Aili Tripp
Dissertation Fellowship Recipient, 1988
Aili Tripp
Alumnae Dissertation Fellow, 1988
Aili Mari Tripp is Professor of Political Science and Gender & Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Tripp has published numerous books and articles on women’s movements in Africa and internationally, global feminism, gender and politics in Africa and globally, and on women in post-conflict African countries. Tripp has a forthcoming book with University of Cambridge Press entitled, Gender and Power in Post-Conflict Africa. She has published Museveni's Uganda: Paradoxes of Power (2010), co-authored a book with Isabel Casimiro, Joy Kwesiga and Alice Mungwa entitled African Women’s Movements: Transforming Political Landscapes (2009), and is author of Women and Politics in Uganda (2000) and Changing the Rules: The Politics of Liberalization and the Urban Informal Economy in Tanzania (1997). Tripp has edited and co-edited four other volumes. She co-edits a book series with Stanlie James on Women in Africa and the Diaspora for the University of Wisconsin Press. She served as president of the African Studies Association and vice president of the American Political Science Association and has served on numerous boards of professional academic associations. Born in the UK, Tripp has lived 15 years in Tanzania and has dual citizenship in the US and Finland. Her research is based on fieldwork in Tanzania, Uganda, Liberia, Angola and DR Congo.
Reflection on the Alumnae Fellowship
I received the award from the Alumnae Association in 1988 right after I had returned from carrying out fieldwork in Tanzania so it was incredibly helpful in allowing me to complete my dissertation. The dissertation eventually became a book that was published by University of California Press, entitled Changing the Rules: The Politics of Liberalization and the Urban Informal Economy in Tanzania, which launched my career. It helped me get a position as a professor in Political Science and Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I have remained for 23 years.
You don’t have to include this but as I recall, the best part of it was that I did not have to apply because my PhD advisor nominated me. I was not expecting it so it was a complete surprise! That is the best kind of award . . . an unexpected one
Cheris Shun-ching Chan
Dissertation Fellowship Recipient, 2003
Cheris Shun-ching Chan
Alumnae Dissertation Fellow, 2003
Cheris Shun-ching Chan is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong. She received her Ph.D. from Northwestern University and a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA’s International Institute. Before joining the University of Hong Kong, she was an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh and a fellow of the Summer Institute on Economy and Society from the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Chan’s research interests include culture, economic practices, healthcare, globalization, and Chinese societies. Her writings have appeared in the top-tier academic journals, including the American Journal of Sociology, British Journal of Sociology, Theory and Society, Social Psychology Quarterly, China Quarterly, and International Sociology. Some of her articles have received prizes from the American Sociological Association. Chan’s first book, Marketing Death: Culture and the Making of a Life Insurance Market in China (OUP, 2012), has won two awards and one honorable mention from the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems.
Impact of the Alumnae Dissertation Fellowship
Cheris Shun-ching Chan received NU’s Alumnae Dissertation Fellowship in 2003 – 2004. This fellowship not only allowed her to complete her dissertation on time, it enabled her to produce an outstanding thesis that generated a number of award-winning articles published in top-tier academic journals. By enabling Chan to concentrate on her writing in her last year of graduate study, the Dissertation Fellowship facilitated her to produce world-class scholarly works that eventually won her other prestigious fellowships and impressive career path. Chan received three job offers upon her graduation in 2004, including offers from the University of Arizona, the University of Pittsburgh, and the National University of Singapore. She was the awardee of a number of highly competitive fellowships, including of the Summer Institute on Economy and Society from the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University (2006), the Global Fellowship from the International Institution at UCLA (2006-2008), and the Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Center for East Asian Studies at Stanford University (2006-2007, awarded but declined). Chan’s dissertation was subsequently turned into her first book, Marketing Death: Culture and the Making of a Life Insurance Market in China, published by Oxford University Press in 2012 (http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Death-Culture-Making-Insurance/dp/0195394070/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330247343&sr=8-2 ).
