2013 Pine Tree Summer Research Fellowships in LGBT Studies

The Pine Tree Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships are new this year. These new awards provide $4,000 grants that will enable need-eligible undergraduates to pursue academically enriching projects in LGBT studies. This year, we were able to make three awards:

Brian Beaman

Pine Tree Summer Research Fellowship

Brian, who is pursuing a double major in Biology and Psychology, is specifically interested in depressive and anxiety symptoms based on their elevated rates in the LGBTI community. He was enrolled this semester in PSYC 395, working for Drs. Roger Mills-Koonce and Nicole Heilbron on a project called “Stress reactivity and individual functioning among LGBTI young adults.” The study is housed at the Center for Developmental Science at UNC as part of the Family Diversity Research and Service Initiative (FDRSI, a joint UNC-Duke effort to support research and services for LGBTI populations). The goal of this study is to examine the quality of familial attachment as a source of stress or support for LGBTI young adults, as well as the correlations between family risk and resiliency versus health and well-being. During the summer Brian will to continue his involvement with this study and the Pine Tree Summer Research Fellowship will allow him to conduct follow-up visits with participants of this study to collect further data on individual mental health.

Kearra Brinson

Pine Tree Summer Research Fellowship / Moxie Project

Kearra, majoring in Pre-med and Psychology, will use her Pine Tree Summer Research Fellowship to participate in a summer internship with the Pauli Murray Project in Durham through the Moxie Project, which focuses on Women and Leadership for Social Change. A collaboration between the Carolina Women’s Center, the Southern Oral History Program, the Department of History, and the Office of the Provost, the Moxie Project is a combined academic and community engagement project that aims to place UNC students who have completed coursework in women’s activism with community organizations for summer internships to help them develop their own sense of activism and community engagement. In addition to an internship, Kearra will receive training in oral history will collect a series of oral histories about the creation and early work of local organizations in order to inform the Southern Oral History Program’s work on women’s movement in the South. As Kearra explains, “Just knowing that I am a part of the change I want to see in the world, brings me joy.”

Kevin Claybren

Pine Tree Summer Research Fellowship / SURF Program

Since arriving at Carolina, Kevin has received a string of awards for his academic work and for his leadership on LGBTQ issues at Carolina. This summer, he will pursue research on the effects of LGBTQ youth bullying on educational outcomes. As someone who recognizes the difficult situations in which many young people with a status as gay, lesbian, queer, or transgender may find themselves, Claybren’s study seeks to determine the extent to which bullying deters LGBTQ youth from pursing higher education. Working under the direction of Dr. Anne Hastings of the Department of Sociology, Kevin’s research will involve community-based focus groups and surveys. Ultimately, Kevin seeks to determine what policy interventions would most effectively support these youths in their aspirations to pursue a college education.