Envision grants fund five student projects

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by Felisa Yang

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The Envision grant program selection committee awarded $2,926 in grants to five students in the first round of projects.

The committee members met on Feb. 9 to make the decisions.

The nine-member group unanimously chose five out of the six applicants.

Carolyn Chi, a junior at Jones College, was granted $600 for her research on race relations at Rice. She hopes to produce a book/pamphlet that can be distributed to students, as well as impact the formulation of university policies.

"I think this is a great opportunity for Rice students to pursue research interests," Chi said.

"It opens up opportunities for pursuit of any research in any field. I think it was very creative of Maryana to have a grant program for undergraduates."

Chi will be using the money to cover research expenses, including interview supplies, long-distance calls and research literature.

Kim Kho, a freshman at Lovett College, and Heather Griffin, a sophomore at Will Rice College, were given $600 each.

They plan to attend the Campus Outreach Opportunity League (COOL) National Conference in Washington D.C., where they will develop leadership skills and formulate new ideas and projects for the Rice Student Volunteer Program.

Liz Johnson, a WRC junior, was given $775 to do geological research on the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary on the Brazos River.

She will be studying the impact of the meteorite that many believe may have wiped out most of the Earth's species 65 million years ago.

"I assumed we weren't going to get anything because our research is science ... the application sounded more like it was geared towards academics or social science," Johnson said.

Jennie Leslie, a fifth-year student at Baker College, was granted $351 to cover her costs for the Habitat for Humanity trip to Honduras this March. Leslie, the founder of the trip, will have to pay for her own airfare, however.

In late March, there will be an open reception where the grant recipients will present their projects.

Maryana Iskander, founder of the Envision program, stresses that the next round will be more competitive because of an expected increase in the number of applications.

Also, based on the experiences of the first round, the selection committee will revise the application guidelines.

According to Iskander, approximately $9,000 will be available for the second round.

This item appeared in the News section of the February 23, 1996 issue.

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