2006 SUMMER FELLOWS
SURF fellows spend 8 summer weeks doing concentrated research on a topic they care about.
Fellows | Contacts
| SURF Fellows from past years: | Summer 2005, | Summer 2004, | Summer 2003, | Summer 2002 |
Marcelo Aranda, History
“Blood and Steel: Honor and Personal Violence in Early Modern Spain and Japan”
Mentor: Mary Elizabeth Berry, History
Personal violence was an endemic problem for Early Modern societies, since both elites and the upwardly mobile acted according to codes of honor rooted in the past. Two cultures, Early Modern Spain and Japan, handled this problem in outwardly similar manners. While governments imposed strict penalties on personal violence, martial artists in both societies created systems of combat that addressed not only the immediate physical concerns of their students, but also their spiritual and psychological needs. By analyzing and comparing 16th century Spanish and 17th century Japanese fencing manuals I will illustrate the manner in which different cultures dealt with this problem. I will also reference studies about personal violence from the fields of Japanese history and anthropology.
--In explaining to my family what SURF is, I said, “It’s the academic equivalent of getting a prestigious summer internship.” I will benefit from participating in SURF in a number of ways. First, it allows me to do original undergrad research, an experience that will greatly improve both the quality of my senior thesis and my chances of entering a History grad program. Second, it allows me to do comparative historical work, something very difficult to do as a grad student. Finally, it will be a preview of what grad school will be like and I will find out if historical research is something I want to do for the rest of my life.
“Comparisons in Consciousness: Congruencies in Tibetan Buddhist and Hopi Indian Epistemology”
Mentor: Nimachia Hernandez, Ethnic Studies
I am interested in verifying the existing research on the correlations between Tibetan Buddhist sacred knowledge and Native American sacred knowledge. I will focus specifically on Hopi Indian knowledge. I intend to explore the relationship between practices, beliefs and their metaphysical understanding of the world. Additionally I will investigate the idea of being “connected to all things”, a belief that they share; looking at how this process manifests itself from an internal to an external awareness or vice versa. Ultimately I would like to know the significance of their correlations and how they can contribute to Western Science. I will spend one month working with Hopi Indian material, as well as one month working with Tibetan Buddhist material. I will use primary and secondary texts, oral histories, teachings and interviews.
--This is such an exciting opportunity for me to do research over the summer because I love finding connections between things and investigating their roots. I already spend so much of my free time doing this kind of research that now I can dedicate myself to it for two months and not feel like its something I’m trying to fit into my schedule. It’s also an opportunity to use my intellect and instincts to come up with creative reasons for why these connections exist. I feel that research is beneficial to the greater community because the better we understand the world around us the better lives we can lead.
“NGO Funding and Aid Dependency: A Case Study In Bangladesh”
Mentor: Darren Zook, Political Science and International and Area Studies
Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) are playing an increasing role in the economic development of the global ‘south.’ Bangladesh in particular is a country in which NGOs have emerged as a huge portion of the country’s source of development aid. I will be examining two particular organizations in Bangladesh. Both organizations allocate funding to NGOs. The first acts somewhat like a bank for NGOs by using loans it received from the government, to loan money to NGOs, which in turn give micro credit loans to villagers. The other organization also acts as a funding mechanism for NGOs, but it gives money to organizations through grants rather than loans. I will be investigating these two funding models in order to see how funding sources influence the kind of projects that NGOs pick up. In order to do so, I will be comparing these organizations’ original stated missions and see how their projects have changed over time.
“Managing Trash: New Urban Governance and Political Networks in Argentina”
Mentor: Michael Watts, Geography
My research project addresses the important questions of how new forms of governance are emerging in response to the growing challenges of urban management in many parts of the third world. Specifically, I will investigate the newest forms of solid waste management initiatives in Argentina put forth by the World Bank, the national and provincial governments of Argentina, local cooperatives and private agencies—and the extent to which these organizational forms can actualize participatory development goals. As hundreds of thousands of Argentinos have taken to picking and sorting trash as a means for survival, it is increasingly important to assess how these new networks of urban and regional governance are bridging the private-public divide—and ultimately whether the interests of the “intended beneficiaries” are truly being included in development projects.
--By putting my knowledge and research to test in the real world, UC Berkeley has given me an incredible opportunity. Being accepted to engage in research abroad will help me further my interests in development and more specifically allow me room to develop my own skills as a researcher. I believe in learning through experience, which is why I strongly support programs such as these which push students to leave the classroom and practice their critical thinking in ways which can hopefully serve to develop theory and influence other bodies of work.
