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Two Â鶹ÊÓƵ students shared stories of discovery and growth during the annual David J. Beck Fellowship Ceremony on Nov. 6, where they presented research spanning from speech rehabilitation to neurological disease detection. 

The Beck Fellowship, one of Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s most prestigious undergraduate awards, provides full academic funding for one year and up to $10,000 for a summer research or study abroad experience. Beck Fellows are selected for their academic excellence, leadership and potential for meaningful impact in their fields.

This year’s presentations highlighted the far-reaching influence of the fellowship, with projects conducted in Chicago and Qatar that pushed the boundaries of clinical and scientific understanding.

Speech and hearing sciences major Harvest Fairchild described her fellowship at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago—the nation’s top-ranked rehabilitation research hospital—where she worked on the NORLA-6 Scale Study, an effort to improve speech assessment for individuals with aphasia, a language disorder often caused by stroke or brain injury.

Fairchild said the experience offered rare, hands-on access to clinical work that undergraduates in her field seldom receive.

“I wanted to get as much as I could under my undergraduate experience, and through the David J. Beck Fellowship, I was able to gain clinical experience far sooner than many in my field,” she said.

Her research involved hours of listening, transcription and scoring speech patterns to refine the six-point Norla scale used to measure communication recovery. Beyond research, she participated in aphasia support groups and observed swallowing and feeding assessments, deepening her understanding of medical speech pathology.

“It really did shape and strengthen my relationship with my field,” Fairchild said. “Regardless of where Lamar is, it got me here and I am elated and so grateful to everyone involved in this extraordinary opportunity.”

Biology major Mohamed Irhabi conducted his fellowship research at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar, exploring how retinal imaging could serve as an early diagnostic tool for neurological diseases such as migraines, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.

“The eye truly can act as a window to the brain,” Irhabi said. “If we catch those changes early, we can move from late detection to early prevention.”

Irhabi’s study focused on using optical coherence tomography angiography and corneal confocal microscopy to map and measure the smallest blood vessels and nerve fibers in the eye. His findings suggested significant differences in blood vessel density among migraine patients, opening new possibilities for early diagnosis.

Both students expressed deep gratitude to David J. Beck, a 1961 Â鶹ÊÓƵ graduate and prominent Houston attorney, whose endowment has funded dozens of undergraduate research projects since the program’s inception in 2009.

“This is the best part of our program,” Dr. Brett Welch, provost and vice president for academic affairs said. “Listening to these students reminds us why this fellowship exists.”

The Beck Fellowship continues to empower Â鶹ÊÓƵ students to pursue high-impact research and global experiences—bridging classrooms and real-world innovation through opportunity and excellence.

To learn more about the David J. Beck Fellowship, visit /forms/academic-affairs/david-beck-fellowship/.