WELFund Announces 2013 Dorothy Goodwin Summer Scholars

By Claire Capozzi

Dorothy Goodwin inspired women to live beyond expectations and to realize their full potential. In her honor, the Women’s Education and Leadership Fund (WELFund) created the Dorothy Goodwin Summer Scholars Program in 2010. This highly competitive program provides an unparalleled experience each summer to a select group of female students who propose an innovative research or creative project in partnership with a faculty mentor.

The four women who have been granted the scholarship this year were selected from a pool of 15 high-caliber applicants. Following are the 2013 Dorothy Goodwin Summer Scholars and their projects.

– Catherine Brennan, a junior with a Mathematics and Management major, will analyze the relationships between human population growth and game species in conjunction with her faculty mentor, Associate Professor of Mathematics Robert Decker. This, she proposes, could influence and describe the future sustainability of certain game species.

– Nicole Kalmus, a junior double majoring in International Studies and Modern Languages and Cultures, will research the feasibility of an “aid-database” system. Kalmus will be analyzing how and where institutions record data. She will be working with faculty mentor Jane Horvath, associate professor of economics, to understand how databases can determine and create more effective relief efforts for the United States.

– Melanie Silvernail, a junior who majors in music education and vocal performance, will conduct a project called Empowerment Through Music. Her goal is to raise the self-esteem and self-confidence of young women through voice lessons. She is organizing a 10-week program that includes private voice lessons, which will culminate with a recital at the end of the summer. Silvernail is working with Maureen O’Flynn, adjunct professor of voice at The Hartt School. 

– Alexandria Thatcher, a junior majoring in visual communication design, plans to fuse art and science to better solve problems. Thatcher proposes to join the two together for a more comprehensive way to develop solutions. She is particularly interested in the intersections of visual communication, sculpture and mechanical engineering.