Yale Bulletin and Calendar

October 8, 2004|Volume 33, Number 6

Yale rated tops in Fulbright grant winners

Yale topped all New England colleges and universities in the number of students who won 2004 Fulbright Scholarships for international study, according to a report by the Institute of International Education (IEE), which administers the prestigious awards.

Twenty-four Yale undergraduate and graduate students won Fulbright grants, according to the IEE, compared to 20 from Harvard University and 18 from Brown University. Yale is third among all colleges and universities nationwide in Fulbright winners, behind Columbia University (31) and the University of California at Berkeley (26).

This is the first year that the IEE has made these statistics public, according to Linda J. De Laurentis, director of fellowship programs in the Office of International Education and Fellowship Programs.

"We are truly delighted to see these results. This is always a very important competition for our students," says De Laurentis, who guides undergraduates through the application process for the scholarships.

All told, 12 members of the Yale College Class of 2004 were offered Fulbright Scholarships (one student, Tara O'Donnell, declined the award to accept a Light Fellowship), and 13 graduate students who applied through Yale received the awards.

In addition, one graduate student applied for and won a Fulbright Scholarship as an "at large" candidate, rather than through the University, bringing the actual number of award-winning Yale students to 25, according to Thomas D. Burns, assistant dean at the Graduate School, who heads the fellowships program there.

The Fulbright Program, described as "America's flagship international educational program," is sponsored by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program was established in 1946 through legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. Its mission is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the rest of the world. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in over 150 countries worldwide.

Yale's 2004 Fulbright Scholarship winners and the projects they are currently pursuing are:

Undergraduate award winners

Diana Cieslak, who received a French Government Teaching Assistantship;

Katherine Fennell, who is studying the impact of politics and economics on the public university system in post-Peron Argentina;

Laura Finkelstein, who is studying the relevance of the Holocaust to present-day attitudes about elderly care service in Israel;

Rebecca Hunter, who is pursuing the Diploma Program in International Relations at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna;

Judith Joffe-Block, who is studying the small Mexican farmer cooperatives growing organic fruits and vegetables for the export market;

Natasha Keith, who is conducting scientific research on the regulation and control of protein folding in Argentina;

Daniel Keniston, who is studying the economic geography of marketplaces in central Guinea and the interaction between economics and socio-cultural factors;

Whitney May, who is analyzing how women's opportunities, particularly those in the workforce, have been affected in Russia's transition economy;

Mahbod Moghadam, who is conducting research on 20th-century Algerian political movements and the process of Islamicization in other parts of the Muslim world;

Alfredo Silva, who is studying how modernization has affected intellectual property law in China; and

Shoshana Woo, who is studying the social and psychological development of at-risk children in Vietnam.

Graduate award winners

Muhammad Abdu-Noor (Near Eastern languages & civilizations), who is translating and doing a textual/literary analysis of poetry within the Moroccan Andalusian music tradition;

Katharine Darst (political science), who is studying Danish plantations and settlements on the Gold Coast, 1788-1850;

John Caserta (architecture), who is designing an interactive time-capsule;

Maria DeAngelo (ecology & evolutionary biology), who is investigating species change and ecosystem dynamics in forested areas of Ecuador;

Sarah Fornia (drama), who is traveling to Canada to study the appropriation of native art in Anne Cameron's work;

Charles Kamm (music/conducting), who is studying choral conducting traditions and repertoire in Finland;

Ariane Kirtley (epidemiology and public health), who is pursuing research on variations in hygiene and sanitation practices among ethnic groups in Niger;

Rafael Mason (law), who is in France examining the differences between French and U.S. anti-discrimination law and policy; Sayeed Rahman (religious studies), who is in Morocco studying the legal thought of Islamic scholar Ahmad Zarruq;

Johanna Ransmeier (history), who is examining the sale of women, children and laborers in late Qing and Republican China;

Amy Lynn Rogoway (drama), who is in Spain studying the work of playwright and director Federico Garcia Lorca;

James Terry (history of art), who is studying the late classic Maya architecture of Chicanna, Mexico;

Gavin Whitelaw (anthropology), who is doing research on the transformation of "mom and pop" stories in Japan; and

Matthew Wranoix (medieval studies and Renaissance studies), who is pursuing a study of priests and people in the medieval diocese of Eichstaett, Germany.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Andrew Hamilton named Yale Provost

Yale rated tops in Fulbright grant winners

Program marks 35 years of helping youngsters succeed in school

Interest in community building, world of theater . . .

Story of a 'solitary yellow in a white world' is tale of hope, says Koh

Yale Employee Day at the Bowl will feature free giveaways

This year's Divinity School Convocation features concert . . .

Event explores the future of Judaism

Design icon William Morris is focus of new exhibit

Event celebrates law professor's scholarly work

Physical basis of hereditary pain syndrome identified

Study reveals crucial role of lipid in synaptic transmission

Model shows most recent common ancestor of today's humans . . .

Researchers discover VEGF molecule plays key role in asthma

Dr. Martin Gordon wins medical school honor

Engineer T.P. Ma recognized for his scientific accomplishments

Martin Saunders is cited by the American Chemical Society

Sherwin receives award for efforts in diabetes treatment, research

Memorial service for Dr. Frederick Redlich

Campus Notes