“Hotel Bauen: Consumer Tourism and the Cooperative”
Mentor: Michael Watts, Geography
The growing cooperative movement in Argentina, emerging out of the economic crisis of 2001, presents an interesting opportunity to study the ways in which the cooperative is modeled and understood in the context of a capitalist economy. For two months I will look at the model put forth by the four-star Hotel Bauen. Specifically, I will examine how the cooperative is understood and how that understanding is affecting and affected by the consumer tourist market to which it caters. To this end, I will conduct a series of interviews and surveys to understand the effects of the relatively new cooperative structure of the hotel on the type of clientele that it attracts. As well as the ways that cooperativism as a practice and an ideology is shaped by the necessary commodification of its enterprise in order to secure a niche in a consumer tourist market.
--My research in Buenos Aires this summer is an exciting opportunity to experience the dynamics of a growing cooperative movement, learn how to do fieldwork and meet and learn from motivated individuals in a culture different than my own. This project is therefore, not only a chance to discover answers to my research questions, but also it is an opportunity to interact with professors, academics, professionals and people in a field that interests me.
“Culture, Agency, and Free Will”
Mentor: Kaiping Peng, Psychology
A great deal of research has recently emerged regarding the concepts of agency, intentionality, and Free Will. In The Illusion of Conscious Will (2002), Dan Wegner asserts that people believe they cause their own actions in a way that is concurrent with the theory of Free Will (Wegner, 2002). I believe that a lay theory of agency varies by culture. I describe American’s understanding of agency as “purposeful” and Asian’s understanding as “adaptive”. My hypothesis is based on cross cultural research that shows that Asians and Americans have different understandings of the Self (Markus and Kitayama, 1991), causality (Morris and Peng, 1994), and the importance of choice in life (Iyengar and Lepper, 1999). My research this summer will consist of a survey study in both Beijing and Berkeley.
--The opportunity to do research this summer is extremely important to me. I am excited about working closely with my advisor to develop an intriguing research project. This experience will give me a head start in learning the research process and a solid foundation for my senior thesis. Finally, I am sure that this summer will be a wonderful experience because I am able to investigate a topic that I am passionate about.
“Regulatory Focus and Interethnic Interactions”
Mentor: Serena Chen, Psychology
Past research by Shelton, Richeson, and Salvatore (2005) has shown that minority group members feel less authentic interacting with people outside of their ethnic group than with their in-group. There are many reasons why people feel inauthentic during such interactions, but one likely part of the explanation is based on regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997). This theorizes that people interact with the world in two ways. People who are promotion focused gear themselves toward aspirations and gains; conversely, prevention focused people vigilantly avoid negative outcomes (Seibt & Forster, 2004). In my project I will test the hypothesis that stigmatized people who interact with someone outside of that group become more prevention focused and less promotion focused which leads them to modify their behavior and feel less authentic.
--The SURF program is a wonderful opportunity for me to begin my research this summer with complete focus to it and not the other financial and time stresses in life. I will use the time to run the many participants that I will need to collect the appropriate amount of data on my subject, and then use that data to create a clear picture of my findings and their further repercussions to the larger field of psychology. In addition to the research itself, getting into the SURF program has focused my attentions to the reality of beginning a large research project such as this. SURF reinforces my drive to learn and develop into a concise and persistent researcher.
Guest Worker Programs: A U.S.-Germany Comparison
Mentor: Harley Shaiken, Geography
“Investigating the role of Asc1 in the transition to invasive growth in the yeast S. cerevisiae”
Mentor: Jennifer Doudna, Chemistry and MCB
Changes in cellular programming are often thought to be mediated by changes in regulation at the level of transcription. However, there is increasing evidence that changes in the regulation of translation may play an equally important role in the reprogramming process. In our lab, we have found that the transition from a vegetative to invasive physiology in the yeast S. cerevisiae requires a novel mode of regulation of translation. I recently identified a protein, Asc1, which is required for this transition and potentially acts directly at the level of translation. My research will focus on elucidating the specific role of Asc1 in this transition as well as identifying other reprogramming events in which it may be involved.
