Last modified: Thursday, November 12, 2009
IU among top producing institutions for Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays grants
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 12, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University is ranked 15th nationally and tied for third in the Big Ten with 14 recipients of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants, according to a recent report in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Additionally, five IU graduate students have received Fulbright-Hays Grants. Together, they will study in 18 countries on research projects covering a variety of disciplines.
Genevieve Hill, IU Fulbright student, is doing research on traditional weaving in the West African state of Bukina Faso. She also volunteers as an English language teacher. Hill stands here with weavers in the village of Sani.
"The success of so many IU students each year in the Fulbright competition indicates how well the university is meeting its goals for internationalization and global competency," said IU Vice President for International Affairs Patrick O'Meara. "We are proud that our students will carry their IU experience all over the world."
Nationwide, more than 6,000 students apply annually for approximately 1,500 awards that support graduating seniors and graduate students in carrying out research projects or teaching English in countries spanning the globe. In addition to the 14 U.S. Student Program grants, five IU students received prestigious Fulbright-Hays grants administered by the Department of Education for doctoral dissertation research in countries outside of Western Europe.
This year, IU's Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant recipients include students from disciplines including the humanities, art, music, law, public health and archeology. They will carry out projects they have prepared with guidance from their professors and in conjunction with partner institutions abroad.
IU students, for example, will undertake research on human migratory patterns through India, and on the ways individuals and labor unions in Namibia participate in the creation of law through a special labor court. One student in the performing and creative arts will train with a renowned flutist in The Netherlands, and another will investigate how music is used as a medium to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago.
Projects in Asia and the Pacific include an epidemiological study of child obesity in Pacific Islanders in New Zealand, and another in China that focuses on the development of consumer advocacy organizations and how they interact with political and legal regimes.
Fulbright-Hays grantees exhibit high proficiency in the language of their research, an in-depth familiarity with the country's history and culture, as well as solid disciplinary and theoretical knowledge. The Fulbright-Hays program typically receives more than 500 applications for approximately 160 annual grants to U.S. citizens and permanent residents to travel abroad.
IU's five recipients of the Fulbright-Hays grants for the 2009-2010 academic year will pursue research projects lasting from six to 12 months. Their destinations include Eastern Europe, Central Asia and North Africa, where their research will include, for example, an endangered language in Mali and peasant behavior in Russia during World War I. The average award amount for this year's recipients is $43,000.
Students interested in pursuing a Fulbright grant should contact the Fulbright Program Adviser for the IU Bloomington campus -- Paul Fogleman at pfoglema@indiana.edu.
IU students receiving Fulbright U.S. Student Awards:
- Jennifer Boles, history, destination is Mexico
- Cindy Cho, law, destination is Namibia
- August Costa, anthropology, destination is India
- Leighann Daihl, musical instrument training, destination is The Netherlands
- Joseph Dodson, religious studies, destination is Swaziland
- Genevieve Hill, art history, destination is Burkina Faso
- Erika Kuever, anthropology, destination is China
- David Lewis, folklore and ethnomusicology, destination is Trinidad and Tobago
- Kyle Liston, history, destination is Tunisia (will decline to accept Fulbright-Hays instead)
- James Rasmussen, Germanic studies, destination is Germany
- Vidhi Sanghavi, English teaching assistant, destination is Indonesia
- Julie Sours, English teaching assistant, destination is Germany
- Amanda Wood, public health, destination is New Zealand
- Brittany Woedl, English teaching assistant, destination is South Africa
IU students receiving Fulbright-Hays Awards:
- Christopher Baker, Central Eurasian studies, destination is Kazakhstan
- Abbie Hantgan, linguistics, destination is Mali
- Kyle Liston, history, destination is Tunisia
- Colleen Moore, history, destination is Russia
- Lisa Vest, musicology, destination is Poland
