NSF Awards Four Graduate Fellowships to Williams Student, Alumni

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The National Science Foundation has awarded research fellowships to four Williams College students and alumni. In addition, the NSF has awarded honorable mentions to eight other Williams students and alumni. The NSF fellowships support graduate study in the natural and social sciences.

The four Williams fellowship recipients are Teresa Yu '20, a mathematics student from Chandler, Ariz.; Gabriela Suarez '17, who studies psychology at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Katherine Newcomer '14, a biological science technician at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; and Daniel Maes '18, who studies mathematics at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Honorable mentions went to Christine Seeger '16, Sophia Robert '18, Ashay Patel '18, Dong Moon '16, Ben Logsdon '20, Eli Hoenig '17, Laura Elmendorf '17, and John Ahn '18.

With support from the NSF Fellowship, Yu plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Michigan. Yu has participated in the 2018 SMALL REU in the Tropical Geometry group with Assistant Professor of Mathematics Ralph Morrison, and also in the REU at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in 2019. At Williams, she has conducted research with Assistant Professor of Mathematics Pamela Harris, worked with the Center for Learning in Action (CLiA), and served as a teaching assistant with the mathematics department. In addition, she has performed on violin with the Berkshire Symphony. 

"I'm honored to have received this fellowship, and grateful to have been a part of the Williams math community," Yu said. "Without the many professors, mentors, and friends in this community, I would not be where I am today." She is currently writing a senior thesis with Professor of Mathematics Susan Loepp on commutative algebra.

The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency, was founded in 1950 to further U.S. leadership in the sciences. Since its inception it has supported graduate research and awards more than 1,000 research fellowships each year.


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Williamstown Business Focuses on Connection Through Storytelling

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Hari Kumar's goal is to help people excel at what he calls the oldest art form: story telling.
 
The engineer turned communications specialist recently struck out on his own to found Connect Convivo, which offers public speaking programs. 
 
"Convivo means with life, with joy, with warmth, like in convivial. So the idea is to help people build confidence and joy in their ability to connect," he said. "So with my background in communication, I know that communication isn't just about conveying content. 
 
"It's about building a connection, and especially in these AI driven days, people are really hungry to connect in authentic ways, and storytelling is one of the most authentic."
 
Kumar offers training and classes to help people enhance their personal and organizational speaking skills in storytelling, conversation, networking and presentations. 
 
"So public speaking, presenting customer engagement. For nonprofits, I offer classes on mission-driven storytelling. For businesses, I do customer centric storytelling," he said. "And then for the general public, it starts out with just getting up on stage and telling the story with no slides, no notes, no memorization."
 
Kumar is offering a four-week in-person storytelling series on Wednesdays starting Jan. 8 and ending with a showcase on Jan. 29. More information here; "Adventures in Storytelling" is limited to 10 people. He's also planning a virtual class on presentations and a business storytelling class in February while continuing the regular series. 
 
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