LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 21, 2010) − Five University of Kentucky students and alumni were selected as recipients of Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships. The UK recipients are among 1,500 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2010-2011 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Additionally, one UK alumnus will also be awarded another Fulbright grant for her postdoctoral work.
"We are excited that this group of Fulbright Scholars from UK will have the opportunity to pursue their educational objectives overseas and to contribute to increased understanding between the U.S. and their host countries," commented Lisa Broome-Price, director of the UK Office of External Scholarships.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.
UK's students awarded Fulbright scholarships for graduate study, research or teaching assistantships are: Alex Brooks, a 2003 graduate with a bachelor's degree in English, who will study in England; Jordan Hall, a 2010 graduate with a bachelor's degree in Spanish, who will teach English in Spain; Katrina Hutchinson, a doctoral student in educational policy studies and evaluation, who will do research in Ghana; Yawen Ludden, a doctoral student in musicology, who will do research in China; and Samantha Meenach, a 2010 graduate with a doctoral degree in chemical engineering, for research in Germany. Additionally, 2009 graduate Kimberly J. Scott, who holds a doctoral degree in music in piano performance from UK, will receive a Fulbright Mid-Career Professional Development Grant for her postdoctoral research in Finland.
Brooks, the son of Susan and Wayne Brooks of Louisville, Ky., is a creative writing graduate with a bachelor's degree in English from UK. He will use his Fulbright to broaden his knowledge of the history of the book while pursuing a master's degree in book conservation at West Dean College, located in West Sussex, England. Among Brooks' other interests are letterpress printing and antique printing press restoration.
Hall, the son of Rodney Hall, of Minnie, Ky., and Kimberly York, of Winchester, Ky., recently earned his bachelor's degree in Spanish from UK. He will use his Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to serve as an English teaching assistant at a bilingual school in Madrid, Spain. Additionally, Hall will volunteer with COGAM, the lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual collective of Madrid. In the future, he hopes to pursue a master's degree in higher education administration.
Hutchinson, a native of Russellville, Ky., holds a bachelor's degree from Western Kentucky University and a master's degree from Temple University. She will complete her doctoral degree in educational policy studies and evaluation at UK this fall. Hutchinson will use her Fulbright to conduct postdoctoral research on the training and recruitment of women teachers in the West African country of Ghana. Upon completion of her degree and research, she hopes to continue to advance scholarship in comparative teacher education by focusing on the need to increase participation of underrepresented groups in the teaching profession, especially domestically and in developing countries.
Ludden, a native of Shanghai, China, holds a bachelor's degree from Shanghai Normal University, and two master's degrees, one in comparative literature from a university in Japan and another in music from Campbellsville University. A resident of Columbia, Ky., she is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in musicology at UK. Ludden plans to use her Fulbright to continue conducting her research on the Beijing Opera in China. Upon completion of her doctoral degree, she would like to assume a teaching and research position at a university where she can share her experience in Western and world music with students and a broader community.
Meenach, the daughter of Patty Charles of Ft. Thomas, Ky., and Eddie Meenach, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., holds bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from UK. She was awarded the Fulbright to complete postdoctoral research on the project "Development of Nanoparticles for Dual Drug Delivery for Novel Cancer Therapy" at Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University in Frankfurt, Germany. Meenach has instead accepted an offer to serve as a postdoctoral researcher at Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. She eventually would like to become a professor and continue doing research.
Scott, the daughter of Clifton and Lynn Scott of Waynesboro, Va., holds a bachelor's degree from Cedarville University and master's and doctoral degrees from UK, where she studied under Alan Hersh, professor of piano. She was awarded a Fulbright to continue her postdoctoral research on the piano music and the compositional style of Einojuhani Rautavaara at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. Upon completion of her research, Scott would like to write a book on the piano music of Rautavaara and continue her career as a performer and piano instructor.
Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education, and athletics. Forty Fulbright alumni from 11 countries have been awarded the Nobel Prize, and 75 alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes. Prominent Fulbright alumni include: Muhammad Yunus, managing director and founder, Grameen Bank, and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient; John Atta Mills, President of Ghana; Lee Evans, Olympic gold medalist; Ruth Simmons, president, Brown University; Riccardo Giacconi, physicist and 2002 Nobel Laureate; Amar Gopal Bose, chairman and founder, Bose Corporation; Renee Fleming, soprano; Gish Jen, writer; and Daniel Libeskind, architect.
Fulbright recipients are among over 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. For more than sixty years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has funded and supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered by the Institute of International Education.
For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, visit the web site http://fulbright.state.gov or contact James A. Lawrence, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, by phone at (202) 632-3241 or e-mail to fulbright@state.gov.
*Photo credits: Photographs of Alex Brooks taken by Guy Mendes. All other photographs provided by scholars.
