Undergraduate Student Fellowships
Jacqueline Morris was the Center’s first undergraduate honors thesis student. She was a rising senior, majoring in Psychology and Public Policy, when she passed away in a tragic car accident in her native Arizona in 2000. Her parents established the Jacqueline Anne Morris Memorial Foundation to support research by undergraduate students who, like their daughter, are “dynamic, bright, ambitious and idealistic.”
The foundation has endowed two fellowship programs to support students who are interested in conducting research in the following areas:
Morris Fellowship Award for Research on Child and Family Policy
Undergraduate students engaging independent research (e.g. honors thesis, independent study) on topics related to children and families can apply for the Morris Fellowship Award for Research in Child and Family Policy. To qualify, students must fill out an application, agree to share your research product with CCFP, and prepare a poster presenting your research results.
- Each award is for $1,000
Morris Fellowship Award for Research on Gifted and Talented Education
Undergraduate students engaging independent research (e.g. honors thesis, independent study) on policy issues regarding education of gifted and talented students can apply for Morris Fellowship Award for Research on Gifted and Talented Education. To qualify, students must fill out an application, agree to share your research product with CCFP, and prepare a poster presenting your research results.
- Each award is for $1,000
- Up to six awards may be granted each year
2022-2023 Morris Fellows
Morris Fellowship Award Recipients for Research on Child and Family Policy:
- Jeslyn Brouwers and Alissa Rivero are working on a joint project titled “An intervention to enhance collaborative learning in group projects.” Brouwers is majoring in English and psychology, with a minor in philosophy. Rivero is majoring in psychology, evolutionary anthropology and the Child Policy Research Certificate. Mentored by Bridgette Hard.
- Ana DeCesare is majoring in neuroscience, with a minor in psychology. Her research project title is “A Survey of Parental Attitudes: Children’s Technology Use in the Digital Age.” Mentored by Tamar Kushnir.
- Kellyn McDonald is majoring in psychology, with a minor in African and African-American Studies and the Child Policy Research Certificate. Her research project title is “The Current State of Public School Mental Health According to School Student Support Staff.” Mentored by Katie Rosanbalm.
- Brynn Meyercord is majoring in public policy with a minor in global health and the Child Policy Research Certificate. Her research project title is “Is Full Day Preschool Too Much?: A Literature Review on Full Day Preschool Programs, Outcomes for Children, and Subsequent Policies.” Mentored by Katie Rosanbalm.
- Nicolas Pardo is majoring in psychology, with a minor in education. His research project title is “School-level factors and teacher attrition in North Carolina.” Mentored by Susan Wynn.
- Annie Sheeder is majoring in psychology, with a minor in Spanish and the Child Policy Research Certificate. Her research project title is “Social support, resiliency, and their implications among at-risk youth in a comprehensive program fostering college and career readiness.” Mentored by Elizabeth Snyder-Fickler.
- Sarah Zimmerman is majoring in psychology, with a minor in education. Her research project title is “The Relationship between Asset-based Language and the Parent-School Relationship and how Asset-based Language predicts Student Academic Growth.” Mentored by Leslie Babinski and Robert Thompson.
Independent Study Opportunities
Dr. Ken Dodge is the Pritzker Professor of Early Learning Policy Studies and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. He is also a faculty fellow at the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, which he founded in 1999. Dodge would like to work with a student who has ambitions to complete an honors thesis. Possible topics include prevention of child abuse and how chronic violence develops across the life span. He can provide access to several large, funded research studies that link social science to clinical practice and public policy.
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Dr. Katie Rosanbalm is a research scholar with the Center for Child and Family Policy. Trained as a child clinical and quantitative psychologist, her work at the Center has focused on program evaluation in the areas of child maltreatment prevention, self-regulation development, and early childhood systems. Current research topics include: evaluation of a preschool social-emotional curriculum, coordination of child mental health and child welfare systems, and creation/evaluation of trauma-sensitive schools. Contact: katie.rosanbalm@duke.edu
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Dr. Anna Rybińska is a Research Scientist with the Center for Child and Family Policy. Trained as a social demographer and family sociologist, she is interested in family formation patterns and the differentiation of family behaviors across social and regional contexts. In her work, she ask questions about who has children and how many, when individuals have children, and how these transitions impact the well-being of parents and their children. Her research has addressed the following topics: childbearing intentions and unintended pregnancy; timing of childbearing; pregnancy spacing; pro-natalist policy interventions; prevention of child maltreatment/neglect; the role of social policy in perpetuating income inequality and family inequality. Contact: a.rybinska@duke.edu
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Dr. Liz Snyder, a research scientist with the Center for Child and Family Policy, is trained as an experimental psychologist, with a focus on cognitive development. Since joining the Center in 2006, her work has focused on program evaluation within the child welfare and mental health systems. Currently, she serves as the evaluation co-director for the SAMHSA child mental health initiative in Durham, North Carolina. This grant builds upon Durham’s System of Care by targeting transition-age youth (16-21) who are experiencing mental health challenges. Another project includes the evaluation of the East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI), which is modeled after the acclaimed Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), and seeks to provide a pipeline of services and supports that allows children to become high academic achievers and successfully complete college or vocational training. A third evaluation project includes the Book Babies Home Visiting program in Durham. Contact: liz.snyder@duke.edu