Students to Study Abroad through Scholarships

Wagoner Scholarships Underscore Importance of International Education
Sixteen undergraduates and four graduate students have been named 2006 recipients of the Wagoner Foreign Study Scholarship, the most prestigious study-abroad award offered by Rice University. This marks a major commitment by the university to further the internationalization agenda articulated in the Vision for the Second Century.

“Through the foresight and generosity of alumnus James Wagoner,” said Rice president David Leebron, “we are able to help students have the meaningful international experiences that are an essential part of a Rice undergraduate education.”

The value of each scholarship depends on financial need and the cost of the proposed program of study and ranges from $5,000 to $15,000. The selection criteria are scholastic attainment, financial need, dedication, character, and career prospects. The Faculty Committee on Scholarships and Awards, chaired by sociology professor Elizabeth Long, serves as the Wagoner selection panel.

The Wagoner Foreign Study Scholarships were endowed by the late James T. Wagoner ’29 in honor and memory of his parents, Robert S. and Coralee Talley Wagoner, and of his wife, Frances Poe Wagoner. In retirement, Wagoner, a businessman, traveled the world and built grandfather clocks by hand, two of which are displayed in Cohen House and O’Connor House. He died in 1996.

Undergraduate student recipients, their majors, and the nations where they will study are: Jared Blakely, linguistics, China; Gregory Brown, anthropology, South Africa; Francisco Castillo, music, the Netherlands; David Kemp, psychology, Cambodia; Jaymin Kim, anthropology, Asian studies, and history, China; Meagan Mauter, civil and environmental engineering and history, England; Yusef Neggers, economics and mathematical economic analysis, England; Thuy Van Pham, cell biology, Vietnam; Alexander Roinesdal, history, Brazil; Alexander Triantaphyllis, Hispanic studies and political science, Argentina; and Marissa Winship, music, Spain. Jo Ling Kent, Jason Lee, and Ian MacCormack also earned Wagoner scholarships, but turned them down to pursue study through Fulbright scholarships instead.

Alison Takemura, a biochemistry major, will study in the United Kingdom through her Wagoner scholarship. She also earned a Udall Scholar, the first Rice student in eight years to do so. The $5,000 scholarship, which honors the late Arizona congressman Morris K. Udall, recognizes the most outstanding American sophomores and juniors who are committed to careers related to the environment. The competition for the Udall Scholarship has become more intense in recent years, and only about 15 percent of the 80 recipients are sophomores, which further underscores Takemura’s achievement.

Wagoner recipient Tito Escobar, a triple major in political science, Hispanic studies, and policy studies, will study in Brazil. Escobar also has been named Rice’s 2006 Center for the Study of the Presidency Fellow. The prestigious fellowship provides a yearlong experience of mentored research on a topic related to the American presidency. He will focus on the history of U.S. presidential decision making on Latin America.

Graduate student recipients of Wagoner scholarships, their areas of study, and the nations where they will study are: Rev. Israel Ahimbisibwe, religious studies, Israel; Stephanie Hunt, music, the Netherlands; Valerie Olson, anthropology, the Netherlands; and Ayla Samli, anthropology, Turkey.

More Earn Fulbrights
Four students and one staff member have received Fulbright scholarships to travel abroad, where they will study such diverse topics as the Tibetan language, energy policy and women’s rights in China, and youth volunteerism.

The student recipients, their majors, and the nations where they will study are: Jason Lee, biochemistry and policy studies, China; Jo Ling Kent, Asian studies, history, and policy studies, China; Ian MacCormack, mathematics and religious studies, Nepal; and Brian Viliunas, music, Norway.

Kelly Wright, political science and Asian studies, declined the Fulbright to accept the 2006 Roy and Hazel Zeff Memorial Fellowship, which was created by Stephen Zeff, the Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Accounting.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. State Department and allows seniors, recent graduates, and graduate students to conduct research or teach English in a foreign country. The amount of the scholarship depends on where the student is studying and is worth at least $20,000. The selection criteria include academic record, strength of essay and recommendations, leadership experience, and language experience.

