{"id":205741,"date":"2024-10-29T14:23:48","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T00:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=205741"},"modified":"2024-10-29T14:23:48","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T00:23:48","slug":"soroptimist-fellowship-2024-awardees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/10\/29\/soroptimist-fellowship-2024-awardees\/","title":{"rendered":"$10K<\/abbr> Soroptimist awards fund groundbreaking women\u2019s research studies"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Daniela Escontrela Dieguez and Smrity Ramavarapu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa women doctoral candidates each earned $10,000 fellowships to support their dissertation research.<\/p>\n

Daniela Escontrela Dieguez and Smrity Ramavarapu, both from the School of Life Sciences<\/a>, were honored by Soroptimist Founder Region Fellowship, Inc<\/abbr><\/a>., which empowers highly motivated women engaged in academic research in fields that affect women and girls’ quality of life. This is the 13th consecutive year that doctoral candidates from 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa received these fellowships.<\/p>\n

Daniela Escontrela Dieguez<\/h2>\n

Escontrela Dieguez\u2019s dissertation research focused on corallivores, or animals that consume corals. Through in situ experiments, she tested the coral eating preferences of the Hawaiian cushion sea star, which is abundant along O\u02bbahu\u2019s southern coral reefs. She also collaborated with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a method to extract corallivory estimates from 3D<\/abbr> models of coral reefs and then leveraged the data to understand patterns and drivers of corallivory around the island of Oʻahu<\/span>. She hopes the data and tools can be used by coral reef managers in Hawaiʻi<\/span> to both monitor corallivory and inform coral conservation and restoration initiatives.<\/p>\n

“The Soroptimist Fellowship provided me the opportunity to focus entirely on data analysis and writing while freeing me from the daily financial stresses that many of us graduate students face,” said Escontrela Dieguez, who earned her PhD<\/abbr> in marine biology.<\/p>\n

Since receiving the grant, Escontrela Dieguez has graduated and currently works at the Seattle Aquarium as a research scientist. In her new role, she conducts research to understand the impacts of climate change, overharvesting and water pollution on the species that call the Puget Sound their home.<\/p>\n

Smrity Ramavarapu<\/h2>\n

Ramavarapu is focusing on the need for equitable frameworks to ensure sustainability while preserving cultural integrity. Her dissertation explores the ethical challenges of integrating traditional food systems, particularly those managed by forest-based communities traditionally practicing small-scale fires, into broader efforts to enhance global food system resilience.<\/p>\n

“Receiving the Founder Region Fellowship is an incredible honor,” said Ramavarapu, a PhD<\/abbr> candidate in botany. “It has provided me the financial support and confidence to continue my work, which I believe has significant implications for both global food security and the preservation of cultural heritage.”<\/p>\n

Since 1948, 370 grants totaling nearly $1.8 million have been awarded by the Soroptimist Founder Region Fellowship in fields including: clinical psychology, endocrinology, sociology, genetics, immunology, zoology, marine biology, botany, civil engineering, bioengineering, infectious diseases, agricultural policy reform, law, social science and special education.<\/p>\n

2025 applications open on November 1<\/h2>\n

For those interested in applying for the 2025 Founder Region Fellowship, visit the organization\u2019s website<\/a> and register to attend an upcoming info session<\/a> on November 13 or November 17. Application deadline is January 25, 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the 13th consecutive year that doctoral candidates from 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa received these fellowships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[368,1085,175,1473,660,9,1626],"class_list":["post-205741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-botany","tag-life-science","tag-marine-biology","tag-school-of-life-sciences","tag-student-recognition","tag-uh-manoa","tag-women-of-uh","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t