EducationUSA Weekly Update

No. 64 January 14, 2008

I. Scholarships and Fellowships

-          Undergraduate: Berea College

-          Graduate: Chemical Heritage Foundation Fellowships

-          Graduate Fellowships Available from Community Forestry and Environmental Research Partnerships

-          Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Offers Arts Management Fellowship Program

-          National Geographic All Roads Film Project Offers Seed Grants for Indigenous Filmmakers

-          New York Prize Fellowship in Sustainable Cities and the Social Sciences

-          Postdoc: U Hawaii Insect Evolutionary Functional Morphology

-          Postdoctoral Fellowship in Systematic & Evolutionary Plant Biology

-                 
II. News you can use

-                 Interactives: The Periodic Table
-                 The Harris School of Public Policy: Working Papers Series
-                 A Student's Guide to the Medical Literature
-                 Human Development Report 2007/2008
 

I. Scholarships and Fellowships

Berea College

Berea College is the only school in the United States that pays 100% of tuition for 100% of enrolled international students. 

I know it is hard to believe, but the truth is that Berea College awards admission and a four-year tuition scholarship (valued at over $23,000) to 30 international students every year. Ranked among the top private colleges in the United States, Berea College is committed to serving students with great academic promise whose family financial resources will not otherwise permit access to an academic program of such high distinction. 

 Admission is competitive. Each year we receive over 500 international applications for admission and scholarship. We rarely admit more than one student annually from the same country and almost never offer admission to someone who has already begun their studies at another university. The most competitive candidates demonstrate exemplary academic performance and considerable financial need as compared to their peers.

 Berea College has approximately 1,500 students, 120 of whom come from outside of the U.S. Our student body is comprised of students from 70 nations. Each student, professor and staff member contributes to a dynamic, exciting and progressive learning environment. All Berea students work on campus, in a job of their choosing after the first year, as a part of the educational program. Presently, 100% of the international students graduate from Berea within five years.

 Founded in 1855 with a mission to serve talented, underprivileged students, Berea College practices an inclusive Christian tradition which is expressed by the diversity of religious, ethnic, and cultural identities represented in our student body. Berea’s beautiful campus is located in Berea, Kentucky, where many people are interested in and supportive of international students.

With limited space, our goal each year is to enroll 30 of the brightest and poorest new students from impoverished or war-torn areas around the world. Please help us reach the most deserving students in your country by recommending that they visit our website at: http://www.berea.edu/prospectivestudents/international/default.asp. 

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Chemical Heritage Foundation Fellowships

Date: February 15, 2008

The Chemical Heritage Foundation would like to encourage applications for long-term and short-term fellowships in residence at CHF for the academic year 2008-09. These fellowships are for scholars working in some area of the history of chemical sciences, technologies, or industries…Contact: rbrashear@chemheritage.org

www.chemheritage.org/research/research-nav1.html

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Graduate Fellowships Available from Community Forestry and Environmental Research Partnerships

February 28, 2008 Graduate Fellowships Available from Community Forestry and Environmental Research Partnerships The Community Forestry and Environmental Research Partnerships Program provides fellowships to graduate students with diverse academic backgrounds from anthropology, geography and sociology to environmental ...
Contact: cffellow@nature.berkeley.edu
URL: www.cnr.berkeley.edu/community_forestry
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Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Offers Arts Management Fellowship Program

Deadline: April 1, 2008
 
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (http://www.kennedy-center.org/ ) Arts Management Fellowship Program provides up to ten artists and arts managers from the United States and other countries with instruction and experience designed to help them succeed in today's complex arts environment.
 
Fellows work full-time at the center in Washington, D.C., for nine months starting in September and ending in May, and take part in classes, seminars, and practical work experiences in at least three Kennedy Center departments.
 
Candidates must demonstrate knowledge of an artistic discipline(s), an aptitude for management skills, proven organizational and communication skills, maturity and confidence, and the ability to work independently as well as with diverse groups. A minimum of a bachelor's degree in the arts or a related discipline, and at least three to five years of experience as an administrator for a performing arts organization (e.g., theater, music, dance) are required.
 
Fellows receive an annual stipend of $20,000 to help defray housing and transportation costs. Course materials and reimbursement for health insurance are also provided.
 
