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For an overview of the 2009-10 Scholars, please click here.
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Ms. Diana Arya
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: University of Oslo
Field: Education
Purpose of grant: My Fulbright project is aimed to contribute to a large research project coordinated by the science education department at
the University of Oslo. Specifically, I have been invited by science educators at the University of Oslo in Norway to share
my dissertation work from the University of California at Berkeley, which focuses on the benefits of scientific discovery
in texts for adolescent students. My project will include sharing preliminary results from my study as well as possibly developing
other texts of the
same nature.
Most recent degree/affiliation: M.A., University of Michigan
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Mr. Evan Axelrad
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: GenØk - the Norwegian Center for Biosafety
Field: Political Science/Environmental Studies
Purpose of grant: The proliferation of agricultural biotechnology in the developing world has made biosafety a pressing concern. Most developing
countries lack the scientific and political resources to enforce biosafety regulations, and industrialized countries are increasingly
engaging in biosafety capacity building projects in the developing world. I plan to investigate such efforts, specifically
the Norwegian approach, which is distinctive in its emphasis on sustainability. My project will involve research on biosafety
capacity building at GenØk - the Norwegian Center for Biosafety. I will supplement this research with Political Science courses
at the University of Tromsø.
Most recent degree/affiliation: B.A., New College of Florida
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Mr. Nicholas Balascio
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: University of Bergen
Field: Geology
Purpose of grant: Geologic records of past climate provide valuable information on the natural variability of climate and longer-term perspectives
on present climate trends. My research involves using lake sediments to reconstruct past climate and environmental change.
In particular, I am interested in lakes of the Lofoten Islands, northwester Norway, and their potential for understanding
the natural variability of North Atlantic climate. During the fellowship period I will be affiliated with the Bjerknes Center
for Climate Research at the University of Bergen.
Most recent degree/affiliation: M.S., Northern Arizona University
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Ms. Alexandra Bausch
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: University of Stavanger
Field: Chemistry
Purpose of grant: Throughout the academic year, Ms. Bausch will participate in environmental chemistry research and coursework at the University
of Stavanger. Working under Dr. Roald Kommedal, she will examine the fate and degradation of organic pollutants. Additionally,
Ms. Bausch will take classes in the Faculty of Science and Technology involving environmental technology and toxicology, as
well as implications of pollution on the marine environment.
Most recent degree/affiliation: B.A., Villanova Univ.
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Ms. Julia Edwards
Category: English Teaching Assistant
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: University of Oslo
Field: English Teaching Assistantship
Purpose of grant: I will be working as one of the first English Teaching Assistants to travel to Norway on a Fulbright Grant. In addition
to working with the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages (ILOS), I plan to work on projects that
connect the various cultures represented at UiO. I also look forward to learning the Norwegian language and furthering my
French proficiency.
Most recent degree/affiliation: M.A., Seton Hall University
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Mr. Kyle Elkin
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian University of Life Sciences - UMB
Field: Environmental Studies
Purpose of grant: Soil Contamination: Advanced integrated characterisation and time-lapse Monitoring.
Most recent degree/affiliation: B.S., The Pennsylvania State University
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Ms. Alina Evans
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: Hedmark University College
Field: Biology
Purpose of grant: Research on disease transmission is central to understanding and managing the diversity and resources of the polar regions.
In Finnmark, reindeer are a core element of Sámi culture. The prevalence and distribution of several diseases will be compared
between moose and reindeer to determine if moose are acting as a reservoir for reindeer diseases. In Hedmark, research will
focus on anesthesiology, clinical pathology and diseases of moose, bears and wolves with Alina's primary project comparing
several different anesthetic protocols in moose to determine which have the best safety and efficacy. She is also funded
by the American Scandinavian Foundation. Most recent degree/affiliation: DVM/MPH, University of Minnesota
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Ms. Stephanie Haas
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: University of Oslo
Field: Photography
Purpose of grant: Stephanie Haas is enrolled in the Culture, Environment and Sustainability masters program at the University of Oslo's Centre
for Development and the Environment (SUM). She plans to use her research there to inform a portrait photography project focusing
on the concept of Sustainable Development. Interviews with a broad range of Norwegians will be published along with their
portraits in 2010. The photographs and accompanying statements will examine the individual and national Norwegian perspectives
on sustainability.
