The Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships is proud to announce that Cenjing (CJ) Wang ’28 and Zachary O’Donnell ’27 have been selected for the DAAD RISE Program. RISE, which stands for Research Internships in Science and Engineering, is a summer internship program that offers undergraduate students the opportunity to work alongside top German research institutions across various academic disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, engineering, and computer science. Program participants are matched with doctoral students and research mentors while receiving hands-on laboratory experiences.
CJ, a neuroscience major and double minor in computer science and peace and conflict studies, plans on spending her summer with DAAD RISE at Psychologische Hochschule Berlin. Here, she will work in a lab that studies how unconscious cognitive processes influence behavior to investigate attentional, resource-based, and neutral mechanisms underlying perception. She will also be working on various projects involving psychiatric patients, in addition to building her academic network and fully immersing herself in Berlin’s arts and culture.
On campus, CJ is extensively involved in athletics, student clubs, and community organizations. She is a member of the Women’s Rugby Team, as well as Colgate Dance Initiative, Colgate Ballet, and Shock Dance Group. She is also involved with Women in Computer Science (WICS), and Madison County Emergency Medical Services. In line with her academic and professional endeavors, she additionally works in the Brain Science EEG Lab, where she spent her previous summer conducting research with Professor Bruce Hansen.
“I’m incredibly excited to learn from and contribute to ongoing research on consciousness within the brain sciences,” says CJ, “especially alongside scholars working in such a specialized area that aligns with my own interests. I’m still not certain what my long-term path will look like, but I’m deeply interested in this area of study and hope to continue pursuing it, whether through future research or more applied work.”
Zachary O'Donnell is an environmental studies major and psychology minor. He plans on merging these fields by researching the
impact of noise pollution from airplanes, air taxis, and other her forms of transportation on the human brain and behavior during his DAAD RISE term, which he will spend at the German Aerospace Center. Zach is interested in pursuing a career in environmental science, with an emphasis on research within the polar regions. He is hopeful that his DAAD RISE experience will give him a greater understanding and international perspective on the impacts of pollution on communities.
At Colgate, Zach is involved in orchestra, flute ensemble, Design for America, and Club Figure Skating. He is eager to spend his free time this summer exploring Germany, especially the city of Cologne.