6 KU graduating seniors win Fulbright grants to study abroad next year

Editor's note: Hometowns are Hays; McPherson; Manhattan; Wichita; Warrensburg, Mo.; and Bellevue, Neb.

LAWRENCE -- Six University of Kansas students have won prestigious Fulbright grants for study and research abroad for the 2002-03 academic year, according to KU's Office of International Programs.

The U.S. Student Fulbright Program awards approximately 1,000 grants annually and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide. International programs coordinates the applications for Fulbright and other graduate fellowships for study/research abroad.

Since the Fulbright program's beginnings in 1947, 363 KU students have received these grants. Funded in large part by the U.S. Congress, but also by many participating countries and private corporations, a Fulbright grant covers round-trip travel, health insurance, tuition, if relevant, and living expenses for an academic year.

The KU Fulbright winners are:

ELLIS COUNTY
From Hays
Shawna Smith, graduating senior receiving degrees in political science, international studies, sociology and communication studies, has received a Fulbright grant to study at Oxford University in England. She will investigate comparative electoral and political sociology. At KU, Smith was a Watkins-Berger scholar and was selected to the University Scholars Program. She was active in campus and community volunteer activities, including Students Tutoring for Literacy and Kids Voting Kansas. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dave Smith and is a Hays High School graduate.

McPHERSON COUNTY
From McPherson
Holly Worthen, graduating senior receiving degrees in English and international studies, has received a Fulbright grant to Mexico to analyze how male migration to the United States affects women's roles within agricultural systems and women's relationships with agricultural biodiversity and sustainable agriculture. She will spend the first part of her Fulbright year studying at the Colegio de Postgraduados in Ciencias AgrÕcolas in Montecillo and the second part in Guadalajara working with Campo, a sustainable agricultural women's group. As part of the 130th commencement activities, Worthen will receive the Class of 1913 Award for superior academic achievement and community service. She is the daughter of David and Joanie Worthen and is a graduate of McPherson High School.

RILEY COUNTY
From Manhattan
Katherine Marchin, graduating senior in chemistry, will conduct research in the field of supramolecular chemistry at the University of Valencia in Spain. At KU, Marchin was a Watkins-Berger scholar and served as senior class secretary. She studied abroad in Guadalajara, Mexico, during summer 1999. She is the daughter of George and Anne Marchin and is a Manhattan High School graduate.

SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Wichita
Almas Sayeed, graduating senior with degrees in philosophy, women's studies and international studies, has received a Fulbright grant to Israel to study the strategies of conflict resolution by six Israeli and Palestinian Women's Peace Organizations. She will be affiliated with the Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. A recipient of numerous scholarships including three College of Liberal Arts and Sciences research grants, she has been actively engaged in volunteer work in the Lawrence community, including serving on the board of directors for the Women's Transitional Care Services. She is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. B.A. Sayeed and a Wichita High School East graduate.

MISSOURI
From Warrensburg
Mark Carper, a doctoral student in geography, has received a Fulbright grant to Bulgaria. Carper plans to continue his Bulgarian language study and complete the fieldwork for his dissertation while he is in Bulgaria next year. Mark's field work involves a comparative case study of selected municipalities in their energy efficiency practices. He was a graduate teaching assistant in geography at KU and is an instructor of geography at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg.

NEBRASKA
From Bellevue
Elizabeth Riggs, graduating senior in aerospace engineering and in English, will spend her Fulbright year in Korea teaching English in a junior high or a high school and researching the impact of recent economic changes on Korean youth and university students. Riggs has received two undergraduate research awards (Arthur and Henley May Johnson Undergraduate Research Award and KU Undergraduate Research Award) as well as scholarships from the School of Engineering and Department of Music. She was a member of the sailing team and university symphony orchestra. She is the daughter of Thomas and Kim Riggs and a Bellevue West Senior High School graduate.