Research Profiles

At the Movies
Jennifer DiCorcia, a psychology graduate student, is exploring how children are affected by their favorite movies.

Making Connections
Tufts child development Professor Marina Bers and her graduate student researchers are bringing together everyone from organ transplant recipients to children in after-school programs through Zora, a web-based virtual community.

The Politics of Identity
History graduate student Neilesh Bose is interested in how people develop a group identity. It's an interest that has taken him around the globe.

Small Science, Big Results
With the help of eight graduate student researchers and a chemistry professor dedicated to developing the whole student, one Tufts lab is changing the way scientists approach everything from asthma to landmine detection.

Bee Season
Tufts biology Professor Philip Starks and his graduate student researchers are uncovering the secret lives of honeybees and paper wasps.

<p><strong>Nkengafeh Asong</strong>

<br/><em>doctoral student, chemistry</em>

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<p><b>Current Research: </b> "My research project is very exciting. It involves developing a fundamental, yet thorough, understanding of the structure and reactions of titanium dioxide. Titanium dioxide is a photocatalyst, a compound that is able to catalyze reactions using ultra violet light as the excitation source. Titanium dioxide has great potential not only because it can ultimately be used to treat polluted water, but also because it's inexpensive and the products of the catalysis reaction are non-toxic. I have synthesized this semiconductor and am currently investigating its reactions using vibration spectroscopy."</p>

<p><b>Why Tufts:</b>  "I did my research, looked at potential schools, and decided that Tufts University offered those things I valued most in a school."</p>

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<p><strong>Ranjith Prasad Anand</strong>

<br/><em>doctoral student, biology</em>

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<p><b>Current Research: </b> "I am investigating the biological phenomena behind several DNA expansion diseases such as Huntington's disease and Spinocerebellar Ataxias."</p>

<p><b>Why Tufts: </b> "The single most important factor that makes Tufts a great place to work is the incredible sense of collegiality that exists amongst the researchers irrespective of their official status; be it a student or a faculty member. This holds especially true for the biology department. The sense of collegiality is so much so that the department feels as if it is a big family of biologists.  My Tufts graduate experience has helped me do away with my old mentality of working in isolation. It has taught me that scientific collaboration can be truly rewarding, and that great advances in science are brought about only when there is a confluence of ideas from various fields."</p>

<p><b>The Tufts Difference: </b> "I value the teaching assistantship that the biology department offered me as the most influential factor in my development as a professional researcher. I owe any improvement in my communication and presentation skills to the assistantship."</p>

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<p><strong>Richard Chen</strong>

<br/><em>master's student, economics</em>

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<p><b>Why Tufts: </b> "I chose the Tufts Graduate School of Arts and Sciences because as a Boston resident for the past 15 years, the name Tufts has a sound of distinction. It is one of the best schools in the country competing with the likes of MIT and Harvard and armed with a great faculty."</p>

<p><b>The Tufts Difference:</b>  "The uniqueness of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences definitely comes from the faculty. The faculty here are great and different, but at the same time distinctive from other schools. My experience at Tufts has contributed tremendously to my development as a student. I've been able to throw away a naive look toward life and really have come into my own.  My Tufts experience has also fueled my desire to do research. I feel that it has opened my eyes to research topics that really interest me."</p>

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<p><strong>Virginia Anderson</strong>

<br/><em>doctoral student, drama</em>

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<p><b>Current Research: </b> "I'm investigating how theatre has been used internationally to respond to the AIDS epidemic.  I'm also currently researching musical theatre history and the origins of the circus."</p>

<p><b>Why Tufts: </b> "I chose Tufts because it not only offered but encouraged interdisciplinary work.  I'm working toward a Ph.D. in drama, but I'm studying theatre through the lenses of history, economics, political science, and, in my case, health policy and medicine.  In addition to the material and human resources to be found at Tufts, the university's location in New England and its proximity to New York City means that some of the best archives in the world are easily available to us.  It's been exciting to see how GSAS students eagerly take advantage of the opportunities available to them.    But research is only complete with the communication of results, and the Tufts Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has contributed needed financial support for attending many of the conferences where I have been fortunate to present my work.  The encouragement and opportunities for collaboration I've received from established scholars have helped me to find my own voice within the field."</p>

<p><b>The Tufts Difference:</b> "One of the greatest contributions to my experience as a student at Tufts has been the support of my classmates and graduate students from other disciplines.  The camaraderie here has made a huge difference to me.  I'm regularly challenged and inspired by my classmates and I know I've become a better student because of it."</p>

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