Most recent degree/affiliation: B.A., Rochester Institute of Technology
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Mr. Taylor Jackson
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian University of Life Sciences - UMB
Field: Agriculture
Purpose of grant: Taylor Jackson will research Norway's efforts to pull sustainable agriculture out of the fringe and place it at the center
of food production. By examining sustainable agriculture organizations and policies in Norway and around the world, he will
do his best to learn from the mistakes and successes of other promoters of sustainable agriculture. In the process, he will
illuminate practical roles that sustainable agriculture organizations can play to make food systems more economically, socially,
and environmentally sustainable.
Most recent degree/affiliation: M.A., Arizona State University
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Mr. Robert Kaufman
Category: English Teaching Assistant
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: University of Oslo
Field: English Teaching Assistantship
Purpose of grant: As an English Teaching Assistant, Mr. Kaufman will strive to forge meaningful relationships between his students and the
English language and American literature. Additionally, he will be studying Norway’s progressive environmental policy at the
University of Oslo.
Most recent degree/affiliation: B.A., Brown Univ., Undergraduate
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Ms. Michelle McCrackin
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: University of Oslo
Field: Ecology
Purpose of grant: I am investigating the influence of atmospheric nitrogen pollution on biological activity in lake sediments. Specifically,
I am interested in denitrification, a microbial process that mitigates the effects of nitrogen pollution by converting reactive
nitrogen species to inert nitrogen gas. During my Fulbright year I will collect sediments from lakes in high and low nitrogen
pollution regions across Norway and conduct laboratory experiments to better understand the factors influencing denitrification.
Most recent degree/affiliation: MBA, University of Michigan
Arizona State Univ.
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Ms. Melissa Murphy
Category: Graduate student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian University of Science and Technology - NTNU
Field: Urban Development and Planning
Purpose of grant: Natural ecologies, effectively inserted into cities through urban planning policy and design, can create social connections
to the environment. Ms. Murphy will study the social and ecological implications of nature as infrastructure. Comparing Norway's
leading environmental and urban planning policies with the practices of less developed countries will provide groundwork for
understanding potential ecological solutions to universal urban problems.
Most recent degree/affiliation: M.A., Northeastern University
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Mr. John Nelson
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: University of Oslo
Field: Environmental Studies
Purpose of grant: My project is to study environmental politics, specifically land use policy, in the context of the Norwegian welfare state.
I will enroll as a visiting student in the first year of a Masters program in Culture, Environment and Sustainability through
the Center for Development and Environment. I will also work with a land conservation organization in Oslo to better understand
how one of Europe's fastest growing cities balances population growth with the preservation of public land.
Most recent degree/affiliation: B.A., Williams College, MA
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Ms. Megan O'Sadnick
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: The Norwegian Polar Institute
Field: Physical Sciences
Purpose of grant: Ms. O’Sadnick will work with researchers at the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromsø to analyze extensive measurements of
snow depth collected on two glaciers located on Western Spitsbergen, an island of the Svalbard archipelago, to determine spatial
patterns in snow fall. The results will then be compared to passive microwave data obtained over the same area to determine
how well the two correlate. Such analysis is useful in enhancing predictions of how Svalbard glaciers will behave in the future.
In addition, this knowledge can be applied to other smaller glaciers to better judge their possible influence on phenomena
such as sea level rise.
Most recent degree/affiliation: B.A., Wheaton College, MA
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Ms. Brooke Peterschmidt
Category: Graduate Student
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian University of Life Sciences - UMB
Field: Agriculture
Purpose of grant: Ms. Peterschmidt’s project involves studying naturally occurring compounds in Brassica vegetables for insect pest control.
The work includes identifying specific compounds, studying their affects on insect pests, and examining ways that these compounds
can be exploited in field situations. This research is located at the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental
Research, and coursework will be taken simultaneously at the neighboring Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
Most recent degree/affiliation: B.A., Oregon State Univ., OR
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Ms. Heather Taterka
Category: Graduate Student - UMN/NTNU Exch.
Period of grant: 2009-10
Norwegian Affiliation: Norwegian University of Science and Technology - NTNU
Field: Engineering
Purpose of grant: At the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim I will study atmospheric freeze-drying systems
to decrease the time and energy necessary for drying food products in professor Trygve Eikevik’s lab.
Most recent degree/affiliation: M.A., University of Minnesota Duluth
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