Madori Spiker is a very intelligent, technically amazing, and highly motivated research technician. She recently graduated from University of Chicago with a degree in Biology and a specialization in Ecology and Evolution. Madori completed her undergraduate thesis in collaboration with the St. Louis Zoo, collecting and analyzing data from the zoo for an independent research project. She also spent two summers participating in the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, in which she trapped and handled wild animals as part of a field-based conservation program. Madori was a varsity soccer player for all four years of college (her team made it to the NCAA finals in her senior year). The skills that enabled her success as a varsity athlete, such as discipline, working well on a team, and internal motivation and drive, are readily apparent in the lab. As an African- American woman, Madori has underrepresented minority status; we are therefore applying for this diversity supplement to my R00 to enable her to continue gaining research experience as a technician in my lab. Madori is interested in attending a PhD graduate program, either in neuroscience or psychology. Her undergraduate transcript is not particularly strong, so to make her more competitive for graduate school, we have outlined a detailed individualized training plan, including an independent research project that will lead to authorship on a publication, a graduate student mentor and faculty co-advisor, and auditing of classes at NYU, to further prepare her for graduate school.