“The Veil of Hushed Desires: Inscribing Silence onto the Female Body”
Mentor: Karin Sanders, Scandinavian Studies
The religious and phantasmagorical realms of Dante’s Inferno and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales have fascinated generations of readers to enter into a phantasmagorical realm whereby magic and metaphor camouflage a rather fanatic quest for redemption. Through physical mutilations and psychological torture, these stories have condemned fictional female subjects to punitive action as a means of depicting the omnipotence God. Through biographical and autobiographical records, textual analysis, and literary discourse surrounding Dante Alighieri and Hans Christian Andersen’s distinct authorships, my research seeks to further examine the ways by which these author’s fictional female subjects are silenced and inscribed within a liminal space of patriarchal standards of morality.
“Cultivation and Hatchling Feeding Behavior of the Blue-Ringed Octopus Hapalochlaena lunulata”
Mentor: Roy Caldwell, Integrative Biology
The blue ringed octopus (H. lunulata) is a highly toxic animal, secreting tetrodotoxin (TTX) as a means of defense and prey capture. H. lunulata is an important organism for studying toxicity and its role in behavior, evolution, and reef ecology. Today, these octopuses are taken from the wild for study, and few survive in captivity. The goal of this summer's project is to design a method of rearing H. lunulata from egg to maturity. This is very difficult, as the paralarval hatchlings or this species are pelagic and require a special upwelling tank to keep them and their prey suspended in the water column. The paralarvae have never been observed in nature or reared successfully in a laboratory, thus their food preferences are unknown. This project will involve the cultivation of possible food sources such as brine shrimp nauplii, rotifers, and copepods. The project will also include the construction and testing of an upwelling tank. With the development of rearing methods, I hope to allow these animals to be raised in captivity for future toxicology studies, and I hope to gain insight into the behavior and life cycle of the blue ringed octopus.
“How have the drug wars affected the children of the incarcerated in California?”
Mentor: Jane Mauldon, Public Policy
Since the 1980's our country has been fighting a "war on drugs" that is aimed at the supply side of the drug economy. Domestically this effort caused our incarcerated population to grow much faster in the past 30 years than the total population. Consequentially, a growing proportion of children experience the negative externalities of a parent's incarceration. My research question is "How have the 'drug wars' affected the children of the incarcerated in California?" I'll focus on the challenges facing families touched by incarceration and the services available to them. This topic is particularly relevant at a time when the state estimates that about 9% of California children are affected by the incarceration of a parent.
--Mariana Horta is an interdisciplinary studies major. She is writing her senior thesis on the negative externalities of incarceration bore by children of incarcerated parents in California and the services available to mitigate those externalities. She will be using her SURF to conduct research for this project.
“Marginalization and the American Comedic Voice”
Mentor: Kent Puckett, English
'Comedy'--as a genre, term, and concept--receives relatively little attention and academic exploration when juxtaposed with more 'central' fields of literary studies. Comedy is considered 'low art' by some, simply 'illegitimate' by others, and even believed to be derived from sin itself by a few literary critics. By examining the early travel writings and letters of Mark Twain, as well as the contemporary television program "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," I attempt to determine from where the marginality of the American comedic voice originates, and what effect it has on the so-called 'power' or 'weight' of American comedic texts. I will also spend time with the existing (albeit, small) body of criticism concerning comedy in order to better conceptualize and articulate the concepts examined in my primary texts.
--The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship is undoubtedly the most exciting opportunity I've had the honor of receiving at this point in my academic career. For my field of study, as well as most others, self-guided research is the 'holy grail' of academic work, the eventual privilege that all previous hard work has led to. My current project attempts to examine comedy in a manner that would never be possible in a classroom setting, since the act of 'breaking new ground' necessarily implies an exploration of ideas that would not be taught in a standard semester. The SURF program allows me to explore these ideas in my own manner, and challenges me to prove my abilities as an independent researcher.
--Brad Hunt is entering his senior year at Berkeley, and is a proud transfer student from Palomar College in San Marcos, CA. He is an English major and hopes to pursue his PhD in the subject.
“Encoding and retrieval of emotional pictures in major depressive disorder”
Mentor: Robert Knight, Psychology
For my senior thesis, I am studying potential neural abnormalities associated with dysfunctional emotion memory and regulation in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). This study will help elucidate the role of emotion processing dysfunctions in the maintenance and expression of the disorder. I will be utilizing previously collected, un-analyzed data for this project. First, I will determine whether individuals diagnosed with MDD demonstrate preferential memory for negative events compared to healthy control individuals in a free recall memory test of emotional pictures. Then I will analyze electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings taken during encoding and retrieval of the pictures, investigating the potentially differential processing of negative versus positive stimuli between the two groups. Finally, I will explore the potential existence of depression sub-types.