Beinecke Winner to Study Latin America in Graduate School
F. Alberto Herrera of El Paso, Texas, a Brown junior majoring in Hispanic studies, has become Rice’s first winner of the prestigious Beinecke Scholarship in six years, and only the seventh in the university’s history. Beinecke Scholars are selected when they are juniors and receive $32,000 for graduate school in the humanities or social sciences. Rice may nominate one student for the Beinecke Scholarship each year, and Herrera was chosen from a very competitive group of applicants.

Herrera plans to pursue a PhD in comparative literature and Latin American studies at the University of California at Berkeley, focusing on border literature and border identities. He studied abroad in northeastern Brazil in fall 2005, becoming interested in literatura de cordel, a form of popular literature addressing political and social topics that are circulated in pamphlet form. At Rice, he has been a Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Research Fellow, working with Professor Maarten van Delden. He is a native speaker of Spanish and is fluent in Portuguese.

Two Seniors Named 2006 Watson Fellows
Ellen Connors and Kim Swanson, who both graduated in May, have received fellowships from the Thomas J. Watson Foundation to study abroad independently for one year.

Connors, a music major, will study “How Melody Derives from Life Experience in the Circumpolar North.” She will travel to Mongolia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Iceland, and Canada to pursue her interest in folk-song traditions.

Swanson, who majored in mathematical economic analysis, will travel to Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, and Mozambique to research her project titled “Women, Microfinance, and the Division of Labor Within the Household.”

The foundation awards up to 60 fellowships each year to students from 50 outstanding private colleges and universities, providing recipients with a $25,000 grant. Watson fellows are selected for their independence, integrity, responsibility, and maturity. Candidates’ academic records also are considered.

Phi Beta Kappa Inductees Announced
Seventy Rice students have demonstrated a level of commitment to excellence and a love of learning that qualified them for membership in Phi Beta Kappa.

Election to Phi Beta Kappa is a significant honor recognizing outstanding achievement in the liberal arts and sciences. To be considered for membership, a student at Rice must have completed at least 90 semester hours in courses that reflect the pursuit of learning for its own sake, rather than a focus on the development of particular professional skills. As an additional indication of intellectual breadth, at least 10 of these qualifying courses must be chosen from outside the division in which the student’s major lies.

Travel Scholarships Announced
Rice University’s Office of International Programs has announced the 2006 recipients of the following scholarships for international travel.

Jue (Julie) Liaok, a senior, has been named the Kathryn Leebron Smyth Fellow and will investigate the educational conditions in rural China as a volunteer inspector for the Overseas China Education Foundation. Her project is a first step toward reaching her goal to be a leader in improvements in Chinese rural education. The Kathryn Leebron Smyth Travel Fellowship was established by President David W. Leebron and Y. Ping Sun in 2004 and provides support for an undergraduate student to participate in an international internship, international travel, study or research abroad, or other international program.

Senior Sarah Simpson was selected for the Franz and Frances Brotzen Summer Travel Award, a unique scholarship that enables a student to investigate a personal passion in an international setting. It was established by the Brotzens, who are longtime supporters of international travel. Franz Brotzen is professor emeritus in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. For six weeks, Simpson will explore the modern architecture of Mexico and will “discover the spirit” of Luis Barragán by traveling throughout Mexico and visiting Barragán’s various designs.

Alex Stoll, a junior, and senior Ting Wang were selected for the Darrell M. Whitley Summer Work Abroad Scholarship. This award is intended to assist undergraduate students with the travel costs associated with working abroad, whether in an internship or casual employment. The scholarship was established in 2000 by Darrell Whitley ’92, who worked in London through the British Universities North America Club when he was an undergraduate. Stoll has been accepted into the CDS International Summer Internship Program in Germany and will be participating in a one-month German language course in Frankfurt before completing a mechanical engineering internship. Wang has secured an investment banking internship at JP Morgan in Hong Kong. Wang’s internship is part of the highly competitive Sponsors for Educational Opportunity mentorship program for minority students.