Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Hom Pal student Felicia Gomez honored by Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society

Fourth-year Hominid Paleobiology student Felicia Gomez was recently honored by the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, taking first place for a presentation of her genetics research at the Yale Bouchet Conference on Diversity in Graduate Education.

For her Ph.D. dissertation, Gomez and her advisor, Dr. Sarah Tishkoff of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, are investigating the variability in African populations of two malaria susceptibility candidate genes and the role those genes may have played in recent human evolution.

The Bouchet Society is named for the first African-American doctoral recipient in the United States (Physics, Yale University, 1876). Its aim is to "promote diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate."

Gomez received her B.A. magna cum laude in biology and anthropology from Skidmore College and entered GW's Hominid Paleobiology Program in 2004.

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