1. Dean’s Freshman Research & Creative Scholars
2016
Fall Reception

2. “With professor McGue, I got the opportunity to write a research paper using real longitudinal data from the MCTFR. I wrote my paper on the social outcomes of a childhood diagnosis of ADHD, with educational attainment being my main interest in the results. After being involved with research freshman year, I was inspired to keep on track with research in my own major department, Child Psychology. Today, I am currently part of the Gunnar Lab in the Institute of Child Development. This new position wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for my experience in the Dean's Freshman Research and Creative Scholars program.”
Garrett Schwartz
Participant
Worked with Professor Matthew McGue in the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research in the Psychology Department

3. Professor David Feinberg
“This is the [eighth] year I have participated in the Freshmen Research and Creative Awards Program working with two students each year. It has been a highly beneficial experience for both the students and myself. The students have creatively worked on artworks, video documentaries, and have interviewed genocide survivors,
abstracting their stories into powerful text.”
Professor
David Feinberg
Department of Art

4. “Working in a building on campus helped me to cultivate a sense of unity and belonging as a scholar and as an individual here. It also equipped me with a sense of purpose, as I knew the work I was doing was helping to serve a common goal.”
Laura Omodt
Participant
Worked with the
MN Population Center

5. Sample research projects:
Anthropology
Studying evolution of human societies through the material objects they have left in the archaeological record
Ethnographically researching the imaginations and practices of entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists who seek to colonize outer space -- the Moon, Mars, and beyond
Developing a bibliography for a book on an ethnographic account of NGO health projects in Mozambique

6. Sample research projects:
Music & Music Therapy
Researching the expectations of music therapy from acute care psychiatric unit staff
Interviewing music therapists who specialize in homeless and disadvantaged youth to better understand the needs and best practice of this clinical population
Studying Indian vocal disciplines; approaching the vocal techniques as techniques of ethical virtue, cultivating various kinds of personhood suited for various social spaces

7. “For me, this was a valuable experience that gave me an introduction to what research is and allowed me to develop personal and professional skills that few freshmen have the opportunity to work on.”
Jonathan Huerd
Participant Worked with
MN Population Center

8. Sample research projects:
Political Science
▪ Measuring shifts in American exceptionalism by using computerized content analysis
▪ Uncovering connections between advocacy organizations’ representation of identity
▪ Studying the role of storytelling in political communication
▪ Researching the politics of ethnicity as it relates to peripheral ethnic minorities

9. Sample research projects:
Journalism & Mass Communication
▪ Studying how journalism is changing in light of digital media technologies
▪ Researching the effects of demographics and geography on violent crime reporting
▪ Investigating corporate social responsibility communication in culturally rooted regions

10. “Erin Diamond was a former recipient of the scholarship, who continued to do research work with me after her freshman research experience in my lab. She got her MA degree from my department with me as her advisor. She is now a Speech-Language Pathologist at North Memorial Hospital. In 2016, she published a first-authored journal paper in Neuropsychologia, which was based on her MA thesis work.”
Erin Diamond
Participant
Worked with Professor Yang Zhang in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences

11. “I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity…I had no idea that one semester would have such an impact on my life; but my freshman year, I was a sponge. Soaking up lessons from a new environment, new relationships, and new academic topics. My attitude about art history, the business of art, and my personal work is forever changed because of this research project. I can’t un-learn the knowledge that I’ve acquired, and I plan on living out the rest of my creative life with respect to those of the Feminist Art Movement of 1970.”
Madison Sternig
Participant
Worked with
Howard Oransky, Director of the Katherine E. Nash Gallery in the Regis Center for Art

12. “The Freshman Research and Creative Awards Program is one of the most influential experiences I've had at the U of M. Not only did it solidify my desire to declare a major in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, it set me up to participate in research for the rest of my undergraduate career, and gave me a great mentor in the process. I have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Munson on three different projects, including a large NIH-funded study examining language acquisition, which has led to the writing of my Honors thesis. Without this program, I'm not sure that I ever would have participated in undergraduate research, and I would have missed out on many wonderful opportunities!”
Alisha Blackman
Participant
Worked with Professor Ben Munson in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences

