US Fulbrighters welcomed to New Zealand

February 2006

US Fulbrighters welcomed to New Zealand

Fulbright New Zealand next week welcomes 16 top American Fulbright graduate students, Ian Axford Fellows and Eisenhower Fellows to the country with a week-long orientation programme in Wellington.

The new arrivals will be introduced to New Zealand, Maori and Pacific history, culture, and language. Seminars will cover the Treaty of Waitangi and New Zealand’s political system and public policy, and discussions of the academic environment in New Zealand, culture shock and foreign views about Americans. The orientation programme also includes an overnight stay at Waiwhetu marae, a visit to Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, a tour of parliament buildings and afternoon tea with US Ambassador Bill McCormick.

Nine recipients of prestigious 2006 Fulbright US Graduate Student Awards are arriving to undertake post-graduate study and research in fields as diverse as film-making, environmental studies, development studies, Antarctic studies, agriculture, ecology, resource planning and management, history and disability policy. This year’s students will be based at Massey,

Victoria and Lincoln Universities and the University of Canterbury. Three senior scholars will research the topics of gender imbalance, seismic modelling and stereotyping in the media at Victoria University and the Universities of Canterbury and Otago.

Three Ian Axford Fellows will research aspects of New Zealand public policy in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Justice, New Zealand Police, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and Victoria University.

This year’s Eisenhower Fellow will travel throughout New Zealand exploring community and economic development initiatives. Fulbright New Zealand’s Executive Director Mele Wendt says “It’s a great pleasure to welcome another contingent of American Fulbrighters to New Zealand. We hope they enjoy their orientation events and wish them all the best for their academic pursuits this year.”

2006 US Fulbright Award recipients Fulbright US Graduate Student Awards are for promising US graduate students to undertake postgraduate study or research at a New Zealand institution. J. Scott Fitzgerald is producing a documentary film entitled Flows Intertwined: Ecology and Human Impact on New Zealand's Braided Rivers at the University of Canterbury. Stephen Higgs is researching environmental mediation at Victoria University of Wellington.

Anne Jakle is completing a Master of Science, specialising in the viability of large hydro-electric projects, at Massey University in Palmerston North.

James Mize is completing a Master of Development Studies, specialising in natural resource planning and management, at Victoria University of Wellington.

Jessica O'Reilly is completing a Graduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies and research into Antarctic science, policy and conservation in New Zealand at the University of Canterbury.

Jeanine Refsnisder is researching nest site choice plasticity in female tuatara at Victoria University of Wellington.

Rebecca Reider is researching ecologically sound agriculture in market economies at Lincoln University.

Matthew Wittman is studying towards a PhD in History, specialising in the circulation of American culture in the late-19th century Pacific, at Victoria University of Wellington.

Adrienne Wiley is researching international disability policy at Massey University in Wellington.

US Senior Scholars Fulbright US Senior Scholar Awards are for US artists, academics or professionals with distinction to pursue research or practical experience in New Zealand for three to five months.

Tracy Camp from the Colorado School of Mines is researching reversing the trends in questionable network simulations and acute gender imbalance at the University of Canterbury.

John Louie from the University of Nevada is researching developing a Wellington community seismic hazard modelling environment at Victoria University of Wellington.

Mary Beth Oliver from the University of Wisconsin is researching media effects of stereotyping of marginalised groups at the University of Otago.

Ian Axford Fellows Ian Axford Fellowships in Public Policy are for outstanding mid-career US professionals to study and gain first-hand experience of public policy in New Zealand for six months.

Linda Blumberg from the Urban Institute is researching the effect of private health insurance on the cost of public coverage in New Zealand at the Ministry of Health and Victoria University of Wellington.

Susan Coppedge from the US Attorney's Office is researching human trafficking at the Ministry of Justice and New Zealand Police.

Saskia Kim from the California State Legislature is researching New Zealand's experience in safeguarding consumer privacy in a technological era at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and the Ministry of Justice.

Eisenhower Fellow Eisenhower Fellowships are for emerging American leaders to visit New Zealand to meet with local experts in their field of study.

Yiota Ahladas from the Community and Economic Development Office, Burlington, VA, who is exploring models of community and economic development initiatives around New Zealand.

ENDS

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