Contact Us
Jean Garrison
Arts and Sciences Building, Room 223
Dept. 3917
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: +1 (307) 766-6119
Email: garrsion@uwyo.edu
"Bee the Scientist" Project
Sabrina White, a third-year PhD candidate in Ecology and Evolution at the University of Wyoming, has been awarded the 2025 Stewart Family Serviceship Award for her "Bee the Scientist" program. The program, which promotes scientific engagement and pollinator conservation, focuses on senior communities in Wyoming, a demographic often overlooked in scientific outreach. White will receive $5,000 to expand the program, which has already reached 149 participants across eight counties. The workshops involve building bee houses, creating wildflower seed bombs, and using Arduino-based weather stations. The funding will support supplies for 75 additional participants, extend the program to more senior centers and Master Gardener clubs, and contribute to White's doctoral research on the program's impact. White aims to break down barriers to scientific understanding and inspire curiosity across generations.
Community Empowerment: Teaching English to Burmese War Refugees for a Brighter Future Project
Laramie Autism and Developmental Services (LADS) Project
Theresa Andrzejewski, Alison Tassone, and Kaitlyn Breitenfeldt, clinical psychology graduate students at UW, were recipients of the 2024 Stewart Family Serviceship Award. They received $5,000 to support their Laramie Autism and Developmental Services (LADS) Project, providing developmental screenings and follow-up services to youth and families in the Laramie community. The project, in collaboration with local schools and the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities, also offered training and consultation to school staff. Supervised by Dr. Christina McDonnell, the project built community partnerships and professional connections.
Theresa Andrzejewski, a fourth-year PhD student from Madison, AL, earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Samford University. Alison Tassone, a second-year PhD student from North Adams, MA, held a BS from Brandeis University and an M.Ed. from Harvard. Kaitlyn Breitenfeldt, also a second-year PhD student from Illinois, majored in psychology with a developmental concentration at the University of Illinois.
Downtown Clinic Community Garden Project
Intervention to Address Social Isolation Among Older Wyoming Residents at Risk for Nursing Placement
Basia Dabrowski, a first-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology, is working to address social isolation and loneliness in older adults, which are linked to serious health risks such as depression, dementia, and premature mortality. Her project focuses on the impact of Wyoming's PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) program closure, which left many older residents without crucial medical and social services. The project aims to evaluate the effects of this closure on social isolation and health, while also identifying needs and preferences for interventions to reduce isolation, particularly among those at risk of nursing home placement. Basia will involve former PACE members in the development of a community-based intervention to promote social engagement and improve health outcomes for older adults in Wyoming.
Creating Effective Care Transitions and Safety Plans for Persons Vulnerable to Suicide
Tina Nirk (top) and Rachel Ratliff (bottom) are doctoral students in the Counselor Education and Supervision Ph.D. Program in the College of Education at U W. Their project addresses the “heavy mission” of preventing the loss of life to suicide -- a problem in which Wyoming ranks second in the nation. It focuses on filling the important gap following the period after a patient is discharged from the hospital and before follow-up with community aftercare. Nirk and Ratliff developed Project-Checkpoint to offer services to Albany County residents having difficulties in their lives. Nirk notes, “I have been forced to recognize that vulnerable people are all of us. The pandemic reinforced that for me, and I feel a responsibility to offer my humanity, having lived through personal difficulties. The project gives an extra bit of help to individuals who need it. Ratliff explains, “Sometimes we all need a little extra help, personally believing that every life is important, has value and purpose, and knowing that sometimes people in crisis need help between leaving the hospital and getting to their first appointment is a vital gap for some.”
COWGIRLS in STEM: Computational Outreach for Wyoming Girls in STEM
Ashleigh Pilkerton is a doctoral student in the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in the Department of Zoology and Physiology. Her project addresses the ongoing challenge of women represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, despite the high demand for talent in the STEM workforce. According to data, women hold only one of every four STEM jobs nationally. “With funding from the Stewart Family Serviceship Award, Pilkerton aspires to close the STEM gap in Wyoming by connecting STEM experiences to girls’ lives; promoting active, hands-on learning; and emphasizing ways STEM is collaborative and community-oriented.” Pilkerton worked with after-school programs in Sheridan County to set up a near-peer mentorship program, hosting COWGIRLS in STEM programs in collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Tongue River Valley Community Center. She also presented her project to the Full STEAM Ahead Conference for pre-service and in-service teachers.
Contact Us
Jean Garrison
Arts and Sciences Building, Room 223
Dept. 3917
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: +1 (307) 766-6119
Email: garrsion@uwyo.edu