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06/01/09
Pomona College Class of 2009 Awarded 22 Fulbright Fellowships |
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Twenty-two graduates of the Pomona College Class of 2009
have received prestigious Fulbright Fellowships to pursue
research or teach around the globe. This marks the second
highest amount ever received by a Pomona graduating class.
In a highly unusual twist, six graduating seniors have
turned down the award for other opportunities. The Pomona
College record was set by the Class of 2007 with 27 awards.
In addition to the awards made to members of the Class of
2009, one Pomona alumnus has received a research Fulbright,
bringing this year's full total of awards to 23.
The Class of 2009 graduates receiving Fulbright Research
Grants are:
• Reed Ayabe, a molecular biology major from
Honolulu, will travel to the University of Kyoto, in Japan,
to conduct research under Dr. Yoshiaki Nakagawa, using cDNA
cloning to determine the primary protein structure of venom
from the Japanese scorpion Liocheles australasiae. Normal
analytical techniques will also be used, but may be of
limited use because the venom is produced in such small
quantities. His future plans include attending UCLA’s David
Geffen School of Medicine and a career as a clinician and
researcher.
• Derek Galey, a philosophy, politics and economics
major from Minnetonka, MN, will study Reykjavik’s
environmentally conscious urban planning at the University
of Iceland, particularly how the process is affected by the
area’s natural features. The project will culminate in a
redevelopment proposal for a coastal industrial zone in the
Sund harbor area. Galey will facilitate community
involvement in the process and present a proposal that
incorporates aesthetic, psychological, and ecological
concerns. His future plans include a master’s degree in
urban planning.
• Eunice Kim, a history major from East Brunswick,
NJ, will take intensive Korean language courses through the
Critical Language Enhancement Award and then conduct
research on the militarized sex industry in the Republic of
Korea through an affiliation with the Korean Women's
Institute at Ewha Women's University and a faith-based
counseling center for former and current sex workers. She
will focus on the role intimacy plays in shaping power
dynamics at the local level between American soldiers and
female sex workers. Her future plans include a degree in
public health and possibly a career in medicine.
• Michael Lawson, a chemistry major from Weston, CT,
will travel to Dr. Wolfgang Sippl's lab in Halle, Germany,
to study the use of computational modeling in the research
of a novel cancer drug target. His project will focus on the
design of a compound to inhibit a histone deacetylase
protein, a popular epigenetic target. His future plans
involve a PhD program in either biochemistry or molecular
biology.
• Kayla McCulley, an international relations and
French double major from Winter Park, FL, will travel to
Switzerland’s International Center for Sports Studies and
research the internationalization of European soccer,
focusing on how this trend is a result of legal and
political interactions between the European Union and
soccer's governing authorities. She will also take courses
in the Master's of Sports Law program at the University of
Neuchatel and volunteer as a youth soccer coach. Her future
plans include entering the Foreign Service or law school.
• Sabrina McNew, a biology major from Albuquerque,
NM, will travel to the Choco region of Ecuador to study
avian seed dispersal and the role of animals in shaping rain
forest growth. She will also work with scientists and
communities to support local conservation efforts. Her
future plans include graduate school and additional study of
ecology.
• John Tsuei, an Asian Studies major from Hsinchu,
Taiwan, will travel to Japan to study the history and
culture of Japanese youth baseball, focusing on Little
League and high school baseball to understand the importance
of the sport within Japanese society, the experiences of
participants and how youth baseball and baseball culture
have changed over time. His future plans include a career
that combines his interest in sports and Asian languages and
cultures.
