Public Impact Fellowship

View All Internal Fellowships

Overview

The Public Impact Fellowship highlights and supports doctoral students whose current research has the potential for substantial impact in the public sphere. Ideal candidates will be involved in research designed to significantly improve or enrich the lives of Californians and/or national and global communities.

All schools are eligible to nominate students to compete for a total of 14 fellowships.  Each of the four full awardees will receive $10,000. Ten honorable mention awardees each will receive $1,000. Students may choose to accept the award during winter or spring 2012, or over both quarters, at their discretion.

Award Info

 $10,000 (full award) or $1,000 (honorable mention award) to be used as a stipend.

Eligibility

 Nominees must, at minimum, meet the following criteria:

  1. Maintain UCI GPA of 3.5 or higher through spring quarter 2011.
  2. Be a current, full-time doctoral student who has advanced to candidacy.
  3. Conduct research that has critical public impact. (Examples of relevant research include studies that aim to improve economic opportunity and well-being, health care, social justice, political participation, cultural engagement, and scientific or technical solutions to pressing social issues.)
  4. Be willing to have research spotlighted/featured on both the Graduate Division’s and UCI’s website, brochures and social networks, and be able to effectively communicate and discuss their research in lay terms with prospective donors, legislators and/or their staff, and the media.
  5. If selected as a finalist, student must be available to give a five-minute presentation to the selection committee, followed by a brief interview, on Friday, December 2, 2011 between 9:30 am - 12:30 pm.

More information about this fellowship may be found on the Public Impact Call for Nominations document.

Application Process

Schools are asked to collect nominations from each department and then forward the most promising nominees, based on merit and the potential public impact of the student's research. There is no limit to the number of nominations each school may submit. The final selection committee will consider several factors when choosing the awardees, including the student's presentation and interview, academic records, letters of recommendation, degree progress since matriculation into the program, and research impact.

 

  • Student Information Forms (to be completed by the student):
    1. Students may apply via the fillable/savable Microsoft Word form from the Graduate Division Website: Public Impact Fellowship Student Information Form
    2. Students must complete and submit the Student Information form as a Microsoft Word document via e-mail to their department (including the Student Profile and Student Research sections)
      1. Student Information forms must be saved in Microsoft Word as "IMPACT APP - SID#.doc", e.g. "IMPACT APP - 12345678.doc"
    3. Students must also provide the following items to their department:
      1. A printed/signed copy of the Student Information form (including the Student Profile and Student Research sections)
      2. A current, printed curriculum vitae
      3. A letter of recommendation from the student's faculty advisor
  • Nomination Forms (to be completed by the department):
    1. Departments will nominate students via the fillable/savable Microsoft Word form from the Graduate Division website: Public Impact Fellowship Nomination Form
      1. Click here for instructions on using Word-based data entry forms
    2. Nomination forms should be saved in Microsoft Word as "IMPACT NOM - SID#.doc", e.g. "IMPACT NOM - 12345678.doc"
    3. Print the nomination forms and gather original signatures for each form
    4. Once forms are final with signatures, scan documents to a single PDF file for each nominee in this order:
      1. Nomination form (signed by the Faculty Advisor and Associate Dean)
      2. Student Information form (signed by the student)
      3. Curriculum vitae
      4. Faculty advisor letter of recommendation
      5. Associate Dean letter of recommendation
    5. Save the new PDF file as "IMPACT - SID#.pdf", e.g. "IMPACT - 12345678.pdf"
    6. When all documentation is complete, e-mail the following items separately for each student:
      1. Email to Oana Abrudan:
        1. The original Microsoft Word (.doc) nomination form
        2. The original Microsoft Word (.doc) Student Information form
        3. The PDF file (.pdf) with the packet (to include all items listed above)
    7. DEADLINE to submit nominations to the Graduate Division: 12:00 p.m. (noon), Wednesday, November 2, 2011
      1. Late or incomplete nominations packets will not be reviewed

Contact Info

Questions should be directed to Ruth Quinnan , x4-5879 or Oana Abdurdan, x4-9031.

