RIVER FALLS—WiSys awarded UW-River Falls student Sophie Ackerman a $4,000 Ambassador Grant to research loneliness and isolation.

The project “Combating the Effects of Isolation During Quarantine” will be carried out under the direction of faculty mentor Dr. James Cortright, an assistant professor of Psychology at UW-River Falls.

The project will evaluate strategies that lessen the negative effects of loneliness and isolation during a national quarantine. The research may also have uses among the elderly and correctional facility inmates.

Ambassador Grants are designed to help WiSys Ambassadors advance their knowledge and skills as young researchers through summer research programs. 

The grants may be used for implementation and completion of short-term projects or to advance long-term projects the ambassador(s) undertook with the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Ackerman was selected to serve as a WiSys Ambassador, enhancing the connection between WiSys and the UW-River Falls research community, during the 2019-2020 school year.

To learn more about the WiSys Ambassador Program and WiSys Ambassador Grants, visit wisys.org/about-us/ambassador-program. 

WiSys is a nonprofit organization that works with faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the UW System to facilitate cutting-edge research programs, develop and commercialize discoveries and foster a spirit of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking across the state.