--The opportunity to complete an independent research project and to have that work recognized by SURF is so remarkable. I have always wanted to do work that helps people and now I am on my way to being able to do that. Having to narrow down my interests and translate them into a viable project was difficult, but very rewarding. I am proud of my thesis and know I am fortunate to be supported by an excellent team of researchers. I can only imagine that completing this project will continue to be a challenge well worth it in the end. This funding will allow me to dedicate an entire summer to my work, for which I am very grateful.
--I am a fourth-year psychology major, and am very interested in neuroscience research and its clinical applications. I hope to attend graduate school and will be applying to clinical psychology programs this fall. I live off-campus with my boyfriend Mike and we enjoy listening to records, art, and traveling.
“Rethinking the Mammalian Reproductive Axis”
Mentor: Lance Kriegsfeld, Psychology
The current conception of the hormonal regulation of mammalian reproduction purports that the anterior pituitary gland and the peripheral sex organs are controlled by a hypothalamic releasing factor (Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone: GnRH) which acts on the pituitary. Recent research suggests that secretion of hypothalamic releasing factor is itself tightly regulated by neuropeptides that are novel to this line of research. One such peptide, kisspeptin, also known in cancer research as metastin for its role as a metastasis suppressor, has been shown to be a positive regulator of the reproductive axis, acting to increase secretion of GnRH from the hypothalamus. Recently, a novel neuropeptide was shown to be a negative regulator of the mammalian reproductive axis by our lab (Gonadotropin Inhibiting Hormone: GnIH). The goal of the lab is to integrate these two new findings into an updated conception of mammalian reproductive regulation. The present study seeks to use seasonal breeding rodents, whose reproductive systems predictably regress and regenerate, to elucidate the mechanism by which kisspeptin stimulates reproductive behavior.
--"The Summer Project", particularly when funded, provides a microcosm of a possible future in Academia. It is just enough time to execute a project from start to finish with enough autonomy to feel responsible for it. The funding makes this even more the case. Having MY summer project gives me a preview of, and at the same time helps to ensure, my future as a professional researcher.
“Osteoarthritis and Osteophytosis : a comparative study of Aging in the Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta)”
Mentor: Sabrina Agarwal, Anthropology
Age-related bone loss and osteoarthritis have been exhibited in several mammalian species, and both are especially common in humans. However, the etiology behind age-related bone loss is highly complicated and osteoarthritis is especially unstudied. Previous studies have relied on rodent models and have primarily investigated changes in BMD (Bone Mineral Density); however several weaknesses are associated with both approaches. I will be using Macaca mulatta, a similar species to humans with analogous bone remodeling processes in both cancellous and cortical bone. I will be using two methods: 1) histomorphometric analysis of rib microstructure and 2) physical scoring of vertebral osteoarthritis and osteophytosis. My analysis will thoroughly track the progression of bone loss and disease from maturation to old age.
--I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of SURF this summer! Although I’ve had the opportunity to dabble in a few other research projects this year at Berkeley, this is the first chance I’ve had to do original research. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to synthesize all of my previous experience into a successful project of my own. I’m particularly grateful that I can devote all of my time to the project. During the year, my responsibilities as a researcher always came second to my responsibilities as a student. I’m also excited to meet and converse with other student researchers, since I was never able to meet other URAPers during the year.
--Since I transferred last fall, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in several on-going projects at UC Berkeley, including a year-long URAP (Integrative Biology) and supervised research (Anthropology). I’m currently collaborating with a graduate student in the Integrative Biology department on a paper dealing with limb element homology. Additionally, I will be assisting researchers in Portugal with the analysis of recently uncovered Neolithic human skeletal remains. After graduating next spring, I hope to stay at Berkeley as a graduate student and begin work on a project specific to hibernating bear bone biology.
“Investigation of Handel Gene in Drosophila Melanogaster Involved in Synaptic Transmission”
Mentor: Ehud Isacoff, Molecular and Cell Biology
From reflex to philosophical reflection, the entire spectrum of neural activity relies on the mechanisms of neuron-to-neuron communication, or synaptic transmission. Thus any defects in this process causes catastrophic results in an organism. A mutant of the fruit fly gene Handel, involved in synaptic transmission, was recently isolated in the lab. The mutation causes lethal synaptic transmission disruption. This summer, I will use immunohistochemical staining methods to determine the general aspect of synaptic transmission that is malfunctioning. I will also use deletion, duplication, and recombination mapping to make considerable headway toward finding the location of the gene which causes the mutation. This could increase our understanding of synaptic transmission as well as of higher order nervous system function and dysfunction.
