Benton Fellows

This named fellowship is made possible by the generous gift of Frances and Thomas Benton who are alumni of the University of California, Berkeley (UCB); earning their bachelor degrees in 1940 in History and Engineering, respectively. Mr. & Mrs. Benton met at UCB, too. The Benton's made this gift to the University of California because of their belief that academic and scientific progress are essential to our better health, to our economic well-being, to a higher standard of living for all, and to our cultural progress. It is because of their farsightedness that talented young scholars at the University of California, Irvine are supported and encouraged in their scholarly pursuits to the betterment of us all. Nominations for this fellowship are received by the Graduate Division directly from UCI's academic schools on a periodic basis. Students may not directly apply or nominate themselves.

Current Scholars - AY 2007-2008 Scholars

NATALIE EPPELSHEIMER

Degrees:
- Ph.D., German (Emphasis in Comparative Literature), UC Irvine, in progress
- M.A. German Studies (Minor in Pedagogy), University of Arizona, 2003
- Staatsexamen I, English and Biology (Minor in Pedagogy), Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, 2000
Research: German-Jewish Exile in Kenya and the German Africa-Novel
Current Position: Graduate Researcher, UC Irvine
Student Bio
CHRISTINE GARDINER

Degrees:
- Criminology, Law and Society, UC Irvine, in progress (expected June, 2008)
- M.Phil., Criminology, Cambridge University, England, 1995
- B.A., Criminology, Law and Society, UC Irvine, 1993
Research: Crime Policy, Sentencing and Corrections, Juvenile Delinquency
Current Position: Graduate Researcher, UC Irvine
Student Bio
MICHAEL JOHNSON

Degrees:
- Ph.D., Environmental Health, Science, and Policy, UC Irvine, in progress
- M.S., Science Education, Oregon State University, 2002
- B.A., Physics, The Colorado College, 1999
Research: Greenhouse gas emissions from cookstoves in developing regions
Current Position: Graduate Researcher, UC Irvine
Student Bio
OMID KHAKSHOOR

Degrees:
- Ph.D., Chemistry, UC Irvine, in progress
- M.S., Organic Chemistry, Sharif University of Technology, Iran, 2000
- B.S., Applied Chemistry, Sharif University of Technology, Iran, 1998
Research: Bioorganic Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Current Position: Graduate Researcher, UC Irvine
Student Bio
SABA OZYURT

Degrees:
- Ph.D., School of Social Sciences, Political Science Department, UC Irvine, in progress
- M.A., University of South Florida, 2000
Research: Integration patterns of Muslim immigrant women in the US and the Netherlands
Current Position: Graduate Researcher, UC Irvine
Student Bio
MARILOU SISON-MANGUS

Degrees:
- Ph.D., School of Biological Sciences: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine, in progress
- M.S., Marine Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, 2003
- B.S., Marine Fisheries, University of the Philippines Visayas, 1994
Research: Functional genomics of insect color vision
Current Position: Graduate Researcher, UC Irvine
Student Bio
KRISTIN YOUNG

Degrees:
- Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine, in progress
- B.A., Environmental Science, Wittenberg University, 2001
Research: Tropical Restoration Ecology
Current Position: Graduate Researcher, UC Irvine
Student Bio

Archived Benton Scholars - 2005-2006

SRINIVAS VADLAMANI

Degrees:
- Ph.D., EECS, UC Irvine, in progress
- M.S., EECS, UC Irvine, 2004
- BTech, Electronics and Power Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology,1998
Research: High inter-processor communication bandwidth
Student Bio
MASON DEAN

Degrees:
- Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine, in progress
- M.S., Zoology, University of South Florida, 2003
- A.B., Biology, 1997
Research: Multidisciplinary investigation of shark skeletons, uniting evolutionary, engineering, biomechanic and biomedical study
Student Bio
MELINA UNCAPHER

Degrees:
- Ph.D., Neurobiology and Behavior, UC Irvine, in progress
- B.S., Neurobiology, UC Irvine, 2002
Research: Imaging of the human brain
Student Bio