2009-10 U.S. Fulbright Grantees to Norway - Scholars


	For an overview of the 2009-10 students, please click here.

	Dr. Kit Richard Christensen Category: Research scholar Period of grant: 02/2010 - 06/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: University of Tromsø Field: Philosophy Purpose of grant: Dr. Kit Christensen, professor of philosophy at Bemidji State University, will travel to Norway in February for a four-month research project at the Center of Peace Studies in Tromsø. While there he will study and write about revenge as an obstacle to resolving social conflict. He hopes to advance his understanding of human behaviors that tend to block the attainment of a more egalitarian, mutually respectful, caring, and nonviolent society. Current US affiliation: Professor, Bemidji State University. Ph.D., Purdue University
	Dr. David E. Cunningham Category: Research scholar Period of grant: 12/2009 - 5/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) Field: Political Science Purpose of grant: From July 2009-June 2010, I will be based at the Centre for the Study of Civil War at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo. My project will seek to specify the conditions under which groups in civil war will enter negotiations, sign agreements, implement those agreements, and stick to peace once fighting has stopped. I will develop new theoretical arguments and collect systematic quantitative data on allgroups in civil war since 1945. This project will contribute to scholarly understanding of the determinants of negotiation “success” and “failure” in civil wars, as well as to help policymakers understand how to design more effective responses to these wars. Current US affiliation: Assistant Professor, Iowa State University. Ph.D. Political Science, University of California, San Diego
	Dr. Kathleen Gallagher Cunningham Category: Research scholar Period of grant: 03/2010 - 7/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) Field: Political Science Purpose of grant: Rebels in ethnic and nationalist conflicts frequently target their own compatriots during their struggle against the state. This willingness to fight their own (not just civilians but other organized groups) calls into question the idea that ethnic or nationalist identity binds these individuals together in the ways we commonly assume (such as shared goals, values, and facilitating collective action). Most studies of rebellion ignore the wide variation in rebel group internal structure which is likely to affect rebel aims, tactics, and interaction with their opponents. For example, some ethnic groups challenging the state manage to establish strong rebel organizations while others are loose alliances of co-ethnics with different goals and methods. Moreover, relations between rebel groups and the communities they claim to represent vary widely, from groups whose leaders control their communities to rebel movements in which the leader is beholden to their population. This project will provide a systematic comparison of the internal characteristics of rebel groups and examine the effects of these differences on conflict processes. The overall goal of the study is to derive concrete policy recommendations regarding conflict resolution based on a clearer understanding of rebel group structure and behavior. Current US affiliation: Assistant Professor, Iowa State University. Ph.D. Political Science, University of California, San Diego
	Dr. Wendy Jean Glenn Category: Roving Scholar Lower Secondary Period of grant: 08/2010 - 06/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training Field: American Studies Purpose of grant: Conduct seminars in American Studies for Lower Secondary school teachers and students (Roving Scholar for the Lower Secondary Schools) Current US affiliation: Associate Professor, Education, University of Connecticut
	Dr. Karen M. Hammerness Category: Research scholar Period of grant: 9/2009 - 02/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: University of Oslo Field: Education Purpose of grant: Norway is embarking upon new initiatives to invest in the recruitment and preparation of teachers, paralleling recent efforts in the U.S. to increase teacher quality. Drawing from methods developed in the U.S., I will examine pathways to teacher excellence in Norway by exploring emerging policies and designs for preparing and recruiting teachers. I will study a sample of teacher preparation programs in Norway to understand the vision of teaching and learning; the role of practice; and features of preparation in each program. This work will provide educators with a detailed view of the terrain of teacher preparation in Norway, enabling comparisons with the U.S. and other countries. Current US affiliation: Senior Researcher, Stanford Doctor of Philosophy, Psychological Studies in Education, Stanford
	Dr. Thomas Chamberlain Hatch Category: Research scholar Period of grant: 9/2009 - 02/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: University of Oslo Field: Education Purpose of grant: While differences between countries in the outcomes of international assessments of educational performance continue to gain attention, the specific factors that might help explain those differences remain underexamined. In order to address this problem, I plan to explore the classroom and school level factors that are used to assess and explain school performance in several countries, principally Norway and the United States. I will also compare how policymakers in these countries respond to “lower performing” schools and what they have learned from their efforts to promote improvements on a large-scale. These analyses will be used to inform the development of more robust approaches to international comparisons that include multimedia documentation of teaching and learning, a broader array of classroom and school level data, and rich representations of student performance. Current US affiliation: Associate Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University. Ed.D, Human Development, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
