U of M announces 14 Fulbright Scholars for 2009-10 school year
Contacts: Gayla Marty, Graduate School, (612) 626-3314, marty001@umn.edu
Ryan Maus, University News Service, (612) 624-1690, maus@umn.edu
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/13/2009) —Fourteen University of Minnesota students (10 undergraduate and four graduate) have received Fulbright grants for 2009-10 to pursue graduate study in a foreign country during the next two years.
The Fulbrights won by University of Minnesota students this year represent an increase from last year's total of 13 and the university's average of approximately eight Fulbright Scholars in recent years.
The graduate student recipients are:
- Ryan Chelese Alaniz, a doctoral student in sociology, received a Fulbright Full Grant to Honduras. His dissertation research will compare the different trajectories of two initially similar Honduran communities built by two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) after Hurricane Mitch. Alaniz received a master of arts in Latin American studies from the University of California-Santa Barbara in 2004 and a bachelor's in history from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo in 2000.
- Clelia Anna Mannino, a doctoral candidate in psychology, is one of 20 students nationally to receive a Fulbright Full Grant to Italy. Her dissertation will investigate how Italy’s changing cultural climate is shaping and redefining conceptions of community, and how this complex process links to identity and nationalism. Mannino received a bachelor's in psychology and Italian from Mount Holyoke College in 2004.
- Heather Michelle Taterka, a recent graduate with a master's in food science, is the recipient of the U of M Graduate School’s Fulbright Grant Exchange Program with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. She will study atmospheric freeze-drying systems in professor Trygve Eikevik’s lab. Taterka received a bachelor's in chemistry and biology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2007.
- Drew Anthony Thompson, a doctoral student in history, received a Fulbright Full Grant to Mozambique. His dissertation will document how photographers used photographic production and exhibition to participate in anti-colonial activities and processes of national building in late-colonial and early independent Mozambique. Thompson received a bachelor's in history and art history from Williams College in 2005.
The undergraduate student recipients are:
- Alia El Bakri, who completed her bachelor's in political science in 2008 from the U of M, received a Fulbright Full Grant to Jordan. El Bakri will take courses in Arabic literature and culture and political science at the University of Jordan in Amman, and will engage in research on Arab feminist literature. She will also write short stories highlighting everyday life in Jordan with the goal of stimulating cross-cultural dialogue.
- Daniel Groth, a 2009 summa cum laude candidate for a bachelor's in English, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Grant to South Korea. Groth will assist in an English language classroom in a secondary school. Groth’s long-term plans include medical school, and he intends to learn about South Korea’s health care system. A guitarist, he will also take lessons on the 12-string kayagum, a traditional Korean musical instrument.
- Evan Hall, a 2008 U of M graduate with a bachelor's in architecture, will spend the coming academic year in South Korea with the support of a Fulbright Full Grant. Hall will study Korean language, city planning and urban architecture at the Korea National University, and will conduct research on how modern professionals are remolding the urban environment in Seoul. A competitive rower during college, Hall would also like to establish a rowing club at his host university.
- Vivian Mui, a 2008 cum laude graduate with a bachelor's in graphic design, will be a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Hong Kong. Mui will help to teach English classes at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, a public university dedicated to the preparation and professional development of teachers. She intends to use and expand her knowledge of international cross-cultural design in the classroom and act as a volunteer for several art and design organizations in Hong Kong.
- Carmen Price, a 2008 summa cum laude graduate in English and German studies, has been awarded a Fulbright Full Grant to Germany. At the Free University of Berlin, Price will take graduate-level courses on intercultural education and will conduct research on German educational initiatives aimed at increasing immigrant and minority representation in higher education, as well as anti-racist initiatives in education. She will also volunteer as a tutor in the community.
- Zachary Saathoff, a 2009 candidate for a bachelor's in violin performance, is the recipient of a Fulbright Full Grant to Austria. Saathoff will study violin with faculty at the Künstuniversität Graz. He intends to play in a chamber music ensemble, learn about Austria’s rich musical history and explore connections between music and art.
- Jenna Rose Smith, who graduated in 2007 from the U of M with a bachelor's in English and studies in cinema and media culture, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Grant to South Korea. Smith will assist in an English language classroom in a secondary school, and will pursue her interest in Korean language and film. Smith also plans to volunteer with a community organization serving people with disabilities in Korea.
- Jillian Stein, a 2009 summa cum laude candidate for a bachelor's in Spanish studies and bachelor's in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, received a Fulbright Teaching Assistant Grant to Spain. Stein will serve as a teaching assistant in English classes at a secondary school. She also intends to volunteer at a speech therapy clinic or women’s organization in the community.
- Antoni Tang, a 2009 candidate for bachelor's degrees in marketing and African American/African Studies, received one of only three available Fulbright Teaching Assistant Grants to Venezuela. Tang will help to teach English to pre-teen and teenage students. He plans to volunteer with an Afro-Venezuelan organization in the community and plans to learn about Afro-Venezuelan movements for social justice.
- Anh Tran, a 2009 candidate for a bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, in neuroscience and for the bachelor's in psychology, has been awarded a Fulbright Full Grant to the United Kingdom. Tran will pursue a masters degree at the Institute of Health and Society at the University of Newcastle and will engage in a research project on diabetes risk and prevention among Asian immigrant communities in the United Kingdom. Her project will include a clinical volunteer experience at the Newcastle Diabetes Centre. Fulbright Grants to the U.K. are particularly competitive, with hundreds of candidates applying for between 10 and 12 grants.
The Fulbright competition is administered at the University of Minnesota through the Graduate School and through the Office for National Scholarships in the University Honors Program.
An international educational exchange program, the Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Since its inception, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 286,000 participants, chosen for their leadership potential, with the opportunity to observe each others’ political, economic and cultural institutions, exchange ideas and embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world’s inhabitants. The program operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.