AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

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Report on Science and Human Rights

Summer 2006 Vol XXVI, No. 1

Summer Intern Profiles

This summer we have been graced by the presence of three talented interns – Viviane Callier, Aastha Gandhi, and Swathi Malepati – who describe themselves below.

Viviane Callier
I am a SIPPI intern working with Mike Kisielewski this summer. I graduated summa cum laude from Mount Holyoke College in May 2006 with a major in biological sciences and have become interested in the relationship between people—in both traditional and modern societies—and biodiversity. At SIPPI, I assist Mike in writing grants. We just finished one for the protection of traditional knowledge and preservation of biodiversity, and are currently working on a project concerning women and IP. I also help write postings for the SIPPI website, which keeps me up to date on current events such as the debates about the Federal Research Public Access Act.

Aastha Gandhi
I am a senior at the University of Michigan and am interning with Jana Asher in SHR for the summer, working on a humanitarian-oriented report for Sierra Leone, utilizing both quantitative information on human rights abuses experienced there during the 1991-2000 armed internal conflict, and also qualitative information on development since the war ended. My initial goal prior to entering college was to pursue a career in the health world with the hopes of one day becoming a physician. As time passed and the cold Michigan winters came and went, I realized that with all the classes I took in my premedical curriculum, Anthropology, and Political Science, there was an interesting link between the three. I slowly realized that everything I wanted to accomplish with becoming a physician, I could do on a more holistic and international level through human rights-promoting activities. After college, I hope to take some time off, possibly join the Peace Corps, and eventually attend law school.

Swathi Malepati
I will be a junior this coming fall at Bryn Mawr College outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I am majoring in Spanish with a strong interest in forensic and biological sciences. I am interning for Ereshnee Naidu of the Centre for Study of Violence and Reconciliation in South Africa and Jana Asher on a transitional justice and human rights project at AAAS this summer. I am researching background information on memorialization sites in Chile and Argentina. This information will be added to the overall study of the contribution of memorialization to reconciliation and empowerment in transitional justice societies. My interests include international human rights and social justice. In my spare time I enjoy experimenting with vegetarian recipes, traveling, enjoying dance performances, practicing yoga, and reading fictional literature.

Future Internship Opportunities

The Science and Human Rights Program is seeking qualified college students for unpaid internships of up to six months during the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters. Activities will include researching topics important for science and human rights and providing support for other project activities. SHR strives to make each internship an educational experience. For further information, please see http://www.aaas.org/careercenter/internships or contact SHR at shrp@aaas.org.