Bonderman Travel Fellowship

Alex Taipale

Alex Taipale 2013

Biochemistry with Departmental Honors

Undergraduate

2013 Fellows

Travel Locations: South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia

Alex wants to better understand multicultural perceptions of humanity and personhood through the exploration of ideas and rituals surrounding death. Exploring such a range of cultures with diverse mortality demographics, religious beliefs and cultural permanence will allow her to better understand how death and our own humanity is viewed around the globe. She hopes to ultimately apply this knowledge to help lead America’s healthcare and biotechnology industries toward producing technologies that respect multicultural perspectives on what it means to be a human being.