May 13, 2010

Sandhya Kumar. Download image.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Recent University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) graduate Sandhya Kumar, 21, of Huntsville is a recipient of the 2010 UAB Dean's Undergraduate Research Award.

The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement in research as undergraduate students.

Kumar, who graduated from UAB on May 8, was presented with the award at the UAB College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Meeting and Awards Ceremony April 27.

Since 2008, Kumar, under the direction of UAB Assistant Professor of Psychology Rajesh Kana, Ph.D., worked on several cognitive neuroscience research studies that examined the neural bases of figurative language. She was the first author along with Kana on a research article titled Cognitive Abilities and Cortical Activity: A functional MRI Investigation of Figurative Language Comprehension. The article was published in the latest edition of Inquiro, UAB's official journal of undergraduate research.

Kumar was a student in the UAB Department of Psychology Honors Program. She presented her research project on the neural correlates of visual and social cognition in high-functioning children with autism at the annual UAB Expo undergraduate research fair April 23 at the UAB Campus Recreation Center.

Kumar plans to enroll in medical school after completing an 11-month Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Taiwan. She is the daughter of Pat and Jayasree Kumar of Huntsville.

About the UAB College of Arts and Sciences

The UAB Department of Psychology is housed in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences, home to academic disciplines that include the arts, humanities, sciences and the School of Education. The college's unique structure advances research and learning in both K-12 and higher education, and its courses are taught by a world-class faculty. Committed to the UAB spirit of independence and innovation, the college enables students to design their own majors, participate in undergraduate research or complete graduate degrees on a five-year fast track. Through productive partnerships, flexible curricula and a bold, interdisciplinary approach to learning and teaching, the college is preparing students for success in the ever-changing global marketplace of commerce and ideas.