University of Georgia undergraduates Carolyn Crist and Sean O'Rourke, both from Newnan, are among 33 students who received 2008 summer research fellowships from the Honors Program’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO).

“CURO Summer Fellows have the opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills outside of the classroom by working side-by-side with faculty members during the summer months,” said David S. Williams, director of UGA’s Honors Program. “Experience has shown that summer fellows go on to compete successfully for jobs and scholarships, as well as for admission to top graduate and professional schools.”

Crist, a rising junior newspapers major, is working on a project focused on the way journalists perceive and report on poverty in their communities. Her research will be used as part of a future training program that will be offered by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication to encourage journalists to cover poverty issues in all news stories, regardless of their specific news beat. She is working with Grady faculty mentors professor John Greenman and director of public service and outreach Diane Murray. After graduation, Crist would like to pursue a journalism career. Her fellowship is sponsored by the UGA Alumni Association.

O'Rourke, a rising senior exercise and sport science major, is studying the physiological and physical function effects of chronic muscle stretch on individuals with multiple sclerosis. His faculty mentor is Kathy Simpson, kinesiology professor and director of the Biomechanics Laboratory at UGA. This project is part of a larger study directed by exercise physiology professor Lesley White. After graduation, O'Rourke would like to attend medical school. His fellowship is sponsored by UGA's Honors Program.

For more information about UGA's CURO summer fellows program, visit www.uga.edu/honors/curo.

login to post comments