Based on extensive ethnographic research, the book analyzes the role of culture in shaping the trajectory and features of a new market. It details how the Chinese cultural taboo on the discussion of premature death affects the organizational strategies of transnational and domestic life insurance firms in mainland China. This book has won two awards and one honorable mention from the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. It is also featured at an audio research talk show, Up Close, at the University of Melbourne, Australia and at the Chinese service on Radio Netherlands ( http://upclose.unimelb.edu.au/episode/202-china-life-managing-cultural-taboos-your-marketing-strategy ).
Alumnae Summer 2016 Interns
janet.bilandic
05 June, 2015 01:34 PM
Laura Stoughton
Graduate Fellowship Recipient, 2015
Laura Stoughton received a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in Cognitive Science and Psychology from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (WCAS) in December 2014. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, she is a James Alton James Scholar and National Merit Scholar. Laura has had experience as a Loomis Chafee Summer Faculty intern and as a sixth grade biology teacher for underserved students in Manchester, New Hampshire. She has begun working on a master’s degree in Science in Education degree from Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy with the intention of teaching high school science and being a role model for girls interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Regarding her potential as a teacher, she is described by her advocates as “the single most qualified person I have ever met,” a “demonstrated leader,” and a “most impressive scholar.”
Anna Leenay
Graduate Fellowship Recipient, 2015
Anna Leenay is currently in a combined degree program at McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science in Environmental Engineering. She anticipates graduating in December 2015, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as a certificate in Global Ecological Health Engineering. Her primary interest is global water security. Anna has volunteered with the Chicago Legal Clinic, representing a Pilsen neighborhood organization concerned with communities affected by contaminated portions of the Chicago River. She has also had experience as an intern at the Evanston Utilities Department Water Treatment Plant. Currently, Anna is working with a team to design, implement and monitor a solar-powered water distiller in Rajasthan, India. She is described as having a talent for design and “a passion for environmental justice.”
Maris Maeve O'Tierney
Graduate Fellowship Recipient, 2015
Maris Maeve O’Tierney received her Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, WCAS, with a triple major in art history, classical vocal performance and political science in June 2014. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was a Fulbright Recommended Scholar to Spain. In the summer of 2014, she was a fellow at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Maris is currently Polar Lab Coordinator at Anchorage (Alaska) Museum at Rasmuson Center. In addition, she is a composer and regular performer, appearing both as a vocal and guitar soloist and in duets with her violinist twin sister. She is described as “broadly accomplished, enthusiastic and incisive.” Maris will pursue a Master’s of Science in Leadership for Creative Enterprises, a new Northwestern program, which combines coursework with industry visits to major cities and an internship that connects students to organizations such as museums, tech start-ups and media outlets.
Taryn L. Snyder
Graduate Fellowship Recipient, 2013
Taryn L Snyder graduated from Northwestern in 1998 with a B.A. in communication/Spanish. While at Northwestern, she was co-captain of the varsity cheerleading squad. Since graduation, the mother of three has worked in the healthcare field, holding full-time positions with Medicus Healthcare Solutions, various fitness companies, and as president and owner of her own business, At Home Fitness and Massage, while at the same time taking college level coursework in the sciences to enable her to enroll in the Physician Assistant Program, Feinberg School of Medicine.
Jennifer Wei
Graduate Fellowship Recipient, 2013
Jennifer Wei received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern in 2009. Since graduation she has worked for Motorola Solutions involved in various projects, including supervising an all-male crew on an offshore oil rig. She has spent much time since graduation volunteering to inspire other young women, both in college and high school, to pursue careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
Jin Tao
Graduate Fellowship Recipient, 2013
Jin Tao, originally from the People’s Republic of China, arrived in the United States speaking no English. Four years later she was the valedictorian of her high school class. She received a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern in 2012, graduating cum laude. While at Northwestern, she received numerous awards, including the First Place Award for the Mickelson Engineering Design Prize, Best Design Award for the Undergraduate Design Contest. She was involved with Relay for Life, an active member of the Society of Women Engineers in their outreach program to middle schoolers, a volunteer at the Chinatown Free Clinic, and participated in the Alternative Spring Break program. She is presently working on research regarding the antimicrobial property of catechol-containing polyethylene glycol-based hydrogels for medical adhesive applications to minimize post-surgical infections.