	Mr. Jeremy David Jimenez Category: Roving Scholar Upper Secondary Period of grant: 08/2010 - 06/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training Field: American Studies Purpose of grant: Conduct seminars in American Studies for Upper Secondary school teachers and students (Roving Scholar for the Upper Secondary Schools) Current US affiliation: M.Ed., Rutgers University
	Dr. Jennifer Kathleen Ladino Category: Lecturer Period of grant: 08/2010 - 06/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: University of Bergen Field: American Literature Purpose of grant: Professor Ladino will team-teach an introductory course in American literature and culture from its beginnings to the present. She will also offer two seminars, one on modern and postmodern literature and another on the American West. Current US affiliation: Assistant Professor, Creighton University Ph.D. in English, June 2006, University of Washington
	Dr. Lanbo Liu Category: Research scholar Period of grant: 9/2009 - 02/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian University of Science and Technology - NTNU Field: Geology Purpose of grant: In collaboration with my colleague Prof Hefeng Dong of NTNU this study will focus on characterization of the shear wave velocity in seafloor sediments, with the use of the interface waves generated by the ambient seismo-acoustic noise in marine environment. Regarding the seafloor sediment as a system, the proposed project will use the ambient noise as the stimulus, a multi-channel geophone array as the monitor, and the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) adjunct with simulated annealing algorithm as the backbone data processing scheme, to tomographically image the shear wave velocity structure of the seafloor sediment. Along with sediment density the shear wave velocity structure determines the acoustic impedance, which is critical for pipeline consresources exploration and underwater sonar communications. Current US affiliation: University of Connecticut
	Dr. Scott G Lynn Category: Research scholar Period of grant: 01/2010 - 06/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian University of Science and Technology - NTNU Field: Biological Sciences Purpose of grant: Dr. Lynn, in collaboration with Dr. Augustine Arukwe at NTNU - will conduct research elucidating the impacts of global warming indicators (temperature, elevated CO2) on the endocrine effects of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation by polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds in Atlantic Cod. This study attempts to tie the direct effects of climate change to physiological endpoints in steroid biosynthesis pathways. In regions where environmental pollution (PCBs, dioxin, etc.) is particularly severe, reproductive impairment via a disruption of steroidogenesis not only threatens the individual survival, but also threatens the reproductive continuity. Current US affiliation: Postgraduate Fellow, Michigan State University Ph.D., University of Kentucky
	Ms. Lee Ann Potter Category: Roving Scholar Upper Secondary Period of grant: 08/2010 - 06/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training Field: American Studies Purpose of grant: Conduct seminars in American Studies for Upper Secondary school teachers and students (Roving Scholar for the Upper Secondary Schools) Current US affiliation: Program Director, National Archives and Records Administration MA, University of Houston-Clear Lake, American History
	Dr. Kevin Mark Simmons Category: Research scholar Period of grant: 03/2010 - 06/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, International Centre for Geohazards Field: Economics Purpose of grant: Over the last 10 years, Dr. Simmons has conducted research into the societal impacts of natural hazards. Thus far, most of the work has focused on wind hazards, hurricanes and tornadoes in the US. His project with the International Centre for Geohazards will use results from research on wind hazards to expand the overall research agenda to include geohazards, landslides, earthquakes and tsunamis. This project is being coordinated with the US Geological Survey which has a working relationship with ICG. The centre is affiliated with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute which has recently partnered with the Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery initiative of the World Bank. Current US affiliation:Professor of Economics and Corrigan Chair of Economics, Austin College. Ph.D. Texas Tech University
	Dr. Kevin St. Martin Category: Research scholar Period of grant: 01/2010 - 06/2010 Norwegian Affiliation: University of Tromsø Field: Geography Purpose of grant: The project will investigate how the documentation of local ecological knowledge (LEK), particularly via mapping technologies, works to support community and place identities as well as community-based development in “first world” sites. Current US affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Rutgers University. Ph.D., Graduate School of Geography, Clark University