Fulbright New Zealand 2017 grantees include seven from UC
Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith has congratulated the 60 New Zealanders honoured as Fulbright grantees at
a ceremony at Parliament, including seven from the University of Canterbury.
“Fulbright New Zealand provides opportunities for promising graduate students to complete a post- graduate degree at an
American university in areas targeted to support growth and innovation in New Zealand,” Mr Goldsmith says.
“The United States is one of New Zealand’s top science and technology partners, accounting for approximately 25 per cent
of all New Zealand’s international science connections. The Science and Innovation Graduate Award is designed to support
the continued growth of this mutually beneficial relationship.”
Fulbright New Zealand Science and Innovation Graduate Award
The 2017 Science and Innovation Graduate Award recipients who are University of Canterbury graduates are:
• Lottie Boardman will complete a Master of Environmental Management degree at Yale University in New Haven. She graduated with an LLB
(Hons) and BSc in Biological Sciences and Philosophy from the University of Canterbury in 2014 and an LLM from Victoria
University in 2016.
• Hazelle Tomlin will complete a Master of Environmental Science specialising in Greenhouse Gas Management and Accounting at Colorado
State University. Hazelle graduated with a BSc in Geology and Geography from the University of Canterbury in 2016.
• Paige Thomas will research the impact of skill training on motor neuron disease at Columbia University in New York, towards a PhD in
Speech and Language Sciences at the University of Canterbury. She graduated with a BSc in 2013 from the University of
Auckland and an MSLP in 2015 from the University of Canterbury.
•Richard Hunter will complete a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering, specialising in space vehicle design and
optimisation, at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Richard graduated with a BE (Hons) from the University
of Canterbury in 2012.
•Sarah Nelson will complete a PhD in economics, specialising in renewable energies and the environment, at the University of
California, Santa Barbara.
•
The Science and Innovation Graduate Awards are offered in partnership with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment. UC graduates were five of the 13 to receive a Science and Innovation Graduate Award, which are aimed at
supporting New Zealand’s economic, social, environmental and cultural needs, and to build international science
connections. The grantees are awarded up to US$31,000 each year, towards one year of study or research in the United
States.
Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award
Alex Cheesebrough is the recipient of a Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award, and use it to complete a Master’s degree in
Engineering Management at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Alex graduated with a BE (Hons) (First Class) from
the University of Canterbury in 2016. He joined the UC Student Volunteer Army (SVA) in 2013, serving as Vice-President
before becoming SVA President in 2016.
This award, valued up to US$35,000, is for promising New Zealand graduate students to undertake postgraduate study or
research at US institutions in any field. Five were awarded in 2017.
Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Award
Professor Steven Ratuva is researching horizontal inequality, affirmative action and Pacific Island minorities at UCLA, Duke University and
Georgetown University. Professor Ratuva is the Director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies and a Professor at the University of Canterbury. Read more about his award here.
This award is for New Zealand academics, artists or professionals to lecture and/or conduct research in the US for three
to five months. Six awards, valued up to US$37,500, were granted this year.
For more information about this year’s Fulbright grantees see the 2017 Fulbright New Zealand Grantees Booklet here.