Student wins top honor for analysis of health data research in India

A sophomore in the Chapman University Honors Program has won a top award for research examining the environmental and socioeconomic factors in rural India that contribute to life-threatening intestinal disease in children under five.


A sophomore in the Chapman University Honors Program has won a top award for research examining the environmental and socioeconomic factors in rural India that contribute to life-threatening intestinal disease in children under five.

student holding sign

Sohini Mukherjee ’16, a double major in English and psychology, won first place for her research presentation at the Western Regional Honors Conference.


Sohini Mukherjee ’16, a double major in English and psychology, won first place for her project, titled
Study of Socioeconomic, Sanitation and Hygiene Factors as Determinants of Recurrent Diarrhea in Children Aged Five and Under
, at the Western Regional Honors Conference held in Denver, Colo., this month.

Mukherjee traveled to India to work with researchers at DNGM Research Foundation to help evaluate data they collected in a rural village located in the region of West Bengal.

Also receiving an award at the conference were economics major Tiffany Ho ’15 and business management and accounting double major Jennifer Kim ’15. The team received an honorable mention for their poster,
Business and Religious Affiliations
. Ho and Kim compared earnings from Whole Foods, Chick-Fil-A and Walmart in a research project testing a business theory that religious affiliations help businesses prosper.

students holding signs

Tiffany Ho ’15, left, and business management and accounting double major Jennifer Kim ’15 display the research poster that won them an honorable mention at the conference.


A delegation of 16 honors students attended the April 11-13 conference, accompanied by Julye Bidmead, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies and the University Honors Program, and Sue Johnson, the program’s coordinator.

Two students, business administration major Cristiana Wilcoxon ’14 and history major Daniel Levy ’15 co-presented a paper with Bidmead. The paper, entitled
S.P.E.W: Students Promoting Equality through Wizarding: Teaching Social Justice with Harry Potter
, explored the social and political themes found in the wizard world of Harry Potter as paradigms for real-life issues of race, gender, and ethnicity.

Other presentations included:

  • Business administration major Paulette Garcia ’14, Knowledge Worker Motivation: A Cross Sector Comparison.
  • Biological science major Timothy Lee ’14 and history major Abby Kim ’15, Societal Self Image In South Korean Media and Societal Health.
  • Biological science major Timothy Lee ’14, Analysis of Moral Dilemmas in Vocational Choice.
  • History major Daniel Levy ’15, Statute of Anne: The Invention of Copyright and Authorial Ownership.
  • Religious studies major Marilyn Love ’14, Patriarchy and the Male Gaze in Vodou.
  • English major Emmabel Orendain ’14, Covers & Culture: An examination of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Book Covers.
  • Environmental science major Danielle Platt ’17 presented two papers, Sustainable Solutions and their Potential Economic Growth, and Investments in Agricultural Education and its Implications in Poverty Reductions in the Developing World.
  • Computer science and creative writing major Joseph Dye ’15, Transhumanism: Why the Negativity?
  • Cristiana Wilcoxon ’14, Joseph Dye ’15 and biological science major Seth Yund ’15, Restructuring Sapere Aude.
  • Political science and television broadcast major Tansu Philip ’15, The Effect of Age on Political Efficacy and Voting Behavior.
  • Vocal performance major Tanja Radic ’16, Gender in Opera as Performance Art.
  • Business administration major Drew Richardson ’14, ‘You Haven’t Carried a Foot in a Bowl’: Conflict between Collective and Autobiographical accounts of Veteran Identity.

Dawn Bonker

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