KU News Release

LAWRENCE — Eight students from the University of Kansas have won prestigious Fulbright grants and one student received a German Academic Exchange Service Study Scholarship for study and research abroad for the 2010-11 academic year.

The Fulbright program is the leading 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 people of other countries. Fulbright grant recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. Fulbright grants provide funding for roundtrip travel, maintenance for one academic year, health and accident insurance and, where relevant, tuition.

Since the program’s inception in 1946, 421 KU students, including this year’s awardees, have received Fulbright grants.

The U.S. Student Fulbright program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is a publicly funded independent organization of higher education institutions in Germany. Its 14 international offices provide information as well as financial support to more than 55,000 highly qualified students, both undergraduate and graduate, and faculty annually for research and study in Germany.

International Programs coordinates applications for Fulbright grants and DAAD study and research awards.

The award recipients are listed below by hometown, grant or scholarship received and research plans.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence 66044
Phillip D. Fox, a doctoral student in history, received a Fulbright grant to Spain. In Barcelona, Fox will have access to records in libraries or archives that will enable him to complete his study of the continuity in the civil administration of Spain during the transition from Hapsburg to Bourbon rule. His dissertation will be titled “The Making of Modern Spain: The Government of the Crown of Aragon, 1665-1746.” Fox earned a master’s degree in history in summer 2009 from KU. His bachelor’s degree is from Hillsdale College in Michigan.

KuoRay Mao, a doctoral student in sociology, received a Fulbright grant to China to complete work on his dissertation. Affiliated with the Northwest Socioeconomic Development Research Center at Northwest University in Xi’an, Mao will study the interplay of migration, desertification and environmental degradation in rural areas in northwestern China through surveys, in-depth interviews and participant observation. Mao received a master’s degree in sociology from KU in spring 2009. His bachelor’s degree is from California State University-Fullerton.

Lisa L. Rausch, a doctoral student in geography, received a Fulbright grant for research in Brazil. She will be based in Lucas de Rio Verde in the state of Matao Grosso. Rausch will explore factors that have contributed to the development of a successful model of governance that both promotes economic development and compliance with the environmental laws in the Amazon. She also will explore the possibility of this model being adopted by other municipalities in the area or by the state Matao Grosso itself. She received a master’s degree in Latin American studies from KU in spring 2006. She has a bachelor’s degree from Hendrix College in Arkansas.

From Lawrence 66046
Baiba Zvaigznite Sedriks, a master’s student in curriculum and instruction, has received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Morocco. She is specializing in education for gifted children. Sedriks has a 1994 bachelor’s degree in Spanish from KU. In Morocco, she will serve as an English-language consultant for the Faculty of Letters at the University of Quarzazate. She will study Arabic during an intensive two week in-country orientation program in Rabat and will continue to take Arabic language classes once she is settled in Quarzazate. She is the daughter of Andrejs and Joanne Sedriks and a Lawrence High School graduate.

From Lawrence 66049
Emelia C. Brooke is pursuing a master’s degree in marketing and has received a Fulbright-Garcia Robles Binational Business Grant to Mexico. Brooke, who earned two bachelor’s in Spanish and Marketing in spring 2010, will spend part of her Fulbright year attending relevant classes at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico. She also will intern with a firm that operates several restaurants in Mexico City. Brooke plans to study Mexican consumer values, beliefs and expectations to achieve a better understanding of international marketing and business. She is the daughter of James and Magdalene Brooke and a Lawrence Free State High School graduate.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Olathe 66062
James M. Landes, a doctoral student in German, received a German Academic Exchange Service Study Scholarship for graduate study at the University of Augsburg. Landes is researching late 18th century literature. His dissertation will examine the new interpretation of the Faust legend as depicted in Urfaust by the great German author, Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832). Landes earned a master’s degree in Germanic languages and literatures at KU in spring 2009. He also has a 1997 master’s degree from Marquette University in Wisconsin and a 1995 bachelor’s degree from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo.

From Overland Park 66212
Kristen Lea Reinert, a master’s student in German, received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship award to Luxembourg. She will be affiliated with the University of Luxembourg, where she attend graduate-level classes and will assist with English-language classes. Reinert plans to study Luxembourg’s education system, with an emphasis on its pedagogical approach to multiple languages and cultures. She earned bachelor’s degrees in German and journalism in 2005 from KU. Reinert is a graduate of Shawnee Mission South High School. Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships are offered in more than 40 countries.

RILEY COUNTY
From Manhattan 66502
Alina M. Scalora, a spring 2010 graduate with bachelor’s degrees in international studies, English and Chinese, received a Fulbright grant to China for a graduate project focused on the environment. She will research current grassland restoration policies and their effectiveness in reducing the rate of desertification in the Inner Mongolian region. Scalora will be affiliated with the Northwest Socioeconomic Development Research Center at Northwest University in Xi’an. As an undergraduate at KU, Scalora received a National Science Foundation Undergraduate Research Award for summer 2009. She is the daughter of James and Terry Scalora and a Manhattan High School graduate.

MISSISSIPPI
From Hattiesburg 39401
Andrew M. Hilburn, a doctoral student in geography, will conduct research in Mexico with a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship. His dissertation will examine the socio-natural relations of municipal solid waste production and management in rural Mexico. He will be conducting fieldwork studies to investigate municipal solid waste management at federal, state, municipal and household levels, describe the perception of municipal solid waste and its management as environmental issues and describe the generation and composition of municipal solid waste. Hilburn earned a master’s degree in 2006 from the University of Southern Mississippi and bachelor’s degree in 2003 from University of Southern Alabama.