Decision Education Research Scholarship Award Recipient Profiles
In May of this year, we celebrated the graduate student recipients of the Decision Education Research Scholarship Award. Over the course of eight months, graduate students from universities worldwide submitted research papers that demonstrated interest and relevance in the field of Decision Education.
Sixteen graduate students were selected to each receive the first-ever $1,500 Decision Education Research Scholarship Award. These students represented both master’s and doctoral programs at ten different universities globally. The top four award-winners were invited to present 20-minute oral presentations on their work at the Alliance’s Graduate Student Research Forum. These four students were highlighted due to the excellence of their research papers and the relevance of their chosen topic to the field of Decision Education.
The Alliance is excited to highlight the work of these scholars:
Ghassani Swaryandini is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Queensland (Australia), a practicing psychologist, and a Teaching Associate at Monash University. She became interested in teaching adolescents the skills to mitigate cognitive biases after observing how poor career decision-making skills can impact the well-being of people in her personal life and the clients she works with. Her winning paper is titled “Improving Adolescents’ Rationality to Improve Their Career Decision-making Skills.”
Kristen Loughlin is an M.S.Ed. student in the Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also an elementary teacher in the Rose Tree Media School District. Her research interests include creativity and play in elementary education, best practices for teaching writing, and project-based learning. Her winning paper is titled “The Work of Children: Creativity, Play, and the Development of Skillful Decision-Making in Elementary Education.”
Marina Castro-Meirelles is currently a student in the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences program at the University of Pennsylvania. She studied political science at the University of Mary Washington. After graduating, she worked for the National Park Service and started a civic nonprofit to increase political participation on college campuses. Her winning paper is titled “Working Toward Tomorrow Today in the High School Classroom.”
Sophie Wang is a graduate student at the University of Chicago with a keen interest in judgment and decision-making. She has been working with behavioral scientist Sendhil Mullainathan for two years at Chicago Booth. Prior to starting her graduate study, she worked as an economic affairs intern at the UN. Her winning paper is titled “Exerting Self-Control: Challenges and Strategies.”
Of their experiences at the Research Forum, Kristen Loughlin stated, “I had a great experience at the Alliance for Decision Education Graduate Research Forum! Thanks to all the staff and student researchers who made for an inspiring, engaging conference.” Ghassani Swaryandini agreed, saying, “It was such a great opportunity for us aspiring researchers . . . it was amazing to meet other student researchers who are as passionate as I am about Decision Education.”
The Alliance is proud to support these graduate students in their work as they study Decision Education and the ways in which it can empower students by teaching the essential skills to form sound judgments. As part of its work as a field builder, the Alliance seeks to seed the field with future Decision Education researchers and to develop an engaged researcher community.
Learn more about the Alliance for Decision Education Grants & Scholarships here.