• David Wang, an Asian Studies major from Brookline,
MA, will be traveling to Xi'an, China, to study physical
education at Xi'an Jiaotong University. He will also
continue to pursue his interests in sports and documentary
filmmaking, attend classes on sociology and sports, coach
basketball and soccer in the community, and film several
short documentaries concerning the life and culture in
China's first capital. His future plans involve travel to
South Africa to document the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
• Derek Young, an environmental analysis major from
Madison, WI, will study forestry and watershed management at
a university in Lima, Peru, and then conduct fieldwork in
Peru's central Amazon region, studying the effects of the
recent expansion of commercial logging and fishing on the
rainforest ecosystem; its impact on the local human
populations who traditionally depend on fish and forest
products; and potential sustainable alternatives. Future
plans include graduate school in applied ecology and work
for an environmental NGO focused on Latin America.
Paul Ort, an environmental analysis major from
Oreland, PA, is an alternate for a Fulbright Fellowships
research grant for study in Argentina.
Declining the research awards were:
• Vivek Charu, a molecular biology major from
Anaheim, CA, who was awarded a research fellowship to study
public health in India;
• Kevin Kelley, a chemistry and physics double major
from Manhattan Beach, CA, who would have conducted research
at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and
Genetics in Dresden, Germany, but will instead conduct
research on the cooperative interaction of motor proteins
and applications at the National Institute of Health (NIH)
in Bethesda, MD; and
• Anoush Suni, a Middle East Studies major from Ann
Arbor, MI, who would have conducted anthropology research in
Syria but instead accepted a Watson Foundation grant to
study the oud in Morocco, Armenia and Turkey.
Accepting Fulbright Fellowships to teach English in foreign
countries are:
• Jonathan Gómez, a Spanish major from Coachella, CA,
will teach secondary school in Madrid, Spain. He will also
research transgender civil rights projects for comparison to
those in the U.S. and intern at COGAM (Collectivo LGBT de
Madrid). His future plans include graduate school.
• James Kato, a sociology and Asian American studies
double major from Fremont, CA, will teach in South Korea.
His future plans include a career in student affairs work.
• Akana Noto, a biology major from Chicago, will
teach in South Korea. Her future plans include graduate
school work in ecology.
• Jonathan Peterson, a politics and public policy
analysis major from Kelseyville, CA, will teach in Venezuela
and research higher education management policies in that
country, where higher education is free, with a focus on the
changing relationship between the national government and
education system.
• Gladys Reyes, a sociology and Chicano Studies
double major from Chicago, will teach in Getafe, Spain. Her
future plans include law school and a career in labor law.
• Jeanne Segil, a social justice studies major from
Highland Park, IL, will teach at either the University of
Pretoria or the University of Fort Hare in South Africa,
while pursuing her interests in human rights and
socio-economic justice.
Declining the English Teaching Assistantships are:
• Max Eulenstein, a philosophy, politics and
economics major from Irvine, CA, who would have taught in
Germany;
• Carissa Fletcher, a Chinese and Asian Studies major
from Ojai, CA, who would have taught in South Korea;
• Sarah Miller, a politics and French double major
from Centennial, CO, who applied through the French Ministry
and would have taught in France; and
• Justin Royal, a psychology major from Murfreesboro,
TN, who would have taught in South Korea.
So far, one Pomona College alumnus has also reported
receiving a Fulbright award. Brad Markle ’08, a
geology major who currently lives in Corvallis, OR, will
travel to New Zealand to work with researchers of the New
Zealand Ice Core Program and Victoria University in
Wellington, studying Antarctic ice cores to investigate the
influence of certain climate drivers on Antarctic climate.
These drivers include the El Niño Southern Oscilation and
the Antarctic Oscilation, which are important players in the
global climate system. His future plans include continuing
his climate research and attending graduate school.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, founded in 1946 and
sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, offers
opportunities for recent graduates, postgraduate candidates,
and developing professionals and artists to conduct
career-launching study and research abroad. Designed to
increase cultural understanding between U.S. students and
citizens of foreign countries, the grants generally provide
round-trip transportation, language or orientation courses,
book and research allowances, and maintenance for the
academic year, based on living costs in the host country.
Pomona College is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts
institutions, offering a comprehensive program in the arts,
humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Its
hallmarks include small classes, close relationships between
students and faculty, and a range of opportunities for
student research.
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