Autumn Payne of Union was named one of the 13 inaugural recipients of the Stamps Impact Prize, a new competitive award program at the University of Mississippi to support undergraduate-initiated, faculty-mentored research and creative achievement projects.
Payne, a junior film production major, is writing, producing, directing and editing a feature-length documentary about the experiences of autistic women and their representation — or lack thereof — in popular media. Her faculty mentor is Sarah Hennigan, associate chair of theatre and film and assistant professor of film production.
The Stamps Impact Prize program is the first of its kind in the nation to receive a renewable $100,000 gift from E. Roe Stamps and his family, which is being matched by an investment from the university.
The program’s leader, Ken Sufka, said he is “thrilled to see many high-quality projects (submitted for consideration) from extraordinary students across a diversity of disciplines” from across campus.
“It is exciting to see through the lenses of our students’ bright young minds the important issues needing to be addressed in science, culture and society. To have these creative minds explore their great ideas as UM undergraduates certainly makes you wonder what larger impactful issues they will tackle in the years to come.”