13. Sample research projects:
Sociology
▪ Investigating ways in which legal proceedings and decisions affect representations of mass violence
▪ Uncovering data on mass probation and racial disparities
▪ Researching adolescent and young adult development, focusing on changing parent-child relationships, educational and occupational attainment, and well-being

14. Sample research projects:
Theater Arts & Dance
▪ Exploring the history and techniques of MN Vaudeville Performers
▪ Studying dance techniques as forms of mediation
▪ Delving into Russian and Eastern European theater traditions and practices
▪ Assisting with research and professional costume design

15. “…my involvement with this project allowed me to get an idea of what research is really like, and it provided me with experience that may increase my chances of obtaining another research position in the future. This experience was one that many people don’t share, and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that the Freshman Research Award provided me with.”
Evelyn Leland
Participant
Worked with
Professor Wilma Koustaal, Psychology

16. Sample research projects:
Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences
Improving speech understanding in noisy environments for people with hearing loss
▪ Analyzing visual attention and cognitive abilities using eye tracking equipment on adults with traumatic brain injuries
▪ Effective interventions for children with significant language learning weaknesses
▪ Brain plasticity in second language learning

17. Sample research projects:
Writing Studies
Examining the settlement of the American West between the Revolution and Indian Removal in the 1830’s
Analyzing the transition of print and visual modes of magazines into digital media
Researching how online writing is both repeating and inventing new forms of literacy

18. Professor Scott Lipscomb
“I consider it such a privilege to have this opportunity to work with these freshmen.  Such GREAT potential!”
Professor
Scott Lipscomb
School of Music
Worked with student
Chelsey Wiemers,

19. “I felt that the whole experience was a great way to introduce myself to the opportunities for research here at the University but also I felt it got my foot in the door and gave me confidence in pursuing future research opportunities.”
Jordan Hartjen
Participant
Worked with
Professor Ramah McKay,
Anthropology

20. 2015 participant Mara Logerquist and professor Munson interacted with M.A. student Sara Bernstein on her thesis experiment.
Students receive a rich, multi-layered system of mentoring in this program.
Professor
Ben Munson
Speech Language Hearing Sciences

21. Sample research projects:
Gender Women and Sexuality Studies
Assisting theater professionals and amateurs in an examination of social issues through literary texts and personal stories
Developing curriculum for high school Gay-Straight Alliance student groups
Story-mapping using maps and geography to illustrate where administrative, enforcement, and state violence occurs

22. Sample research projects:
Art & Art History
Investigating how traditional artworks and ephemeral media trouble our historiographic approaches
Assisting with a collaborative work of visual art that reflects the convergence many voices involved in a "Voice to Vision" project - capturing stories of genocide survivors from around the world through shared
Exploring “new territory” of illusionist and actual space and investigating the role of painted color as an agent of spatial experience

23. Miriam King PhD Anthony Gerbi
“The Freshman Research Program has positively impacted my experience here at the U. It has allowed me to not only learn about research and data collection methods, but also establish relationships with professors who have served as mentors both during the initial research experience, and as I was re-hired by the same organization.”
Anthony Gerbi
Participant
Worked at the
Minnesota Population Center
“Without exception, the freshmen I worked with were bright, hard-working, responsible, conscientious, and fun to get to know. In the course of their work, they learned that scientific research is more than just labs with test tubes and mice in mazes, it also depends on asking many people good questions and systematically coding and analyzing their responses.”
Miriam King PhD
Research Associate
Minnesota Population Center

24. Sample research projects:
English
Reviewing a book manuscript on time as it was conceived in 18th century literature and philosophy – how reading was imagined to shape durational experiences very different the rush of daily life
Exploring 20th century American poets and their relation to their historical period
The literary historical period from the end of the First World War to the 1930’s, as well as the Harlem Renaissance

25. Sample research projects:
Psychology
Developing an assistive range finding device to detect steps and other ground-level hazards for the visually impaired
Developing an understanding of how experiences and behaviors in adolescence affect functioning in early adulthood and mid-life
Examining how personality traits (e.g., extraversion, conscientiousness) interact with an individual’s goals and motivations to pursue things that are of importance to their future selves

26. Additional participating departments:
More opportunities…
Asian Languages and Literatures
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
Center for Austrian Studies
Institute for Linguistics
Religious Studies
Classical and Near Eastern Studies
Spanish and Portuguese Studies
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