Academic Enrichment 2016-17 Description
pam.james
10 February, 2016 01:05 PM
Waa-Mu 2016--ANOTHER WAY WEST--Show and Patron Ticket Information
pam.james
26 January, 2016 05:25 PM
Request for Proposal - 2016 - Alumnae Grants
janet.bilandic
01 December, 2015 10:54 AM
Sarah Mercedes Hughes
Dissertation Fellowship Recipient, 1997
Sarah Mercedes Hughes
Alumnae Dissertation Fellow, 1997
Sarah Hughes is a senior fellow in the International Research Division of Mathematica Policy Research. In her words, “Working in applied policy research, I lead complex impact and performance evaluations of economic development projects, large-scale surveys and qualitative data collection under contracts with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the World Bank, and other entities working to alleviate poverty in developing countries. Choosing a non-academic career was partly a logistics issue; I wanted to stay in the Chicago area. But the most salient reason was my desire to use my research skills in the global development arena, an interest that predates my pre-Northwestern years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mauritania, West Africa. Over the years, I have developed a specialty in improving data collection methodologies as a means to ensure that public policies are based on good data. In support of this, I’ve conducted in-person computer-based surveys using laptops, tablets and smartphones in Africa, Europe and the U.S. and have specialized in longitudinal surveys on sensitive topics with vulnerable and hard to reach populations. One of my current projects is leading data collection for an impact and performance evaluation of the MasterCard Foundation Scholars program, a $500 million 10 year initiative to provide education to 15,000 academically promising but very poor students from developing countries. I have also directed evaluations of farmer training programs in Morocco and Burkina Faso, directed projects in Honduras, Kenya, Paraguay and Togo, and have focused on improving data quality for a large primary education evaluation in Uganda. From 2008-2015, I directed data collection for the Bank of Spain’s Survey of Household Finances, the sole source of micro-level household finance data in the country. Among other specialized skills I’ve developed along the way, I directed a 23-country research project in which I designed and led data collection training for interviewers with disabilities (hearing, vision and physical impairments) from Central and South America. My biggest career joys come from teaching data collection methods to researchers in developing countries, which aligns with my conviction that an informed population is best able to make decisions in its governance.
Reflection on the Alumnae Fellowship
Receiving the Alumnae Dissertation Fellowship was a turning point in my academic career and prevented me from dripping out of the pipeline, as many women with children do during their PhD studies. I had my first child during my coursework and my second while writing my dissertation. The fellowship allowed me to cover the cost of childcare without cobbling together the adjunct teaching and other paid work that had drained my mental and physical capacity in the previous two years and, instead, to focus on research and writing. While I sincerely hope that my record has been broken many times, I was the first female graduate student in the political science department to have children and finish the PhD. The fellowship was a key support in making that happen.
Kayla Ryndak
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2015
Kayla Ryndak, McC, is from Roselle, IL. Her major is Biomedical Engineering, and she will be a sophomore in 2015-2016. She has received High Honors at Northwestern and received many outstanding honors in high school in 2014. Her goal is a BS in biomedical engineering with an emphasis on biomechanics and rehabilitation. Then she plans to work for a master’s degree.
Rosagitta Podrovsky
Dissertation Fellowship Recipient, 1976
Professional musician and educator, Chicago native Rosagitta Podrovsky taught instrumental music in Chicago high schools (Hyde Park, Bowen, Austin and Sullivan) for more than thirty years. She served on the Executive Boards of the Chicago Teachers Union and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, in order to improve working and learning conditions for Chicago public school students and their teachers. As a clarinetist, she performed with and served on the Board of Directors of the Northwind Ensemble, and currently performs with and serves on the Board of Directors of the Mount Prospect Community Band. Podrovsky enjoys writing op-ed articles for local newspapers, and since her retirement a few years ago, she has been fortunate to travel to many exotic locations around the world, from Antarctica to Tahiti.
Mary Anna Thornton
Dissertation Fellowship Recipient, 1989
Immediately after earning her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology, Mary Anna worked as a social science researcher at Northwestern and as an adjunct instructor at a variety of colleges in the Chicago area. While raising three boys, she switched to K12 education and spent over 20 years as an administrator and teacher. During that time, she played key roles in the development of two unique and successful independent schools: Quest Academy in Palatine, Illinois, a K-8 school focused on the education of gifted and talented students, and Conserve School, in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin, a residential semester school for high school juniors focused on college preparatory academics, environmental education, and outdoor education. While overseeing academic programs at Conserve School, Mary Anna worked in partnership with the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where she was an adjunct professor in curriculum and instruction and supervised graduate fellows in environmental education. During this time, she also developed an interest in online education, earning a master’s degree in educational technology from Michigan State University and developing web-based components of the Conserve School program. Currently, Mary Anna is the Associate Dean of General Studies at Western Technical College in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In addition to her administrative work as a dean in general education, Mary Anna teaches anthropology courses at Western and is overseeing a new online expansion initiative.
Andre Ramirez-Cedeno
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2015
Andre Ramirez-Cedeno, McC, is from Miramar, FL. His major is Chemical Engineering, and he will be a junior in 2015-2016. His Design, Thinking and Communication team and he were recognized for their outstanding project, The Bioshock Brace, by being showcased on the Segal Design website. His long term goal is to found a startup that can make people’s lives easier or better.