KU News Release

LAWRENCE — Twenty-eight graduate students at the University of Kansas have received field grants and fellowships from the Center of Latin American Studies for language studies and research abroad.

The students represent 12 academic departments. They were honored at the center’s annual awards luncheon in April. Winners of the center’s graduate research presentation competition also were recognized. Elizabeth Kuznesof, professor of history and director of the center, presided and introduced honorees and their faculty advisers.

The awards included

— 20 Tinker Field Research Grants for graduate students to pursue international research opportunities throughout Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. This summer, the Tinker grant winners will conduct field research in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Spain.

— Seven Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships from the U.S. Department of Education for students pursuing coursework in Portuguese, advanced Spanish, Quichua, Kaqchikel and Haitian Creole. Contingent upon funding, the fellowships provide funds for tuition and fees in addition to a $15,000 stipend.

— The Stansifer Fellowship, endowed by Charles Stansifer, professor emeritus of history, which awards $4,000 each year to a doctoral student working on a Central American topic. Anne Kraemer Diaz of Cincinnati, Ohio, received the fellowship for anthropology studies in Guatemala with Brent Metz, assistant professor of anthropology.

— Prizes for five winners in the third annual Latin Americanist Graduate Research Competition. The awards are made through the Pierre Stouse Jr. memorial fund. Students are judged based on their presentations of research in fields related to Latin American studies. The judges included Stansifer; Robert Rodriguez, lecturer in Latin American studies and associate director of the McNair Scholars Program; and Robert Timm, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and associate curator at the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Institute.

Funds for the Stansifer and graduate research competition awards are managed by KU Endowment, the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

Honored students are listed below by hometown, level in school, parents’ names and previous schools attended and award.

CLAY COUNTY
From Longford 67458
Adam K. Benfer, master’s student in anthropology; son of Kevin and Karen Benfer; bachelor’s degrees in Latin American studies and anthropology from KU, spring 2009; Tinker Field Research Grant for Costa Rica.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence 66044
Mara Aubel, master’s student in Latin American studies; bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University, 2007; Tinker Field Research Grant for Brazil.

Andrew M. Bailey, master’s student in Latin American studies and business administration; son of Jerry Bailey and Barbara Huppee; bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University; Tinker Field Research Grant for Brazil and Ecuador and Graduate Research Competition third-place master’s winner for “Overcoming Barriers through Integration: The Development of Ecuadorian Football 1900-Present.”

Mirna Yanet Cabrera, doctoral student in musical arts; master’s degree in music from KU, spring 2007; bachelor’s degree from Loma Linda University, 1990; Tinker Field Research Grant for Cuba.

Laura Lynnette Dornak, doctoral student in geography; master’s degree in 2002 and bachelor’s degree in 2000 from Stephen F. Austin University; Tinker Field Research Grant for Brazil.

Phillip D. Fox, doctoral student in history; master’s degree in history from KU, summer 2009; bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College, 2007; Tinker Field Research Grant for Spain.

Jodi Lorraine Gentry, doctoral student in environmental engineering; spring 2009 master’s degree in environmental engineering from KU and 2004 bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University; Graduate Research Competition doctoral runner up for “Application of Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems for Implementing and Managing a Water and Sanitation Project in Patanatik, Guatemala.”

Hispano Duron Gomez, doctoral student in film and media studies; Tinker Field Research Grant for Costa Rica and Honduras.

From Lawrence 66046
Pedro De Abreu Gomes Dos Santos, doctoral student in political science; master’s degree in political science from KU, summer 2007; bachelor’s degree from Baker University, 2004; Graduate Research Competition first-place doctoral winner for “O Pulo do Gato: Campaign Strategy, Finance, and Women’s Representation in Brazil.”

Lisa L. Rausch, doctoral student in geography; master’s degree in Latin American studies from KU, fall 2005; bachelor’s degree from Hendrix College, 2003; Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship.

From Lawrence 66049
Tiffany Dawn Miller, doctoral student in Spanish and Portuguese; master’s degree in 2007 and bachelor’s degree in 2005, both from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Tinker Field Research Grant for Guatemala and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship.

