Ernie is a third-year PhD student studying cognitive neuroscience in the Psychology Department. Her research in Dr. Dassonville’s lab investigates visual perception through the lens of visual illusions, with a focus on understanding sensory differences in neurodiverse populations. As a first-generation student and McNair Scholar alum, Ernie is committed to supporting others in navigating the often-unspoken challenges of higher education. When she’s not working on research, she enjoys gardening and exploring the outdoors with her dogs and family. This scholarship provides essential support, allowing her to focus on both her academic goals and her role as a parent during the summer.
Heather Anderson is a Ph.D. candidate in Psychology, studying how children’s daily environments shape developmental outcomes. Her dissertation uses naturalistic audio recordings to evaluate how research sampling decisions influence our understanding of infants’ language exposure—a methodological project with real-world implications for public programs and developmental science.
She became a parent during her second year of graduate school and now has two children, ages 2 and 5. Balancing parenting with teaching and research hasn’t always been easy, but it’s given her the unique perspective necessary to ensure her work reflects the realities working families face. Her long-term goal is to use developmental science to help improve systems that serve children and caregivers.
This award comes at a key transition point, supporting childcare and job preparation as she wraps up her dissertation and prepares for the next step.
Hayami Nishio is a third-year Human Physiology PhD candidate studying inhibitory mechanisms of motor control in Dr. Greenhouse’s Action Control Lab. Her research uses non-invasive brain stimulation, neuroimaging, and computational techniques to investigate how intracortical inhibition shapes motor learning and cortical representations. As a first-gen college student and a single mother, she is committed to establishing a space where parenthood and scientific achievement are not mutually exclusive. She is honored to receive the UOWGS Parenting Award, which will support her continued progress towards her doctoral training while raising her daughter and serving as a mentor to underrepresented undergraduates in the lab.
Vicgtoria Olajide is a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oregon, where I am completing my dissertation on the agricultural foundations of early urbanism in West Africa. My research focuses on the comparative development of cities in Mali and southwestern Nigeria, with a particular interest in how crops like African yams and rice shaped regional economies and state formation. Beyond academia, I enjoy drumming and imaginative play with my nearly three-year-old son.
