Kristin Weeks '15
Kristin Weeks, a senior in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, may be from the tiny Western New York village of Akron, but she has big dreams and huge goals. Weeks, who is ambitiously pursuing a triple major in biology, sociology and political science, is a member of the Renée Crown Honors Program, a Coronat Scholar and a recipient of the Norma Slepecky Undergraduate Prize.
Weeks was awarded the Norma Slepecky Undergraduate Prize in her junior year, given in honor of the late Norma Slepecky, who was a professor of bioengineering and neuroscience in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and a passionate researcher and advocate for undergraduate student research.
Students competing for the Slepecky Prize are required to submit documentary evidence of their research as undergraduates. Weeks, who was studying abroad at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, submitted the award winning paper, "Nutrient Limitation of Bean Plant Performance Under Co-Stress: Herbivory and Soil Halogenation."
Referring to Weeks’ paper, Mark Ritchie, professor of biology, says, “The most important aspect of the work is her discovery that leaf temperature reflects the response of plants to nutrient stress.” He adds that most undergraduates have difficulty completing one research study, but he is amazed by Weeks' persistence. “She has completed three research projects and has done so largely without close supervision or detailed direction. This speaks to her ability to process complex information and act on it. It also speaks to her emergence as a budding young scientist.”
Weeks plans to pursue graduate school and hopes to practice biological research after earning Ph.D. and M.D. degrees.