Four WMU doctoral students named Frostic Fellows
by Deanne Puca
July 8, 2011 | WMU News
KALAMAZOO--Four Western Michigan University doctoral candidates have been named recipients of Gwen Frostic Doctoral Fellowships during the second round of awards for the 2011-12 academic year.
Frostic Doctoral Fellowships are given twice annually by WMU's Graduate College. They are made possible by an endowment from the estate of the late poet, artist and naturalist Gwen Frostic, a 1929 WMU alumna. The competitive fellowships ranged in amount from $1,000 to $4,000 and are designed to assist doctoral students in all fields with dissertation expenses, including tuition and fees, materials and travel.
These are the four recipients and their research areas.
- Reem El Asaleh, a paper engineering, chemical engineering and imaging student from Kalamazoo, is writing a dissertation, titled "New Media ICC Profile Construction and Concerns," in which she investigates issues related to computer color management, including stability and smoothness of transformations associated with gamut mapping and color lookup tables. Her dissertation advisor is Dr. Dan Fleming, professor of paper engineering, chemical engineering and imaging. Asaleh earned her bachelor's degree in computer science from Al Ain University of Science and Technology in the United Arab Emirates and her master's degree in paper and imaging science and engineering from WMU. She expects to graduate with her doctoral degree in April 2012. At WMU, she has been the recipient of graduate student awards for teaching effectiveness and for being a research and creative scholar. She has twice been recognized at the annual WMU Research and Creative Activities Poster Day.
- Stephanie Evergreen, an evaluation student from Kalamazoo, received her bachelor's degree in elementary education and her master's in sociocultural foundations, both from WMU. Her dissertation, "Death by Boredom: The Role of Visual Processing Theory in Evaluation Reporting," applies principles of graphic design to reporting evaluations and an examination of how these factors influence evaluation use. Her work examines best practices in graphic design and their application to evaluation reports. Her dissertation advisor is Dr. Chris Coryn, director of WMU's interdisciplinary doctoral program in evaluation and project director for the WMU Evaluation Center. She is the recipient of the 2008 Daniel L. Stufflebeam Travel Scholarship, the 2005 Graduate College Travel Grant, 2004 Graduate College Fellowship and WMU's Rising Star Award in 2003.
- Melanie Kintz, a political science student from Leipzig, Germany, plans to graduate in December. Her dissertation, "East Germans in Leading Positions in Germany's Bundestag," examines the representation of persons from the former East Germany in leadership positions in the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, and recruiting practices for legislative leadership in general. Her dissertation advisors are Dr. Emily Hauptmann, professor of political science, and Dr. Gunther Hega, associate professor of political science. Kintz earaned her master's degree in political science, Japanese studies and journalism from Leipzig University. She was the recipient of the teaching effectiveness award for doctoral students from the Department of Political Science in 2004, the Arden J. Elsasser Memorial Scholarship in 2005, the George Klein Award in 2006, John R. Borsos Memorial Award in 2008 and Graduate Research Award in 2009.
- Tova Samuels, a chemistry student from Pine Hill, N.J., is writing a dissertation titled "Strategies for the Detection and Deactivation of Chemical and Biological Environmental Pollutants." Her work involves the study of antibiotic-resistant microbial pathogens, such as those capable of causing serious food-borne illnesses, and development of novel materials such as biosensors that will aid in detection of these pathogens. Her dissertation advisor is Dr. Sherine Obare, associate professor of chemistry. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Penn., and is the recipient of a WMU Research and Creative Activities Poster Day Award, Graduate Research Scholarship, Graduate College Travel Fund and Alliance for Graduate Education Award and the Professoriate Graduate Fellowship.
For more information, contact Dr. Julie Nemire, WMU Graduate College, at julie.nemire@wmich.edu or (269) 387-8208.