2013 Senior Woman's Service Award
janet.bilandic
25 June, 2013 12:00 PM
2013-2014 Graduate Fellowship Recipients Announced
pam.james
10 June, 2013 12:25 PM
Stephanie Novak, Graduate Fellow
Graduate Fellowship Recipient, 2012
Master of Science in Journalism, Medill School of Journalism, 2013, Bachelor of Arts, Major-Philosophy, Ad hoc Major-Bioethics, Minor-Global Health, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, 2011
With the goal of becoming a doctor, Stephanie studied philosophy, medical ethics and global health. While she was abroad for her global health minor, she realized that her interest was in writing about health care and medical needs rather than direct patient care. One of her references wrote the following about Stephanie in the classroom. She was “…clearly one of the class leaders…consistently attempted to give a fair and careful hearing to all positions…an excellent reader… deeply concerned about issues in health care and communicating those issues in a meaningful way.” After graduating from NU she worked for the International Herald Tribune in Paris as a Research and Features Intern. She returns to NU to pursue a Master of Science in Journalism degree to develop her writing skills to fulfill her goal as she told on her application “to tell the stories of those who suffer from disease, of the marginalized poor without access to healthcare and of families and doctors grappling with the ethics of care.” She wrote an article about her academic journey for the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of the Weinberg College of Art and Sciences magazine, Cross Currents, distributed in July, 2012.
Natalie Friend
Graduate Fellowship Recipient, 2012
Masters of Science in Speech, Language and Learning, The Graduate School, 2014
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy & Linguistics, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, 2011
As an undergraduate, Natalie worked as a research assistant and a teaching assistant for the Center for Talent Development at the University. She is currently a research assistant in the Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Laboratory, studying language impairment in individuals with autism and Fragile X. As part of the Speech, Language, and Learning program, she works with clients at Northwestern’s clinic. She is described as “an outstanding student who has tremendous potential as a future clinician-scientist in the field of developmental disabilities.” She has “strong initiative, self-direction, attention to detail, communication skills and responsibility and commitment …”
Alice Zhao
Graduate Fellowship Recipient, 2012
Masters in Analytics, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2013 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, 2008
As an undergraduate, Alice was a research assistant in the Image and Video Processing laboratory and a TB tracker for Global Healthcare Technologies her senior year. She was involved in several mentoring and teaching programs and played the cymbal for the University marching band. A systems integration and technology analyst for Accenture, she is described as “capable of managing the day to day work of a team of 20 resources in India” and a “go-to resource when something needs to get done...” “Her work efforts produce quality results … [she] has an attention to detail that surpasses her peers…beautifully organized [with a] passion for delivering quality work…” Alice is a member of the inaugural class in the newly created Masters in Analytics program.
Molly Bird
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2012
Major(s): Biomedical Engineering
School: McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Molly’s goal is to do biomedical research “to make the world a better, healthier place.”
She is on her way! In her Engineering Design and Communication class in the fall (2011),
her team won the Design Award for its portable wheelchair ramp. This involves determining
a design, a prototype and a presentation to two judges. In Winter quarter she did CASPiE*
lab research through her Accelerated General Physical Chemistry course. The team is
responsible for designing the research, as well as doing it.
*CASPiE
“Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education
The Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education is a multi-institutional collaborative effort designed to address major barriers to providing research experiences to younger undergraduate science students.
Is it possible to effect a renewed interest in the physical sciences by including more research experiences in the education process, especially early on when many students are making or adjusting their choice of majors? Can programs be designed that are especially suited to retaining women and minorities as well as other segments of the undergraduate population?”
From the web site: www.caspie.org
Michelle Bagwell
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2012
The STEM scholarships are given to sophomore students with financial need who excel in a STEM major (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) at Northwestern University and whose grades show a commitment to academic excellence. The intent of these scholarships are
to free students from work commitments so that they may more vigorously pursue their chosen area of study.
Females and under-represented minority students are given preference for this one-time award. Students apply in Spring Quarter of their freshman year, and qualify for the scholarships if they are enrolled as full-time students at Northwestern University, taking classes and paying tuition in the Fall Quarter after the application submission.
Major(s): Cognitive Science
School: Weinberg College of Arts and Science
Hometown: Rochester, Minnesota
Michelle wrote on her STEM Scholarship application how her academic goal was to “learn as much as possible in a variety of
different disciplines both within and outside of my Cognitive Science Major.” She had the schedule to achieve this goal with a very heavy credit hour load, including English, history,
and religion along with her science, chemistry and math courses. She helped fellow students
with science and math and enjoyed the satisfaction of her teaching moments. Her long term
goal is to become a doctor—a goal combining her passion for math and science “helping
those in need as much as I possibly can.”
In addition to her studies, she was an active volunteer as a freshman. She participated
in the Alternative Spring Break, Campus Kitchens, Inspiration Café and NU Gives Back,
a campus-wide day of service (May 19). This summer she is a camp counselor.
Charlene Shaw
Alumni Service Awards Recipient, 2013
Charlene Heuboski Shaw
BA, Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, 1970
Charlene shares this award along with her husband, Robert Shaw. Together they helped start the Northwestern-Chicago Botanic Garden graduate program in plant biology and conservation that earned them the 2008 Chicago Botanic Garden Excellence in Leadership award, as well as the 2011 Chicago Horticultural Society Medal. Charlene has “a green thumb,” says Robert. As a volunteer at the Botanic Garden, Charlene collects DNA samples and verifies data.
Charlene is a member of the The Alumnae of Northwestern University and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors. She also
supports the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern's School of Communication, co-chaired her 35th and 40th reunions, served on reunion committees for seven years, and served on the Sheil Catholic Center Advisory Board.
“We have gotten more involved because we see the impact on students and the results they can have on the country and world,” Charlene says. “I have learned that you get back more than you give.”
She lives in Evanston with her husband. They have two adult children, Clifford and Alan.