Karen Vang

My research project is to explore what traditional Hmong shamanism is within a western scientific context and how has it transform within the past thirty years as Hmong migrate and settle abroad, particularly in the northern California. The questions that I ask are: when, how and under what conditions did spiritual belief and behavior shift between a loss, renewal and continuation of traditional Hmong spirituality, and what are new and different forms of practicing shamanism today? I will also inquire how Hmong in northern California currently understand spirituality, spiritual experiences […]

Amanda Sadra

My project focuses on the role of Coptic Christians in the ongoing Egyptian Revolution. Coptic Christians have a long history within the nation as the indigenous population, believed to have descended from the pharaohs themselves. The population has been largely marginalized in recent decades and prone to attacks of sectarian violence. This trend has been exacerbated since the January 25th Revolution of 2011. Through my research I hope to answer and clarify questions regarding the role of the Coptic Church members and clergy in the Revolution.

Jenkang Tao

Drugs of addiction use and “hijack” the neuronal systems normally used in reward learning, which makes finding a treatment specific for addiction highly problematic. Several biological markers of addiction have been identified and are potential treatment targets, but their relationship and role in addictive behavior remains unknown. One such marker is the cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptide that has been found to be upregulated in select groups of neurons in the brain following systemic injections of cocaine in animals. Although previous studies have characterized the CART peptide as a […]

Mariya Sakharova

In 1917, after 300 years of rule by the Romanovs, the Russian state collapsed. To understand the causes of the 1917 revolution, and the destabilization of the empire in 1905, the economics of agriculture are important to explore. After all, Russia was mostly an agricultural state and the peasant agriculturalists composed over two-thirds of the population. I am exploring how agricultural wealth was distributed during the late Tsarist period in the Central Black Earth region, an important political and agricultural center that underwent major famines and revolutionary activity. My study […]

Alyssa Tao

The immune system is the bodys way of responding to invading disease-causing microbes and mutation-induced tumor cells, which have the potential to become cancer. Thus, the immune response protects against both infectious disease and cancer, and its regulation and activation are extremely important for maintaining health. T-cells play a central role in the immune response both in recognition and in downstream pathways that lead to microbe or tumor destruction. A protein that is essential in the signaling cascade of the T-cell is ZAP-70 (Zeta-chain-associated protein kinase 70). I will be […]

Michael Sanchez

On April 1, 1924, an official request to Washington was received for estimates on building an 8 foot fence along the 160 miles of international boundary between Mexico and California. However, in 1924 this request had nothing to do with either immigration or labor, but rather alcohol. With Prohibition in full-swing, Mexico posed a dual threat with Americans crossing south to drink and liquor flowing north for illegal distribution. It was these threats to Americas Prohibition era that were the catalyst for a barrier still tested and controversial almost a […]

Adriana SanchezPillot

The federal program Cruzada Nacional Contra el Hambre was launched by the new Mexican president Enrique Pea Nieto at the beginning of this year. In a very symbolic act, the program was inaugurated in the community of Las Margaritas, Chiapas, an area near the home of the Zapatistas and a milestone in the history of their struggle. Mostly based in the community of San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, my research will evaluate, analyze and compare the discourse deployed by government officials and members of the local community to describe […]

Anita Satish

Research has shown that memory for medical and psychological advice hovers between 20 and 30 percent. This may be associated with adverse effects on treatment adherence and outcomes. My research employs memory-enhancing strategies through a reiterative text-message intervention for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Previous research suggests text interventions can have positive treatment outcomes. A more standardized and systematic approach to studying their effects on treatment outcomes and memory, may lead to more conclusive findings. In my study, participants will receive a two-week text-message intervention following a basic lesson in CBT, […]

Gabe Schwartzman

The project investigates how deindustrialization has been different on two areas of rural Maryland along the Potomac River, based on race and geography. During the last half century both ends of the river have lost heavy industries, yet the upper river has seen the maintenance of their population with a rise in poverty, while the lower river has seen a decrease in the original population but a decrease in poverty.

Pablo Seward

Bloodbaths by Western explorers, followed by various other forms of abuse, resulted in the reduction of the Rapa Nui of Easter Island to 115 people. Being the most isolated inhabited place on Earth, Easter Island has become a major tourist destination today, by means of the renowned landmarks left by the ancient population. Many of the five or so thousand Rapa Nui, all descendants of the surviving 115, believe, on the basis of oral history, in guardian spirits. I am currently living with one of the leaders of an organized […]