--Everyone knows the SURF program is an unparalleled opportunity to perform concentrated research all summer long without worrying about financial burden. But what I have learned through this program outside of the lab is equally precious. Through the application process, I learned how to write quality grant proposals, a necessity for any scientist. Through meetings with the program advisors, I got a feel for the logisitical side of working in academia or doing research. There too, I became friends with other fellows who have similar interests and circumstances that I wouldn't have met in lab or in class. When I decided to come to Berkeley, an alumni told me that being here would be a social education as well as an academic one. The SURF program exemplifies that very well and I feel extremely lucky to be a part of it.
See more of Irene's photos from Mombasa, Kenya
“A Survey into the Role of a Local Community's Initiatives in influencing and shaping dialogue and action against HIV/AIDS”
Mentor: Ann Swidler, Sociology
This summer, I am interested in understanding and highlighting how a local community in Mombasa, a small coastal town in Kenya is responding to the HIV/AIDS threat that is facing its members. I want to understand the role that community support groups, gatherings, church meetings, and community celebrations such as skits and dances are playing in molding dialogue about HIV/AIDS. With an understanding of the historical role of organizing in traditional African communities, this project will study how organizing and dialogue is playing a part in the education and empowering of this community. And how (if at all) it may be different from past forms of organizing. I will study the functioning of a local AIDS clinic, attend women’s support group meetings, HIV youth workshops and events, and meet and interview health educators and community leaders in this effort.
--Like many, I am saddened by the ravaging effects of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, and especially its disproportionately devastating impact on communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, as a young African student, I am motivated to use resources available to me to learn what I can do to make a difference, to change the reality of women and children in areas of the world whose circumstances give them little control over their futures. The opportunity to go and study the Family Care Clinic, a pediatric AIDS clinic in Mombasa, Kenya, and to understand this community’s responses to HIV/AIDS is a first step for me, in what will be a journey of a thousand miles.
--I am a 21yr old undergraduate in College of Letters and Science, majoring in Chemistry, heading to medical school and/or public health. I transferred to Cal from Long Beach State, and will be a senior in Fall 06. I am passionate about international health and about bridging the gap in health disparities between the West and the so-called “third-world countries.” This summer will be an exciting opportunity for me as a preview of my future career.
“Positional Cloning of the curly mutation in Xenopus tropicalis”
Mentor: Richard Harland, Molecular and Cell Biology
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in America. Hundreds of different diseases are characterized as cancer, but all have the same underlying cause. This mortal disease results from mutations in genes responsible for cell division regulation. For my project, I will positionally clone the curly mutation of Xenopus tropicalis, a defect due to alterations in a tumor suppressor gene. This summer my primary goal is to narrow in on the region in which the curly gene resides--the first step of positional cloning. After this initial step, I can later proceed to uncover the identity of the mutated gene. Through this project, we hope to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cancer by uncovering the genes involved in its development.
Although I have already been a part of the Harland lab for a year, I have never had the opportunity to wholeheartedly engage in what I am interested in during the school year. The summer will thus be valuable for me to dive further into an area in which I excited about. SURF will surely assist me in progressing in my research, not just financially but also emotionally. Upon encountering difficulties, I can turn to this program for advice or to simply voice my frustrations, for I’m sure that there will be other fellows experiencing similar aggravations. Yet, regardless of how far I advance into my project, I am sure that SURF will contribute to making this summer one of the most challenging yet enriching experiences of my undergraduate career.
“Masculine Maneuvers: Family and Profession in the Transnational Labor Market”
Mentor: Lawrence Cohen, Anthropology
The Philippines has become a leader in the “export” of nurses. Filipino nurses are leaving by the thousands every year to take positions in chronically understaffed medical facilities in the United States and around the world. This research project is concerned with this migrant flow. Specifically, I intend to conduct ethnographic research on men doctors retraining as nurses in order to gain access to the American labor market. This practice entails a variety of maneuvers – gendered, professional, and transnational. Why do these men engage in this strategy of “upward” and “outward” mobility? What forces –historical, political, social, etc. – are structuring this phenomenon? What are the effects on family life and professional practice?