Stephanie Elizabeth Stillo, doctoral student in history; bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University, 2007; Tinker Field Research Grant for Spain.

Meghan Farley Webb, doctoral student in anthropology; master’s degree from California State University-Sacramento, 2008; bachelor’s degree from Centre College, 2004; Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From De Soto 66018
Jacob Reed Longaker, master’s student in political science; son of Rodney and Donna Longaker; bachelor’s degree in political science with international studies co-major from KU, spring 2009; De Soto High School; Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship.

From Olathe 66061
John David Lisenby Jr., doctoral student in Spanish and Portuguese; master’s degree in Spanish from KU, spring 2008; bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University, 2002; Tinker Field Research Grant for Cuba.

From Overland Park 66223
Stacey N. Burton, master’s student in Latin American studies; bachelor’s degree from DePaul University, 2007; Tinker Field Research Grant for Nicaragua.

OTTAWA COUNTY
From Bennington 67422
Andrew B. Norris, master’s student in geography; son of Scott and Kristine Norris; bachelor’s degree in geography from KU, fall 2008; Bennington High School; Tinker Field Research Grant for Mexico.

SALINE COUNTY
From Salina 67401
Molly Marie Martin, master’s student in Latin American studies and business administration; daughter of Tom and Teresa Martin; bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University, 2010; Salina High School; Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship.

CALIFORNIA
From Oakland 94601
Sydney Merideth Silverstein, master’s student in anthropology; bachelor’s degree from University of California-Berkeley, 2002; Tinker Field Research Grant for Peru, Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship and Graduate Research Competition first-place master’s winner for “After the Smoke Has Cleared: The Truth Commission and Challenges Toward Reconciliation in Peru.”

MICHIGAN
From Holland 49424
Regan L. Postma, doctoral student in Spanish and Portuguese; daughter of Carl and Debra Postma; master’s degree in Spanish from KU, spring 2007; bachelor’s degree from Hollins University, 2004; Tinker Field Research Grant for Mexico.

MINNESOTA
From Cold Spring 56320
Winchell Stephen Delano, master’s student in history; bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga University, 2007; Tinker Field Research Grant for Argentina.

MISSOURI
From Kansas City 64110
Emily J. Tummons, master’s student in linguistics; bachelor’s degree from MidAmerica Nazarene College, 1999; Graduate Research Competition second-place master’s winner for “Positional Roots in Kaqchikel Maya.”

NEBRASKA
From Fremont 68025
Erin Eleanor Sheridan, master’s student in Latin American studies and business administration; bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, 2008; Tinker Field Research Grant for Brazil and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship.

From Norfolk 68701
Kevin M. Freudenburg, master’s student in political science; bachelor’s degree from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009; associate’s degree from Northeast Community College; Tinker Field Research Grant for Spain.

OHIO
From Cincinnati 45242
Anne Elizabeth Kraemer Diaz, doctoral student in anthropology; daughter of Patrick and Linda Kraemer; master’s degree in anthropology from KU, spring 2008; bachelor’s degree from Ball State University, spring 2003; Stansifer Fellowship to study the relationship between development, nongovernmental organizations and indigenous and grassroots movements in Guatemala during the 2010-11 academic year.

SOUTH DAKOTA
From Brookings 57006
Taylor Adams Tappan, master’s student in geography and senior in geography and Spanish; son of Gray and Alison Tappan; Brookings High School; Tinker Field Research Grant for Nicaragua.

BRAZIL
From Recife
Clarice Fernandes Da Cunha Loureiro Amorim, master’s student in anthropology;, daughter of Rogerio Caldas Loureiro Amorim; bachelor’s degree in anthropology from KU, spring 2009; Tinker Field Research Grant for Guatemala.

MEXICO
From Mexico City
Andres Lira Noriega, doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology; bachelor’s degree in 2001 and master’s degree in 2006 from the National Autonomous University of Mexico; Tinker Field Research Grant for Mexico.