Grant Category:	Fulbright-Nehru Student Research Program
Field of Specialization:	Public Health
Name:	Ms. Manjot Jassal
Official Address:	Howard University, District of Columbia
Indian Host Institution:	National Council of Educational Research and Training, New Delhi
Duration of Grant & Start Date :	Duration: 9 months August 2011

Brief Bio:

Ms. Manjot Kaur Jassal graduated summa cum laude from Howard University with a Bachelor of Science in biology in May 2011, and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She was a recipient of the Alaine Lock award for a 4.0 GPA as a college freshman and graduated valedictorian from James W. Robinson Secondary School. She served in various capacities throughout high school as a volunteer at The George Washington University Hospital and also as a summer intern at Bronx Children's Psychiatric Center. She then pursued an internship in college at the Howard University Middle School of Math and Science, began tutoring at Kingman Boys and Girls Club, and also shadowed physicians at the hospitals of Howard University and Johns Hopkins University. As a child of immigrants, Ms. Jassal grew up in a fusion of east and west, which fostered her interest in language, culture, and community activism. Thus, she has constantly immersed herself with the D.C. Metropolitan Sikh community by organizing Sikh Martial Arts initiatives and taking lead in several human rights events. Before beginning her Fulbright-Nehru grant in August, during the summer, Ms. Jassal continued her research project with Dr. Mark Burke at the Howard University College of Medicine in neuro-developmental processes in the non-human primate brain, and also continue tutoring at Kingman. In order to evaluate the impact of the Adolescent Education Program (AEP) on the awareness of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV among youth, Ms. Jassal will conduct a qualitative survey in schools of villages surrounding cities of Amritsar and Moga in Panjab, India to assess the level of knowledge on HIV and STIs. Her research in India will be supervised by the NCERT, National Council of Educational Research & Training