Five Students Receive Spring Board of Trustees Fellowships
From left, 米兰体育 students Michaela Spain, Riya Goyal, Jesus Causing and Taina Altagracia-Paris stand with Ana Edmondson, assistant vice president for Student Transitions, Access and Retention Programs during the May 1 Board of Trustees meeting. Each student, and Gabrielle Gzyzewski, who is not pictured, will receive a $1,000 award to support their project.
Galloway, N.J. 鈥 The five spring recipients of the Board of Trustees Fellowship for Distinguished Students were announced at the May 1 meeting.
Each student will receive a $1,000 award to support their projects.
鈥淲e have an impressive slate of projects and endeavors in this current crop of Board of Trustee Fellows. From an esports conference to an artificial intelligence study to marine science research, we have really captured a wide array of remarkable high impact practices,鈥 said Ian Bouie, director of Academic Achievement Programs. 鈥淚 am very excited, along with many others at 米兰体育, to see the results of these projects at some point in fall 2024.鈥
The fellowship program was established by the board in 1986 and supports student-initiated projects of undergraduate research and/or creative work in keeping with the educational philosophy and mission of 米兰体育.
The spring cohort and their projects are:
Taina Altagracia-Paris, senior, Literature/Secondary Education, Egg Harbor Township
Project: Latinx DEI Outreach: Extending Beyond the Classroom into the Community
The focus of this project is to gather information on New Jersey regulations on the educational content in the curriculum and understand the ways Latinx authors can be more represented in the educational materials used in the classroom. The proposal will reach out to local teachers, 米兰体育鈥檚 Dean of Education and faculty, and other collaborators to better understand the curriculum in the public school system. Further, the proposal will target the Latinx youth in grades six to 11 in Atlantic County through partnerships with local organizations to form intentional and engaging educational programs. The programming events and activities will be in Pleasantville and Atlantic City during a six-month period.
Advisor: Merydawilda Colon, executive director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, and Patricia Sagasti Suppes, director of Global Engagement
Jesus Causing, senior, Business Administration, Edison
Project: Leading Through Change in Collegiate Esports
The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of esports in collegiate settings as a catalyst for professional and personal development. Esports offers a unique platform for students to harness their leadership skills, collaborate across disciplines, and engage in meaningful social interactions, regardless of geographic and cultural differences. Causing presented his findings at the Eastern Academy of Management Conference in Providence, Rhode Island, in May.
Advisor: Demetrios Roubos, information security officer
Gabrielle Czyzewski, sophomore, Marine Sciences, Atco
Project: Taxonomy of Indo-Pacific Demospongiae (Porifera) with Medicinal Properties
The phylum Porifera (sponges) is a diverse group of sessile invertebrates found in oceans worldwide and in freshwater ecosystems. In addition to providing habitat for a variety of organisms, sponges produce compounds of medicinal interest, for example, compounds with anti-inflammatory, antimalarial and antibacterial properties. The shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean are known for harboring an immense biodiversity of sponges and other organisms. An expedition conducted by the NIH to collect spo