--I'm excited for the opportunity to pursue my research interests in the Philippines. This is the first time I've had the chance to independently work on my own academic research project. I've found the whole process so far, from doing the initial literature review to writing the research proposal, to be satisfying and exhilarating. I'm excited about starting work on a topic that is relevant to the experiences of my family and that is also relevant to broader national debates about immigration and globalization. I am confident that I will come out of this experience with more skills and insights than I had when I started.
“Migrants, Modernity, and McDonald's: The Influence of Discourses of “Modernity” on Thai Female Subjectivities and Resistance”
Mentor: Peter Evans, Sociology
In developing capitalist countries such as Thailand, many women migrate every day from the rural areas to Bangkok in search of the “better life”. I would like to explore how their understandings of the “good life” are influenced by “modern” discourses and whether their constructions and reconstructions of these “modern” discourses contain resistance either to oppressive conditions in the rural areas or in the urban. Do their interpretations of “modernity” ultimately provide them with the discursive tools they need to improve the conditions of their lives? To answer these questions I will work at a McDonald’s in Bangkok and interview rural-urban migrant employees about the empowering and disempowering aspects of “modern” life.
--Usually when I visit Thailand I am with my parents and rarely spend more than a couple days in Bangkok. So when I traveled to Thailand with my cousin who was born and raised in Bangkok, my understanding of the city, the country, and even the world changed dramatically. Ever since then I have been fascinated by the dynamics and consequences of urbanization, development, and economic (neoliberal) globalization. SURF has given me the opportunity to explore a topic that has become so near to my heart. Without the funding provided by SURF, I could never afford (in my undergraduate career) to gain first-hand knowledge about the things that shape my own culture and family as well as the world.
--I am a Sociology major and African American Studies minor. My areas of interest include inequality, social movements, social change, race, and gender. I was born and raised in the Bay Area and in my free time I enjoy hanging out with friends, eating, spending time outdoors, traveling, reading, watching documentaries, and working to improve the community within and beyond Berkeley.
“Plachimada: On the Frontlines of the Fight For Water Democracies”
Mentor: Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Anthropology
Conflicts over the control of natural resources lie at the heart of wars, violence, and terrorism worldwide. Water is the most precious resource for over 800 million farmers in India who depend on the groundwater for their physical and cultural survival, and water has been held for millenia to be the common property of all beings, to be maintained and distributed democratically at the decentralized village level. Control over water was transferred to the state during British colonial rule, and today rain and groundwater is being privatized by multinational corporations who view its scarcity as an opportunity for immense profits. I will conduct ethnographic research in Plachimada, Kerala, where local farmers used non-violent direct action tactics to shut down a Coca-Cola bottling factory that had quickly depleted the groundwater and contaminated surrounding soils. I will be a participant observer at the 24 hr./day vigil in front of the plant and interview leaders of the movement for water democracy.
--Gavin Raders is a fourth year anthropology student and political/human rights activist. He has organized with members of SOJA and USAS to successfully pressure the UC system to phase out the sweatshop production of UC apparel and instead support unionized factories that pay a living wage. He looks forward to learning from grassroots organizers in India who have employed non-violent direct action tactics to challenge destructive corporate globalization.
“Mutations affecting carotenoid biosynthesis in the photosynthetic model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii”
Mentor: Krishna Niyogi, Plant and Microbial Biology
I am characterizing a set of Chlamydomonas insertional mutants defective in carotenoid biosynthesis using pigment analysis, genetic crosses, and TAIL-PCR to connect mutations in specific genes with specific blocks in carotenoid biosynthesis,with the goal of elucidating in detail one or more steps in the Chlamydomonas carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. A better understanding of this is not only important for the understanding of the process of photosynthesis in general, but also in the comparison of carotenoid biosynthesis in the model organism Chlamydomonas with that in higher plants, possibly revealing interesting evolutionary and functional relationships between the genes involved in Chlamydomonas carotenoid biosynthesis and those involved in the carotenoid biosynthesis of other photosynthetic organisms.
--I’m looking forward to this opportunity to concentrate full-time on my research without the distractions of work or classes, something I haven’t been able to do in the past. I think that the uninterrupted lab time will allow me to get a better sense of the overall shape of my project, as I’ll be able to accomplish much more in a more coherent manner, which I am hoping will also make trouble-shooting easier. Finally, I will be able to participate fully in the day-to-day life in the lab, which will be productive as I’ll have more opportunities to discuss my work with other lab members, always a good source of suggestions and advice, especially when a project gets bogged down.