Deadline

The deadline for e-mail receipt of completed/signed nomination packages is 12:00 p.m. (noon) on Wednesday, November 2, 2011.

Notes

  • Students who receive the full $10,000 awards are not to be appointed as TAs during the period of the fellowship but may be appointed as GSRs.  Students who receive $1,000 honorable mention awards may be appointed as TAs. 
  • For students already receiving financial aid, acceptance of a Public Impact Fellowship may affect his or her overall financial need-based support package.  In such cases, students are encouraged to consult with the UCI Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. 
  • Previous winners (full awardees and honorable mentions) and current ARCS scholars are not eligible for this year’s competition.

Jesse Catlin
Degrees:
  • Management with a concentration in Marketing, UC Irvine, Ph.D., 2013 expected
  • Economics, California State University, Sacramento, M.A., 2007
  • Economics, California State University, Sacramento, B.A., 2005

Research

Consumer behavior, with an emphasis on pharmaceutical marketing and sustainable consumption

Bio

Jesse is a doctoral candidate in the Marketing area of the Paul Merage School of Business at UCI and holds a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from California State University, Sacramento.  His primary research interest is in the area of consumer behavior, with an emphasis on pharmaceutical marketing and sustainable consumption.  Jesse’s research has been published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing and Health Communication.  His dissertation research investigates the underlying reasons for the growing problem of consumer overdose on commonly used over-the-counter medications.  Jesse is also a past recipient of the Ray Watson and Newkirk Center for Science and Society Fellowships.


Cheng-Wei (Aaron) Chen
Degrees:
  • Chemical Biochemical Engineering, UCI, Ph.D., 2013 expected
  • Chemical Biochemical Engineering, UCI, M.S., 2011
  • Chemical/biochemical Engineering, UC Davis, B.S., 2001

Research

Chemical Engineering

Bio

Cheng-Wei (Aaron) is a doctoral candidate in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. Aaron holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Davis. His area of focus is chemical engineering. Prior to beginning his doctoral studies, Aaron worked in field of biotechnology where he was awarded a patent in 2003 for his work on the creation of phthalate polymers to capture and compare protein profiles, which can then be used as a biomarker for identifying a specific disease. Aaron’s research has appeared in several academic journals including Advanced Materials and Biotechnology and Bioengineering.  In 2010, he was the recipient of the prestigious Edwards Lifesciences Training Fellowship.  Aaron’s current research explores the development of novel approaches to the treatment of heart attacks.


Laura Huang
Degrees:
  • Management, UCI, Ph.D., 2012 expected
  • Business Administration, INSEAD, MBA, 2005
  • Engineering, Duke University, M.S., 2001
  • Engineering, Duke University, B.S., 2000

Research

High-risk, complex decision-making and problem solving in a variety of different businesses that drive economies through job growth and technology growth

Bio

Laura is a doctoral candidate in the Paul Merage School of Business at UCI.  Laura holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Duke University, where she double majored in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, graduating with honors.  She also holds a Master of Science in Engineering from Duke University and an MBA from INSEAD.  Prior to starting her Ph.D., Laura worked in consulting and general management at IBM and Johnson & Johnson, and also advised a number of entrepreneurial start-ups on their management and product launch strategies.  Her current research investigates high-risk, complex decision-making and problem solving in a variety of different businesses that drive economies through job growth and technology growth, such as established firms like IBM and Johnson & Johnson, as well as early-stage entrepreneurial start-ups creating new technology markets. 


Jessica Pratt
Degrees:
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCI, Ph.D., 2013 expected
  • Zoology, North Carolina State University, M.S., 2005
  • Biology, Grand Valley State University, B.S., 2003

Research

How plant responses to environmental change scale up to affect animal communities

Bio

Jessica is a doctoral candidate in the UCI School of Biological Sciences where she is concentrating on Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She holds a B.S. in Biology from Grand Valley State University and an M.S. in Zoology from North Carolina State University where she studied the conservation value of shaded coffee plantations for resident birds in Puerto Rico. Jessica’s interests lie in the applied fields of habitat conservation and ecological restoration.  She is currently conducting research to assess how plant responses to environmental change scale up to affect animal communities. Jessica is also a founding member of the Orange County Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB), serves on the Chapters Advisory Commnittee for SCB, and as Interim Vice President of the Student Section for the Ecological Society of America.


