Our Exciting And New Elite Scholars Program—Recruiting Outstanding Doctoral Student Researchers

The Elite Scholars Program is a tool to achieve excellence in our academic programs as we recruit leading researchers and professionals to pursue degrees at the University of Mississippi. Launched in the fall of 2020, for an extremely select group of students, the Elite Scholars Program at UM identifies prospective graduate students who are outstanding in their work and poised to contribute greatly to the research mission of the University. The Elite Scholars Program offers an opportunity for these graduate students to pursue a well-paid graduate research assistantship so that they can accelerate their development as scholars in their respective areas of studies.

The expectations of Elite Scholars are high at UM, and the potential of the nominees is considered along with their prior educational accolades and impact on research. The Graduate School and the Provost created the program with the hope that these students will conduct excellent research and advance innovations in their field.

We would like to congratulate the 2021 Elite Scholars, and introduce them, along with their research plans and overall goals.

Caitlin Shaw
Emily Gravlee
Tara Baggett
Natasha Wood
Cody Porter

Caitlin Shaw is a first-year graduate student from Redlands, California. She was nominated for the Elite Scholars Program by her advisor, Dr. Carrie Smith.

“Receiving this [recognition] felt great and got me excited that others recognized the importance of my research,” said Shaw. “I came to the University of Mississippi excited to conduct impactful research and share this work with the academic community.”

Shaw is studying Experimental Psychology. Her research focuses on examining ambivalent sexism towards both men and women. Caitlin is aiming to have her first publication soon and to share her research findings with the academic community.

“In one of the projects, I will be examining men’s and women’s daily experiences with sexism and measure how these experiences impact their well- and ill-being,” said Shaw. “This study will use an interval-contingent methodology so I will be able to collect data each day for approximately 7 days and capture how experiences of sexism, well-being, and ill-being fluctuate over time.”

Shaw was ready to hit the ground running in Spring 2021, but Covid-19 interrupted her project, focused on incoming students, in Fall 2020.

“I was excited to begin a project where I would study incoming first-year students and learn more about their experiences in college,” shared Shaw. “However, this project had to be postponed because Covid interrupted regular campus operations.”

Emily Gravlee is a first-year Ph.D. student in Pharmacy Administration. The Department of Pharmacy Administration nominated her for the Elite Scholars Program when she applied to the Ph.D. program in the spring of 2020. She was informed later the following summer by Graduate School Dean Kluck that she had received the Provost Elite Scholar recognition.

“I was, and still am, very grateful that my department thought highly enough of me to sponsor me… and to the Graduate School for such a wonderful honor,” said Gravlee. “It was extremely exciting and humbling to receive the Elite Scholar [designation].”

Gravlee is enthusiastic for the opportunity to represent the Pharmacy Administration department and UM through research.

“It has also been a great source of motivation for me,” said Gravlee. “I try to make sure that my work lives up to the trust the Graduate School has placed in me.”

Gravlee is currently working on a project with faculty and studying Mississippi pharmacists’ involvement in immunization, along with the development of educational materials for pharmacists on pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection. Through her work, she wants to improve patient care.

Gravlee shared her future plans: “This summer, I plan to be involved in a project examining the impact of opioid use disorder in Mississippi. My tentative thesis project involves characterizing naloxone accessibility across the Southeastern United States… We know that standing orders make naloxone lawfully available over-the-counter at pharmacies, but we have limited information about whether pharmacies choose to stock naloxone or if it is affordable to patients when dispensed via standing order. Greater understanding of naloxone availability can help us to design effective interventions to increase naloxone uptake by at-risk communities and may ultimately help save lives.”

Tara Baggett is a first-year student in the Accountancy Ph.D. program. After her acceptance into the program, Dr. Kendall Bowlin contacted Baggett and informed her that the Accountancy School wanted to nominate her for the Elite Scholars Program.

“The notification that I had been selected as a recipient was surprising and humbling,” said Baggett. “It is an honor to be chosen, and the financial support [from the assistantship] has doubtlessly eased the transition. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the University of Mississippi and the Patterson School of Accountancy.”

In the next year, Baggett hopes further to develop her knowledge of experimental design and the accounting literature. As she does this, she hopes to cultivate and refine ideas for her accountancy research.

Natasha Wood is in her first year in the Experimental Psychology program. She earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Seattle University, an M.A. in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and an M.S. in Social Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. After graduate school, Wood plans to work in federal law enforcement or intelligence as a social science researcher.

“In general, I study the motivations that drive people to radicalize to violent extremism, particularly when they are deprived of their psychological needs, such as after experiencing social isolation, loneliness, and/or ostracism,” said Wood. “In my research, I use both experimental manipulations of isolation/ostracism and measure self-report real world experiences of these constructs. While I primarily study extremism, I also have separate lines of work investigating firearm ownership, ghosting intentions, [and] the use of smartphones as replacement of face-to-face communication.”

Cody Porter is a first-year Ph.D. student in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Having earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Mississippi, Porter joined the Department of BioMolecular Sciences for his Ph.D. He works with Dr. James Stewart, investigating diabetes-mediated cellular and molecular signals responsible for diabetic cardiomyopathy.

The Graduate School looks forward to seeing the innovative research from the above students. And, we look forward to sharing more about the exciting accomplishments of each Elite Scholar as we move forward. The future of UM is in good hands with this year’s Elite Scholars.

Our Exciting And New Elite Scholars Program—Recruiting Outstanding Doctoral Student Researchers

Newsletter Spring/Summer 2021 Articles