The University has been selected to become a chapter member of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. Two graduate students and a post-doctoral research associate became the first inductees into the WUSTL chapter in a ceremony March 31 at Yale University.
The three, all in Arts & Sciences, are Bertin Louis Jr., a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology; Marshall Thompson, a graduate student in the Department of Political Science; and Kenya Powell, Ph.D., a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Chemistry.
The Washington University Bouchet Honor Society Selection Committee, which chose the inaugural class of Bouchet Fellows this semester, comprises Robert E. Thach, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences; Sheri Notaro, assistant dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences; Garrett A. Duncan, Ph.D., associate professor of education, of American culture studies and of African & African American Studies, all in Arts & Sciences; and Leah Merrifield, special assistant to the chancellor for diversity initiatives.
The society was established in 2005 by Yale and Howard universities to recognize the life and academic contributions of Edward Alexander Bouchet, the first African-American to earn a doctorate from an American university. He earned a doctorate in physics from Yale in 1876.
The purpose of the society is to recognize outstanding scholarly achievement and to promote diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. The society seeks to develop a network of pre-eminent scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, character, service and advocacy for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy.
In additon to Yale and Howard, other Bouchet Society chapter members include Georgetown and Cornell universities, the University of Washington and the University of Michigan.
Bouchet fellows receive an invitation to a yearly diversity conference where they can present papers and posters, network with graduate students and discuss job leads with deans and administrators from other universities.
Bouchet fellows will be profiled on a forthcoming Web site that will include their curriculum vitae and research interests. These profiles can be used by job-search committees to locate underrepresented scholars for post-doctoral and faculty positions.
“This imaginative initiative will significantly enhance our mission to increase diversity among our students and faculty,” Thach said.
Louis is a Chancellor’s Fellow and Lynn Cooper Harvey Fellow in American culture studies. His research interests include cultural identity, diasporas, Haitian Protestantism and transnationalism. With a Fulbright award for the 2005-06 academic year, Louis completed his doctoral dissertation research in Nassau, Bahamas, focusing on religious conversion and denominational choice among Protestant Haitians in Baptist, Nazarene and interdenominational churches. He is writing a dissertation titled “Protestant or Christian: Symbolic Boundaries and Long-Distance Nationalism Among Protestant Haitians in Nassau, Bahamas.”
Thompson is working on his dissertation, titled “Party Systems, Interbranch Relations and State-Building: Formal and Informal Politics in Africa.” His dissertation research offers explanations for the variance in state strength in sub-Saharan Africa.
His subfields include comparative politics and international relations. Thompson has received several fellowships and grants at the University, including the Chancellor’s Fellowship and a research grant from the Center for New Institutional Social Sciences in Arts & Sciences.
Powell’s research involves the structure-property relationship of fluoropolymer isomers, the development of amphiphilic crosslinked networks for marine environment applications and the construction of water dispersible nanostructures for biological purposes.
Powell, who earned a doctorate in chemistry from WUSTL in 2006, has been instrumental in forming innovative educational, mentorship and outreach opportunities for WUSTL students and works to extend these opportunities to students in the community.