Gobind Bisht
Degrees:
  • Biomedical Engineering, UCI, Ph.D., 2012 expected
  • Biomedical Engineering, UCI, M.S., 2009
  • Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India, B.S., 2008

Research

Implantable Sugar Fuel Cell and High Precision Nanofiber Electro-writing

Bio

Gobind is a doctoral candidate in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering with a concentration focused on biomedical engineering. He holds an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from UCI and a B.S. in Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India.  Gobind has been involved in many entrepreneurial efforts to commercialize high impact technologies including Electroporation-based Non-deteriorative sterilization of foods and Diamond-like nanocomposite films for improving surgical tool performance, winning recognition at several competitions including the UCI Business Plan Competition. He is currently focusing on an Implantable Sugar Fuel Cell and High Precision Nanofiber Electro-writing.


Dana Garfin
Degrees:
  • Psychology and Social Behavior, UCI, Ph.D., 2013 expected
  • Social Ecology, M.A., UCI, 2010
  • Sociology (major) and Political Science (minor), B.A., University of Colorado at Boulder 2002

Research

How early negative life events and community disasters are associated with physical and mental health outcomes

Bio

Dana is a doctoral candidate in the UCI School of Social Ecology where she is in the department of Psychology and Social Behavior.  She holds an M.A. from UCI in Social Ecology as well as a B.A. from the University of Colorado from which she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Dana’s current program of research focuses on how early negative life events and community disasters are associated with physical and mental health outcomes. She has worked with homeless populations in Denver, immigrant populations in Mexico, members of the Dine (Navajo) nation in Arizona, and Tibetan refugees in Northern India. Her research projects have included two studies that assess psychosocial reactions to the 2010 8.8 magnitude Chilean earthquake; a longitudinal study of psychosocial development in 2,232 British children; and a National Science Foundation-funded longitudinal study of how turbulent social events (e.g., terrorist attacks, the economic crisis) are associated with mental health outcomes in a nationally representative sample of Americans. Dana has presented preliminary findings of her research at the Ministry of Health and at the Presidential Palace in Santiago, Chile.


Alexis Hickman
Degrees:
  • Planning, Policy and Design, UCI, Ph.D., 2012 expected
  • Masters of Urban and Regional Planning, UCI, M.U.R.P., 2008
  • Global Studies, UCSB, B.A., 2004

Research

Environmental management

Bio

Alexis is a doctoral candidate pursuing a degree in Planning, Policy and Design from the School of Social Ecology. She holds a B.A. from UCSB in Global Studies and an M.U.R.P. from UCI in Urban Planning. In conjunction with her advisor, Alexis recently completed a book about environmental governance of the regional seas. She has received several grants for her work on coastal cities and climate change adaptation including the renowned Newkirk Grant.  Her main focus now is to further the knowledge and innovative work being done in environmental management.


Jordan Kraemer
Degrees:
  • Anthropology, UCI, Ph.D., 2012 expected
  • Social Sciences, University of Chicago, M.A., 2005
  • Medieval Studies, Wesleyan University, B.A., 2000

Research

The role of new media technologies in the geographic organization of everyday life, particularly how social and mobile media are shaping lived experience in the European Union

Bio

Jordan is a doctoral candidate in the Anthropology Department in the School of Social Sciences. She holds an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Medieval Studies from Wesleyan University. Jordan’s research addresses the role of new media technologies in the geographic organization of everyday life, particularly how social and mobile media are shaping lived experience in the European Union.   Her work has been supported in part by DAAD as well as the Institute for European Studies, the Intel/UCI initiative PAPR@UCI, UCI's Department of Anthropology, and the School of Social Sciences.  


James Leak
Degrees:
  • Education, UCI, Ph.D., 2012 expected
  • Education, UCI, M.A., 2010
  • Public Policy and Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., 2006

Research

Education Policy and Social Context

Bio

James Leak is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Education. He is specializing in Education Policy and Social Context. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and Public Policy, with a focus in Education Policy, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  While at UCI, James has worked as a TA and a graduate student researcher for the past 4 years on a meta-analysis for the National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs.


