that have enabled
me to continue in mathematical re
search.
Dr. Jayme M. Hickman ‘01
Major in Psychology, Minor in
Computer Studies
Puja Patel and Lara Pantlin with Dr. Cynthia Edwards
Research topic at MC:
Parent-Child Communication Amongst
Asian-Ame'rican Families and its Re
lationship to Bicultural Self-efficacy in
Young Adults.
Dr. Rosemary Hornak, Laura Eischen, Eva
Rose Hornak Snapp
Research topic at MC:
The effects of effort training and time
delay on task persistence
Takeaway:
During training, it is important to
keep instruction simple and gradually
increase complexity. Additionally, the
aspect of time increases task com
plexity.
How did MC research impact you/
your career?
Meredith in general fostered my love
of learning and imparting knowledge.
My research showed me that the
design of development of training can
greatly improve or inhibit learning.
Lara N. Pantlin ‘14
Major in Psychology, Minor in
Economics
Research topics at MC:
For my senior thesis, I researched
social support structures during transi
tional stress.
Takeaway:
Having a strong social support net
work through transitions can come in
many forms and having a mentor or
some form of social support in both
the network your are leaving (e.g.
home, or graduating from college) and
establishing one in your new network
(e.g. new school, job) are of high
importance.
What are you working on now at
grad school?
PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience with
a concentration in Statistics. I am a
doctoral candidate and just received
my master’s this January. I research
timing in clinical populations using
EEG, neuropsychological assess
ment in dementia/TBI with transcranial
magnetic stimulation, and I also work
as a data analyst for a music therapy
project.
How did MC research impact you/
your career?
I would have never received the
opportunities and support had I not
attended Meredith College. The
small class size offers opportuni
ties to create lifelong, meaningfiil
relationships with mentors. Meredith
not only provided me with the intel
lectual stimulation and challenges I
constantly seek as a student but also
with the confidence to venture into a
male-dominated field and continue to
be successful’.
Michelle Maiden, ‘14
Double Major in Mathematics and
Chemistry
Research topic at MC:
Mathematically describing a
Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction
Takeaway: Special types of chemical
reactions are self-sustaining. As such,
you can see really interesting patterns
that look like fingerprints! These pat
terns can be described mathematically
using dynamical systems.
What are you working on now at
grad school?
I finished my doctoral research at
Georgia Tech in 2009. My research
focused on the effects of age and time
on training older adults to use technol
ogy such as cell phones and medical
devices. Currently I own a government
contracting firm focused specifically
on instructional design, training, and
user experience (UX).
What are you working on now at
grad school?
Now, I’m a grad student in Applied
Math at CU Boulder. I study how
magma moves in the Earth’s mantle. I
even get to do experiments! Instead of
magma, we use corn syrup in our lab.
We see a wide variety of waves, and
my goal is to understand these waves
and their interactions with each other
better.
How did MC research impact yoii/
your career?
Through Meredith College, I was
able to hone my skills in independent
research, I learned how to begin, sus
tain, and wrap up a research project in
a meaningful way. I was also able to
work on a variety of projects in chem
istry and math, and this helped me
find something I am passionate about
for graduate study.