“The Life of Music in New Delhi: An Artistic Tradition in Evolution”
Mentor: Bonnie Wade, Music
Responding to an earlier work by ethnomusicologist Daniel M. Neuman entitled The Life of Music in North India (1980), my research topic aims at understanding how the life of music has evolved in the quarter-century since that seminal study was published. The creation of both public and private institutions of teaching, research, documentation, archiving, and performance have significantly increased since Neuman's work. Accordingly, I will explore how they have impacted the life of music rather than accepting at the outset that they have played a favorable role. I will be interviewing music students, patrons, performers, and listeners about their experiences with official music institutes. I will also visit these institutions to better understand what role they play in the larger musical picture.
- This summer provides an excellent opportunity for me to take a serious academic look at my personal passion while not having to worry about finance. My advisor has taken my project into her personal care after being awarded the Fellowship, creating a special relationship that will eventually shape my academic career in music. Because this summer entails legitimate research, the experience will also allow me to accurately assess whether academia is what I would like to pursue as a career.
I am looking forward to working with world-class musicians and notable academics through my research project in New Delhi. Also, the project entails the use of social science research methods – allowing me to add a different perspective and experience to a subject that I have only known as a performer and listener.
--Sudev Sheth will be graduating in Political Science and South Asian Studies in Spring 2007 after spending the Fall 2006 Semester studying in New Delhi, India. He hopes to teach English in Thailand for a year before moving onto graduate school in Ethnomusicology/South Asian Studies. He is also undergoing training in the tabla, a two-faced percussion instrument from the South Asian subcontinent.
“‘Sing Me a Swing Song’: A Linguistic Approach to Text-setting in Jazz Bop Swing”
Mentor: Kristin Hanson, English
Linguists have studied text-setting and proposed metrical templates for mapping text to music; however, their pioneering works on the subject have neglected music outside the Western classical genre. My research will explore the influence of music on text in jazz bop swing, since the rhythmic and artistic nature of swing differs greatly from Western classical music. Through analyzing the coupling of the rhythms of spoken language and music, I will utilize the linguistic methods of templates, rules, and Optimality Theory to answer the question, "What is the rhythmic structure that defines jazz?" I will study the "First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald, and her recordings of Johnny Mercer texts, since singer and lyricist are definitive icons of the jazz bop swing era. In the end, this project will offer a fuller perspective of metricality in text-setting and also develop the language of music in the linguistic field of study.
- Since the fall semester of my sophomore year in college when I took my first metrics course, I have wanted to explore the issue of music as a language. To be able to actually initiate and carry out my ideas in the SURF program is an incredible opportunity for me to see how my "music is a language" hypothesis can hold up in actual linguistic research. Furthermore, starting my research during the summer allows me to have a wider scope in my project, including the approach of rhythm in music using the latest linguistic methodology, Optimality Theory. This will allow my research to reach—and perhaps contribute—to the modern linguistic approach to phonology. Overall, I am excited to be spending my summer with my two favorite subjects: music and linguistics.
See Gene's research profiled at the Berkeley News Center
“Anti-Nazism and the Atelier Populaire: The Memory of Nazi Collaboration in the Posters of Mai '68”
Mentor: Susanna Barrows, History
My project examines the revolutionary role of the art students at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, France's elite college of painting in Paris, and the historical significance of the posters they produced for the French student movement of May through June 1968. Of the 150,000 posters, I will primarily focus on those anti-fascist and anti-Nazi in scope, seeking to answer the question: What was the relationship between the soixante huitards (the sixty-eighters) and the memory of the collaboration years? Through oral history interviews I will engage the artists themselves in dialogue about the historic purposes of their posters.
--Having the enthusiastic support of a professor and of my university is both emboldening and academically satisfying. I feel this support legitimizes my project. My recent correspondence with archivists and curators has been exciting because not only are these professionals willing to help and advise me, but, because I am on fellowship from Berkeley, they treat me as a serious researcher. (Rarely in the classroom do undergraduates feel like anything but-well, undergraduates.) The opportunity to travel to Paris to research for a project that is a synthesis of many of my interests is a student's dream. Most importantly perhaps, my work will be a concrete contribution to the research community: my oral history interviews will be included in the Bancroft Library's collection for future use.