Aleksandr Pevzner
Degrees:
  • Neurobiology and Behavior, UCI, Ph.D., 2012 expected
  • Biopsychology and Cognitive Science, U Michigan, B.S., 2006

Research

Investigation of molecular processes underlying learning and memory

Bio

Aleksandr is a doctoral candidate in the school of Biological Sciences with a focus on  neurobiology and behavior. He holds a B.S. in Biopsychology and Cognitive Science from the University of Michigan. Currently, he is investigating the molecular processes underlying learning and memory, with the goal of understanding the basis of neurological diseases.   Aleksandr is an active instructor in the Gifted Student Association program here on campus. 


Courtney Reynolds
Degrees:
  • Medicine, UCI M.D., 2014 expected
  • Social Ecology, UCI Ph.D., 2012 expected
  • Molecular Biology, UCI, M.S., 2009
  • Biochemistry, UCSB, B.S., 2004

Research

How infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus spread in hospitals and nursing homes

Bio

Courtney is a sixth-year student in the MD/PhD program and a third-year doctoral student studying the epidemiology of infectious diseases through Social Ecology. She holds an M.S. in molecular biology from UCI’s School of Biological Sciences. Courtney decided to pursue her PhD in epidemiology to integrate her clinical and research interests. Courtney has published 2 papers, given oral presentations at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America conferences in 2010 and 2011, and is the recipient of an F30 NRSA training grant through the National Institute on Aging. She is interested in how infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus spread in hospitals and nursing homes.


Nayssan Safavian
Degrees:
  • Education, UCI, Ph.D., 2012 expected
  • Education, UCI, M.A., 2010
  • Psychology, UCLA, B.A., 2004

Research

The role of motivation in improving students' proficiency in mathematics and the impact of teachers' motivation on student achievement

Bio

Nayssan is a doctoral candidate with an emphasis in Learning, Cognition, and Development in the Department of Education at UCI.  She holds an M.A. in Education from UCI and a B.A. in Psychology from UCLA. Currently, she is project manager for the California Motivation Project where she studies the role of motivation in improving students' proficiency in mathematics and the impact of teachers' motivation on student achievement. As a first generation American, her experiences inspire her to study cultural differences in motivation among immigrant minority youth and she looks forward to a research and teaching career dedicated to understanding the impact of achievement motives on student success.


Yixin Shi
Degrees:
  • Biomedical Engineering, UCI, Ph.D., 2012 expected
  • Biomedical Engineering, UCI, M.S., 2009
  • Bioengineering, Beihang University, B.S., 2008

Research

Development of non-invasive techniques to improve the diagnosis and management of asthma in children

Bio

Yixin is a doctoral candidate in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering with a focus on Biomedical Engineering. She holds an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and a B.S. in Bioengineering from Beihang University.   She is particularly interested in developing several non-invasive techniques to improve the diagnosis and management of asthma in children. In collaboration with Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Yixin led a research team in collecting first-hand clinical data in an indigent population designed to help with assessing and treating asthma in high-risk populations.


Wenbo Yan
Degrees:
  • Physical Chemistry, UC Irvine, Ph.D., 2013 in expected
  • Inorganic Chemistry, Nanjing Univ., M.S., 2008

Research

Research and development of new cathode materials to meet society’s growing need for clean, cheap, and renewable energy sources

Bio

Wenbo is a doctoral candidate in the UCI School of Physical Sciences, with a concentration in physical chemistry. She holds an M.S. in inorganic chemistry from Nanjing University. Currently, her area of research is related to develop new cathode materials to meet society’s growing need for clean, cheap, and renewable energy sources, such as lithium ion batteries and supercapacitors. Wenbo’s goal is to understand what are the key parameters that limit the energy delivery rate for lithium ion batteries based on nanostructured materials. In addition to research, Wenbo is a Teaching Assistant in the General Chemistry labs here at UCI.  


Public Impact Fellows