Volunteer Opportunity
The From Cell to Home Project pairs Penn undergraduates with women incarcerated for life without parole in Pennsylvania to seek the commutation of their sentence. The women–many of whom experienced abuse during childhood or at the hands of a male intimate–are nominated by corrections staff, and students work under the supervision of Professor Kathleen Brown.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, in December 2018, granted clemency to the first woman lifer since 1990. In March 2019, the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons heard the first two petitions for clemency prepared by our students. The project has been instrumental in obtaining the release of two women. For more information, see our Spring 2019 newsletter.
The project seeks passionate undergraduate student volunteers to interview select incarcerated women and a write a short paper advocating for their release. If you’d like to participate, please send a statement of interest and a 3-to 5-page writing sample to the project coordinator, Annah Chollet, atannahb@sas.upenn.edu with the subject header “From Cell to Home Project Volunteer Application.”
Research Support for Students
The Ortner Center offers competitive seed grants to support student-developed research projects. The purpose of the funding is to support independent, innovative, student-initiated research projects that will contribute to the knowledge surrounding intimate partner violence and will enhance the research skills of students so as to better prepare them for their future work as scholars. Awards range from $1000-$4000 and are contingent upon the budget justification provided by the applicant. Proposals from students at all levels and in all Schools are considered. Priority is given to applications from doctoral students. Application guidelines can be found here.(link to Call for Proposals -492064552274607379-call-for-proposals-2019.pdf)
Travel Support for Students
The Ortner Center conference travel grant program supports doctoral students attending professional conferences that will advance their careers. Students are encouraged to apply to present their research at the conferences although being a presenter is not a requirement.
Eligibility & Allocation
Doctoral students enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania are eligible to apply to the Ortner Center for a travel grant if they do not have other funding available to them through their own School or elsewhere. If the costs of attending a conference exceed those available through other sources, students may apply to the Ortner Center for supplemental funding. Funds will be made available taking into account the number of students applying, the availability of other travel funds, the amount requested, and previous travel funding from the Ortner Center.
Guidelines
Travel grant money may be used for transportation to the conference site, conference registration, lodging, and meals. For students who are presenting their work in a poster session, funds also may be used to cover costs of poster printing.
Priority will be given to applications for travel to conferences that include content related to violence within families or intimate relationships.
Applicants should consider the most economical options in developing the proposed budgets (the most economical form of travel, sharing accommodations when possible/appropriate, early student registration when available, etc.).
For conferences in the United States or Canada or Mexico, students can apply for grants of up to $1000. For other conferences, students can apply for grants of up to $1500. Faculty and students associated with the Ortner Center will review all applications and make final determinations about awards.
A commitment for travel support will be made by the Ortner Center prior to the conference. Funds will be made available on an actual cost basis (i.e., receipts).
Students presenting at a conference are asked to acknowledge the Ortner Center in their presentation materials (e.g., posters, handouts, slides).
Application Form
For a modifiable application form, click here: (link to form 27374980128012899-travel-grant-application-form-2019.docx)For a list of prior travel grant recipients, click here: (link to awardees 5279195146599095-travel-grants-awarded-through-2016-2019.pdf)
Student Fellows
2020-2021
Dana Barnes
School of Social Policy & Practice
Nikita Bastin
School of Arts & Sciences
Lauren Ferreira Cardoso
School of Social Policy & Practice
Paige Fishman
School of Arts & Sciences
Connor Scarlett Hardy
School of Arts & Sciences
Heta Patel
Health & Societies
Angelina Ruffin
School of Social Policy & Practice
Lordess Shabazz
School of Social Policy & Practice
2019-2020
Caitlin Axtmayer
School of Social Policy & Practice
Emily Grace Berkowitz
School of Social Policy & Practice
Clare Choi
School of Arts & Sciences
Sarah Fortinsky
Political Science
Tanya Jain
Health & Societies
Natasha Danielá McGlynn
School of Arts & Sciences
Sonia Reardon
School of Arts & Sciences
Aminat Balogun
Health & Sciences
Ana Michelle Bowens
School of Social Policy & Practice
Madison Dawkins
School of Arts & Sciences
Alison Fedoris
School of Social Policy & Practice
Ally Johnson
School of Arts & Sciences
Payal Pal
School of Social Policy & Practice
Adina Pomeranz
School of Social Policy & Practice
2018-2019
Mira Bajaj
Cognitive Sciences
Rachel Benjamin
School of Social Policy & Practice
Blanca Castro
School of Social Policy & Practice
Samantha Daniels
School of Social Policy & Practice
Michelle Donnelly
School of Social Policy & Practice
Tugce Ellialti
School of Arts & Sciences
Anna Estep
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Erin Hartman
School of Nursing
Nia Kaudo
School of Arts & Sciences
Danielle Kennedy
Perelman School of Medicine
Linda Lin
School of Arts & Sciences
Xochitl Luna Marti
Perelman School of Medicine
Meghana Nallajerla
School of Arts & Sciences
Makayla Reynolds
School of Arts & Sciences
Kelly Sagastume
School of Social Policy & Practice
Leticia Salazar
School of Arts & Sciences
Kate Sohn
Health & Sciences
Isabel Taccheri
School of Social Policy & Practice
Greta Yucong Lu
School of Arts & Sciences
Abbie Zislis
Health & Sciences
2017-2018
Isabella Auchus
Psychology
Irtiqa Fazili
Health & Sciences
Sydney Giller
Graduate School of Education
Travis Labrum
School of Social Policy & Practice
Elizabeth Novack
School of Nursing
Robyn Oster
School of Arts & Sciences
Devan Spear
School of Arts & Sciences
Roshani Waas
School of Nursing
Olivia Webb
Heatlh & Sciences
Jenny Wolff
School of Social Policy & Practice
2016-2017
Aliya Hamid Rao
School of Arts & Sciences
Rebecca Schut
School of Arts & Sciences
Rui Shi
Annenberg School for Communication
Havian Vidal Nicholas
School of Nursing
Jingwen Zhang
Annenberg School for Communication
2015-2016
Alexander Izydorczyk
Economics and Statistics
Su Kyung Kim
School of Nursing
2014-2015
Maryam Akbari
Perelman School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine
2011-2012
Lizzie Sivitz
School of Arts & Sciences
2010-2011
Matt Amalfitano
Health & Sciences
Manisha Joshi
School of Social Policy & Practice
Kristie A. Thomas
School of Social Policy & Practice
Tiffany Dovydaitis Kim
School of Nursing