As a student delegate from Hamilton College and a volunteer in an on-site AIDS clinic, Hamilton student Lindsey Martin gained a unique perspective regarding the gravity of the AIDS virus worldwide as she attended the XIV UN Conference in Barcelona. Martin realized after the prestigious conference that Hamilton, as well as many universities across the United States, simply are not doing enough to help win the global fight against this deadly virus.
As an Emerson scholar, Martin designed a project, "HIV/AIDS in Kenya;" she believes that more education about the AIDS virus and the devastating effects that it currently has on Africa will inspire participation and action on college campuses. She plans to utilize her training as an EMT by volunteering again this summer in an AIDS/HIV clinic in Kenya, where she will research the accessibility and efficacy of foreign aid donations, specifically from the Global Fund, in order to determine whether AIDS/HIV clinics are directly benefiting from international projects. Her second goal is to foster strong international connections between Hamilton College and Kenyatta University, in anticipation of leading to an exchange program for their pre-med students. She will work with Hamilton Associate Professor of Chemistry Tim Elgren and Associate Professor of Government Steve Orvis.
Martin is a rising senior majoring in world politics/pre-med at Hamilton.
Created in 1997, the Emerson Foundation Grant program was designed to provide students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty members, researching an area of interest. The recipients, covering a range of topics, will explore field work, laboratory and library research, and the development of teaching materials. The projects will be initiated this summer, and the students will make public presentations of their research throughout the 2003-2004 academic year.
