The Friends present two student awards each year at an annual reception for Waisman Center faculty, staff, students, members of the Friends, and supporters. The award consists of a certificate and $500. The 2002 reception will take place on Tuesday, August 13 on the 8th floor of the Waisman Center.
Alvin L. Berman and Ruth Bleier Memorial Research Award
For Excellence In Research In The Mental Retardation Developmental Disabilities Research Center
- 2002 Recipient: Hyun-Jung Kim
Hyun-Jung Kim recently transferred from another Ph.D. laboratory to join the Waisman Center’s Stem Cell Research Program. Her project concerns the effects of over-expressing specific genes in human neural stem cells. This work is of particular interest for the Parkinson’s disease program here, as well as having ramifications for many different disorders including childhood diseases. Hyun-Jung was cited for the high quality of her research, her exceptional attitude, and her initiative and mature approach to her experiments.
Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Award
For Outstanding Achievement In The CEDD Of The Waisman Center
- 2002 Recipient: Brianne Patchell
After earning her bachelor’s degree with high honors in psychology from Mary Washington College in Virginia, Brianne came to the UW last fall to pursue a master’s degree in human development and family studies with a focus on early childhood intervention. She is participating in the Center’s ID Train Level II program. Brianne was cited as an exceptional student who has demonstrated her talents as an academic scholar and leader and as someone who embraces family-centered practice and builds collaborative partnerships with families, professionals, and peers. - Wayne J. and Jean B. Roper Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship
Matthew Pankratz was awarded the Wayne J. and Jean B. Roper Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. Matthew is mentored by Waisman Center investigator Su-Chun Zhang, and is a graduate student in the Neuroscience Training Program. He will investigate the use of embryonic stem cells to model errors in nervous system development. - 2002 Prentke Romich Student Research Award
Melissa M. Murphy, a graduate student in the Department of Educational Psychology and Project Assistant at the Waisman Center, has won the 2002 Prentke Romich Student Research Award from the Communicative Disorders Division of the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR). This award recognizes the best student paper submitted to the Communicative Disorders Division and presented at the AAMR annual convention. The paper was entitled, “Gender differences in repetitive talk among adolescents with fragile X syndrome”. Ms. Murphy’s major professor is Leonard Abbeduto, Ph.D.
Ms. Murphy is also a trainee in the Waisman Center’s Merck Scholars II Doctoral Support and Training Program. Melissa also just won one of the Waisman Center graduate school fellowships.
Jeannette Anderson Hoffman Memorial Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship
- Melissa Murphy was also awarded the Jeannette Anderson Hoffman Memorial Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. A graduate student in Educational Psychology, Melissa is conducting research on language development in individuals with fragile X syndrome under the supervision of Waisman Center investigator Len Abbeduto.
Outstanding New Researcher in Mental Retardation
- Susan L. Parish was selected by the Academy on Mental Retardation to present her research at its annual dissertation symposium, and she was named an “Outstanding New Researcher in Mental Retardation.” Her dissertation is entitled “Comparative Study of the Development of MR/DD Services in Two Midwestern States: 1970-1990.”Dr. Parish is a fellow in the Waisman Center’s NICHD Post-doctoral Training Program in Mental Retardation Research.