--Gene Marie Tempest was born on new year's day in Plano, Texas, to two journalists. She spent her youth overseas, studying in the French school system and developing a love for foreign languages and big cities. Her research interests include 20th century Europe, the history of propaganda, and the historical and modern role of ephemera.
Tanya analyzes facial expressions.“Breaking Down Barriers: The Effect of Power Differences on Closeness in Cross-race Friendships”
Mentor: Dacher Keltner, Psychology
Despite much progress that has been made, a troublesome racial hierarchy remains in the United States. How do power differences play out in cross-race friendships, where power may have unique or detrimental consequences? It has been found that cross-race friendships are less close. While some may aruge that this lack of closeness is due to race itself, I hope to discover whether an individual's sense of power within a friendship may function to limit the sense of closeness they feel with the cross-race friend. By examining facial expressivity, hand movements, and self-disclosure during conversation of individuals in pairs of female friends, each person's level of power within the friendship will be gauged and compared to self-reported closeness ratings.
--This opportunity as a SURF Fellow is exciting not only because it gets me ahead and frees up some time in the fall to work towards completion of my honors thesis, but also because it takes me beyond textbooks in terms of learning about psychology. It's like taking summer school, but not. All of the learning is essentially taking place outside the classroom, and in a sense, the knowledge gained is much richer than what is taught in a class. I am excited to ENGAGE in the coding systems and data analysis that have thus far only been READ about. Also, there is the valuable chance to network with fellow SURF Scholars and be exposed to research interests across multiple disciplines.
"Mechanisms for Transforming Colonial Relations of Power: An Analysis of the Symbolic Efficacy of Race in Hawaii, 1900-2000"
Mentor: Samuel Lucas, Sociology
Hawaii may seem like a “racial paradise”: rates of intermarriage are extraordinarily high, residential integration is the norm, and it lacks a history of significant racist legislation or violence. However, from the point Hawaii became U.S. territory in 1900 until the present, race has served as primary form of social vision and division. Using 1900-2000 U.S. census data, my project will analyze how race influences the distribution of economic resources in Hawaii, and why this relationship has changed over time. In doing so, I will answer whether Hawaii’s racial hierarchies mask other forms of social organization - particularly along the lines of gender, citizenship, and education level - which more accurately reveal how inequality has been reproduced and transformed within this (post)colonial social landscape.
“A Novel Gene Affects Cartilage Patterning and Joint Formation in Mice”
Mentor: Richard Harland, Molecular and Cell Biology
We are studying the role that a gene called KST245 plays in joint formation in mice. Currently, little is known about the regulation of joint development in the field of skeletal biology. However, through our research we hope to advance the field and share information that may be important in treating poorly understood joint diseases, such as arthritis. Mice that lack the functional KST245 gene (KST245 mutants) show irregular cartilage growth and misplaced joints. By examining the differences between the KST245 mutants and unaltered mice, we hope to understand the specific functions of this gene. To do so, we will compare differences in expression of related genes, cell growth and death, and tissue formation.
--Almost two years ago, I had the unbelievable luck to stumble upon this project. Working with a great mentor, we have been able to study many facets of skeletal development in mice. This project is a perfect example of the collections of fascinating questions that pull people into research. We started with very a little: a single mutation in a mouse, which to our knowledge, had never before been studied. The mutation caused many changes in the mouse’s skeletal development, allowing us to ask “What does this gene do?” “How is it controlled?” and “Where does it fit in?” The open-endedness of the project and the opportunity to understand how organisms grow and change keep me dedicated, while staying creative and actively learning.
“Botswanan Diamonds, Enclave Production, and the Political Economy of Resource-Led Development”
Mentor: Edward Miguel, Economics
A common consensus in the political economy of development literature holds that countries whose production depends overwhelmingly on primary resources &Mac246; oil, diamonds, minerals &Mac246; tend to grow more slowly than their resource scarce neighbors, and also often fall victim to insidious politics and state weakness. In stark contrast to this consensus however stands Botswana, a country built on diamond wealth that has nevertheless managed to sustain the highest level of GDPpc growth of any nation in the world over the past 35 years. This project explores how Botswana was able to transcend the „resource curse‰ through a comparative analysis of African post-colonial political economies. The empirical lessons of the analysis will then be embedded within an expected utility model of political behavior.
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8/8/06 |
