12 OU scholars to travel globe on Fulbright grants

Ternyata Indonesia menjadi salah satu tujuan favorit para Fullbrighters

Published Wednesday, May 24, 2006.

Ohio University has broken its record in producing grantees of the government-sponsored Fulbright Program with three more students being selected for the 2006-07 academic year than last year.

The Fulbright Program, which received 29 OU applications, provides scholarships for students to explore and study in other cultures around the world, according to the Web site exchanges.state.gov/education/fulbright/. Next academic year, 12 OU students will be participating in the program compared to nine students in each of the last two years.

The number of grantees at other Ohio universities is not yet available, said Elizabeth Clodfelter, director of U.S. Fulbright Programs and liaison for international partners. OU produced the most Fulbright winners in Ohio last year.

The amount each Fulbright grantee receives varies depending on location, but the program conducts a cost-of-living survey on a biannual basis and covers students’ rent or room and board, school supplies, basic incidentals and return travel expenses, said Schuyler Allen, a media contact in the Fulbright program.

For example, Clarissa Kornell, a senior political science major who will teach English and study the use of religion in educational curriculum in Indonesia, will be aided with $1,000 every month for 10 months, $500 to $700 before and after her trip and paid travel and insurance.

Indonesia and Germany are the most popular destinations for OU Fulbright grantees, with three students going to each country next year. Other students are traveling to Ghana, Japan, Chile, Korea, the Philippines and Ecuador.

Kornell said that while OU is investing its resources in improving its image and prominence through initiatives like Vision Ohio, the Fulbright Program celebrates something at which OU already excels.

“My biggest goal is to leave feeling like I have an understanding of Indonesian culture and society and government,” she said.

Alyssa Malchi, a senior hearing, speech and language sciences major, will teach English in South Korea. She also will research non-verbal communication, which is common in America but not in Asia.

Genevieve Waller, a graduate student majoring in fine arts and art history and photography, will travel to Germany, where she has studied before, to study the history of the photogram, a camera-less photograph.

“Photography is an incredibly important aspect of our lives,” Waller said.

Being offered a Fulbright gave her a sense of validation, Waller said.“The Fulbright symbolizes that people who don’t even know you think your project has merit,” she said.

The other grantees for 2006-07 are Phillip Allman, Julie DePaulo, Layne Hanson, Tod Imperato, Troy Johnson, Eileen Kelbach, Melanie Schori, Meghan Schuck and Carly Witmer.

Source: http://thepost.baker.ohiou.edu/Articles/News/2006/05/24/13855/