New global travel grants support graduate research in 17 countries
A Google map features the projects funded in UD's new international travel grant program for graduate students.
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3:55 p.m., May 15, 2009----In a first-ever campus-wide international travel grant program for graduate students, the University of Delaware Office of Graduate and Professional Education has awarded more than $100,000 to 29 master's and doctoral students for research and scholarship activities in 17 countries.

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Greg Black, a master's student in civil and environmental engineering, will now have the opportunity to participate in the largest “shake-table” test of a seven-story building in Miki, Japan, to see how it fares in a simulated earthquake. The test is the capstone of a five-university National Science Foundation project to develop a new design philosophy for the sound, economical construction of wood-frame buildings in seismic regions.

Zoraida Oyola-Rebaza, a master's student in music performance, will attend master classes with two of the finest cellists in the world at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. She will study the Russian cello repertoire with David Geringas, winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition, and Brazilian cello music with Antonio Meneses.

P. Sharath Chandra Rao, a doctoral student in energy and environmental policy, will monitor and evaluate an energy-microfinance intervention established in Shimoga, India, for households below the poverty line. A partnership between a microfinance institution and two energy service companies led to the creation of a loan portfolio dedicated to disseminating solar home lighting and energy-efficient cookstoves to the households. Rao will assess the possibility of scaling up and replicating the program in other regions.

Sara Jane Chehab, a doctoral student in political science and international relations, will travel to the United Arab Emirates to explore the economic and political framework of Dubai, the Arab world's leading business and financial center. Her findings will aid other cities in the region seeking to emulate Dubai's success and contribute to the theoretical understanding of good governance, the role of immigrant communities in economic transformation, and the relationship between culture and economy.

“This program represents an important step on the University of Delaware's Path to Prominence, demonstrating our commitment to enhancing the educational opportunities available to our graduate and professional degree students on a global level,” said UD President Patrick Harker. “These international experiences will expand our students' horizons, both intellectually and culturally, and enrich their future careers.”

“We are so proud of these students' accomplishments to date and look forward to the outcome of their international experiences,” said Debra Hess Norris, vice provost for graduate and professional education, Henry Francis du Pont Chair in Fine Arts, and chairperson of the Department of Art Conservation. “Their projects demonstrate the excellence of our graduate scholars and their intense quest for discovery, innovation and public service.”

“We are enormously grateful to the Unidel Foundation for their significant support as well as the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the Annette Kade Charitable Trust, the Center for International Studies, many of our colleges and an anonymous donor,” Norris noted.

The award amounts range in size from $1,000 to $5,000 and represent students in more than 25 disciplines, from art history to mechanical engineering. Matching support also has been provided by each of the colleges whose students received the travel grants, Norris said. The travel will be undertaken between June 30, 2009, and Feb. 1, 2010.

Norris credited the Office of Academic Affairs and International Programs for assistance with the new grant program, which is modeled in part after UD's award-winning Study Abroad program for undergraduates and the International Travel Awards program for faculty and staff, both administered by the Center for International Studies.

Forty-three proposals were received for this year's program and Norris anticipates even more next year as awareness of the program increases across campus. Proposals will be solicited next February for the 2010 program.

Jennifer Armiger, UD doctoral candidate and Hagley Fellow in the Department of History who is working as a graduate assistant for the Office of Graduate and Professional Education, developed a Google map pinpointing each of the funded projects, with a brief description by each of the awardees.

For more information about graduate study at the University of Delaware, visit the Office of Graduate and Professional Education's new Web site.

Article by Tracey Bryant

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