UAZ HONORS COLLEGE ANNOUNCES THE MENSCH PRIZE FOR HONORS THESES
Through gifts from The Bill and Dianne Mensch Foundation, Inc., the University of Arizona Honors College is pleased to announce the Mensch Prize for Honors Theses. The prize recognizes Honors College students whose thesis proposals best embody innovation and the potential to benefit humankind. Bill and his wife created the Mensch Prize to encourage students to think bigger.
“Dianne and I created The Mensch Prize at UArizona to support and encourage Honors students to consider their potential impact on the world through the use of their unique embedded intelligence,” Bill says.
Embedded intelligence is characterized as the ability to sense, process, communicate, and actuate based upon information gained from an understanding of both itself and others and for the benefit of many. Bill Mensch wrote the theory of embedded intelligence as a way to understand the world around us. An Honors student’s thesis may be considered a product of their embedded intelligence.
In its inaugural year, 2021, six Honors students were selected for the Mensch Prize, receiving awards of $1,000 each. Students self-nominated for the Mensch Prize by submitting their thesis project proposals and brief essays on embedded intelligence and their projects’ potential to benefit humankind.
“UArizona Honors College students by their very nature challenge themselves beyond the average, way beyond,” says Bill. “The six winners of The Mensch Prize were each examples of high achieving human embedded intelligence, changing their individual worlds and therefore the world at large. Go ’Cats!!”
Meet the UAZ Honors College 2021 Mensch Prize for Honors Theses recipients:
Sophia Bragg
Title of Honors thesis: “Improving Diabetes Mellitus Care in the Homeless Community”
Year and major: I am an incoming senior majoring in Nursing.
What has receiving the Mensch prize meant to you? This prize means a lot to me as it is validating that my thesis will mean something in the world and hopefully the research I will be doing may do good in the world one day. Winning this award motivates me to want to learn more about my field, specifically in underprivileged communities, so I can strive to provide optimal care as a nurse one day.
Goals for the future: After graduation, I hope to be a nurse in Tucson for a while. I want to work in the emergency department and provide care to those who seek help in emergent and possibly high-intensity situations. I also hope to further my education after my bachelor's to one day being a nurse practitioner. Working as a nurse practitioner will help me become more knowledgeable in my field and be able to provide additional care as I advance my career.
Claire Jordan Rosenberger
Title of Honors thesis: “Sexual Health Education in Underserved Communities and Its Impact on Reproductive Health Outcomes”
Year and major: I am a senior double majoring in Physiology and Spanish Linguistics.
What has receiving the Mensch prize meant to you? Receiving the Mensch prize has been an honor. I have loved getting to apply my research to Bill Mensch’s theory of embedded intelligence. This experience has allowed me to challenge myself and expand the horizons of the potential applications of my research. It is an honor to receive this prize from the Mensch Foundation, an organization that advocates for and understands the importance of expanding education in all areas of life and academia.
Goals for the Future: My current goal for the future is to continue my education in medicine and to pursue a career as a physician serving underserved communities. Specifically, I am interested in primary care and a career as a family physician. Having recently been accepted to the Honors Early Assurance Program (HEAP), I will be attending the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson following graduation and hope to continue working with and understanding the unique community of Tucson in the realm of healthcare.
Austin Raj Watson
Title of Honors thesis: “Investigating the Potential Protective Effects of Statins in Breast Cancer”
Year and major: I am between my junior & senior year majoring in Pharmaceutical Sciences.
What has receiving the Mensch prize meant to you? The Mensch Prize has instilled a renewed sense of optimism and self-confidence within me to show that I have the potential to change the face of medicine, albeit in slow incremental steps. This scholarship has also reminded me of those like my great aunt diagnosed and living with breast cancer. Knowing that there are so many others affected by breast cancer keeps me motivated for the future of my research.
Goals for the future: I am planning to apply for medical school this summer (Summer 2021) and start medical school in Fall 2022. As a hopeful future medical student, I also want to continue my passion for cancer research in some capacity. Thinking about what type of doctor I would like to be, I honestly don't know yet, but primary care seems like a field where I could make a big impact.
Gabrielle Gubka
Title of Honors thesis: “Looking at Pandemics Throughout History Using the Lens of Art”
Year and major: I am an (incoming) senior/4th year majoring in Physiology.
What has receiving the Mensch prize meant to you? Receiving the Mensch Prize for Honors Theses has meant a great deal to me — I'll directly be able to fund the research required in undertaking such a comprehensive analysis of art, history, and medical practice. Even more, Bill Mensch's support and belief in my vision show I have unlocked a fresh perspective on my thesis and talking to him has inspired new ideas that I've already begun looking into.
Goals for the future: My future goals include medical school followed by a career in the medical field. As a physician, I'd like to treat patients with the understanding that all parts of the body are connected and that, similarly to my thesis which will discuss the holes in science that become apparent during global health crises, there are novel approaches to treating illness that perhaps are yet to be discovered.
Collin Christopher Eckhauser
Title of Honors thesis: “Analyzing the Impacts of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure on Acute Asthmatic Exacerbations of Patients in Arizona”
Year and major: I am a rising Senior (graduating in Spring 2022) majoring in Natural Resources: Global Change Ecology & Management, with a minor in Biochemistry.
What has receiving the Mensch prize meant to you? Receiving the Mensch Prize has given me validation that my research could have a greater impact on the wellness of our region. Furthermore, meeting with Bill Mensch multiple times to discuss Embedded Intelligence facilitated a more conceptual approach for thinking about my thesis. This award has empowered me to work harder on my thesis and strive for excellence.
Goals for the future: After graduation, I will attend medical school and obtain my M.D. Upon completion of medical school, I intend to move onto a surgical residency and become a surgeon.
Kat McGee
Title of Honors thesis: “Accessible Interface Design in Personal Medication Management”
Year and major: I am a senior majoring in Communication and Computer Science
What has receiving the Mensch prize meant to you? Earning the Mensch Prize for Embedded Intelligence means that someone believes in the potential of my thesis to benefit others, especially those in the older generations with less technological experience. It gives me motivation and courage to continue pursuing this area of focus and the ability to compensate participants in my research.
Goals for the future: After graduation, I hope to apply the skills of interface design and networking, developed in this thesis project, to an industry that is user-centered. I am also considering attending graduate school for a Masters, or Ph.D. program so that my research skills can continue to grow.
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