The Graduate College

Spring 2008 Gwen Frostic Doctoral Fellowship Awards

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The Graduate College is pleased to announce that the Spring 2008 Gwen Frostic Doctoral Fellowship recipients are:

Susanta Das, Department of Physics, was awarded $4,000 for work on his dissertation “Trans¬mission and Guiding of Electrons Through Insulating Nanocapillaries.” Mr. Das’s research takes place in WMU’s particle accelerator laboratory and the aim of his project is to investigate the transmission of atomic particles (electrons and ions) through extremely thin electrically insu¬lating nanocapillary foils. Portions of this work have already resulted in a publication in a leading peer-reviewed journal and conference presentations in Crete and Brazil. His dissertation chair is Dr. John Tanis.

Daniel Kueh, Department of Biological Sciences, was awarded $4,000 to continue his dissertation research on “Effects of Tropisetron on Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs) From Rats.” Mr. Kueh earned a master’s degree at WMU in psychology and now pursues research in neurobiology in which he examines the neuroprotective effect of acetylcholine in rat retinal ganglion cells against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity, which is a process that destroys neurons in a number of neurodegenerative diseases in the brain such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. His advisor is Dr. Cindy Linn.

Mihaiela Ristei, Department of Political Science, was awarded $4,000 for her dissertation, “Competing Formal and Informal Institutions in a Democratizing Setting: An Institutional Analysis of Corruption in Romania.” A native of Romania, Ms. Ristei is studying the presence and influence of corruption in Romanian society and politics and the effects on prospects for long-term democratic stability. Her work examines the rules (both formal and informal) that guide behavior and not only the payoff for certain actions, but also the sanctions for violating those rules. Her advisor is Dr. Jim Butterfield.

Kamlesh Suthar, Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, was awarded $2,000 for his dissertation work on hydrogel-based micro actuators. Mr. Suthar’s work is carried out at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, and has led already to two international conference presentations in Australia. His advisor is Dr. Muralidhar Ghantasala.