Summer 2025
Serra Kocek, PhD.
Serra was mentored by Dr. Chelsea Gibson in the creation of her documentary, Halal New York: How Success Happens for Second-Generation American Muslim Women in NYC. This short documentary is a digital ethnographic work that focuses on career trajectories and social mobility of second-generation American Muslim women. Serra combined primary data with archival research and learned video production skills through her Fellowship. These technical skills combine with storytelling skills in a way that makes tangible experiences of a potentially misunderstood group.
Yoona Salemizadehparizi, PhD.
Biomedical Engineering student, Yoona Salemizadehparizi, used her summer fellowship experience to build a visual representation of her research. After collecting data on calcified aortic valve disease (CAVD), this project makes this heart disease visible--moving from the complexities of the lab, to something that could be used by educators, physicians, and others to help anyone understand the progression of this pathology. Yoona was mentored by Haley Kerns to develop an animation that explores cardiac tissue and the development of CAVD.
Kiana Tanghatar, SLP.
With her mentor, Ruth Carpenter, Kiana explored the Twine platform for interactive storytelling as a pathway for training speech language pathologists in empathy within the clinical setting. She created The Empathy Game which guides practitioners through a series of simulations. Players make choices that allow them to earn or lose empathy points, with follow up on why each response links to a particular level of empathy.