 Program guidelines and application materials are available at the Kennedy Center Web site.
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National Geographic All Roads Film Project Offers Seed Grants for Indigenous Filmmakers

 Deadline: Quarterly
 
The All Roads Film Project is a National Geographic ( http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ ) initiative created to
provide an international platform for indigenous and underrepresented minority-culture artists to share their cultures, stories, and perspectives through the power of film and photography. All Roads includes a film festival, photography program, and seed grant program.
 
The All Roads Seed Grant Program funds film projects by and about indigenous and underrepresented minority-culture filmmakers from all reaches of the globe. The program seeks filmmakers who bring their lives and communities to light through first-person storytelling. The grant program is open to indigenous and under represented minority culture filmmakers, as well as filmmakers who can demonstrate that they have been designated by indigenous or minority communities to tell their story.
 
Grants range up to a maximum of $10,000 each.
 
Submission deadlines are quarterly on the 15th of each March, June, September, and December.
 
Visit the program's Web site for complete guidelines and application procedures.
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New York Prize Fellowship in Sustainable Cities and the Social Sciences

Deadline: March 7, 2008 Organized by the Social Science Research Council ( http://www.ssrc.org/ ) in partnership with the Van Alen Institute ( http://www.vanalen.org/ ), the Sustainable Cities  initiative is an effort to enable exchange and collaboration between the social sciences and architecture around critical issues of sustainability that are facing contemporary cities.
 
In 2008-09, SSRC and VAI, through the initiative, will support the New York Prize Fellowship in Sustainable Cities and the Social Sciences. SSRC and VAI seek proposals for programs in  a range of formats that function to convene social scientists and spatial practitioners for debate and dialogue on the topic of sustainable cities, with a focus on New York City.
 
All candidates for the fellowship must apply through the Van Alen Institute. The institute welcomes proposals for public projects from emerging scholars and practitioners in the design and planning disciplines as well as other fields in the arts, humanities, and sciences. The institute will award up to five Van Alen Institute Resident Fellowships and one Partnered Fellowship with the Social Science Research Council for residency periods of three months in the fall, spring, or summer of 2008-09. Fellowship awards include project support, work and gallery space at the institute, publication in Public Practice, a stipend, and a range of project production, research, and
programming resources.
 
 See the VAI Web site for complete program information.
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Postdoc: U Hawaii Insect Evolutionary Functional Morphology
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS: VISUAL TARGET DETECTION IN HAWAIIAN DAMSELFLIES and WING VEIN EVOLUTION IN FLYING INSECTS UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.

I am seeking two highly motivated postdocs to work on:

Visual target detection behavior, morphology, and visual performance in damselflies: The Hawaiian damselfly genus Megalagrion is an endemic adaptive radiation with extensive color variation and extreme ecological diversification in terms of breeding habitat (light environment) . Vision is important for foraging (identifying insect prey), identifying sexual partners (females are often cryptic), as well as avoiding predators.

Candidates should have the following: Drive and motivation to solve difficult scientific problems. Good communication/ interpersonal skills, good experimental skills and experience in either animal behavior, visual or neurophysiology, or kinematic analysis using high-speed video for postdoc 1 and candidates for postdoc 2 should have good experimental skills and experience with microscopy, kinematic analysis using high-speed video, or morphometrics with experience with image analysis. Demonstrated ability to do field and lab work. Self-starter and creative problem-solver. Both postdocs must have some familiarity with scientific computer programming and excellent quantitative skills. Desirable qualifications: Candidates experienced in the R programming language and with solid data analysis skills are preferred. Candidates interested in extending the project to address major questions in behavior, sensory physiology, or evolutionary ecology are particularly welcome. Fabrication skills. Experience with insects a plus.  Candidates interested in extending the project to address major questions in behavior, sensory physiology, or evolutionary ecology are particularly welcome.

The Butler lab is in the Department of Zoology at the University of Hawaii, studies the evolution of morphology from functional, structural, and adaptive (evolutionary) perspectives. Other projects in the lab include: the evolution of sexual dimorphism in lizards and damselflies, locomotor biomechanics and the physical effects of pregnancy in lizards, opsin evolution in damselflies, and direct modeling approaches to phylogenetic comparative methods.

We have a dynamic network of colleagues and resources available via: the Bishop Museum, Pacific Biomedical Research Center Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Kewalo Marine Laboratory, Pacific Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Research as well as the Bekesey Laboratory of Neurobiology.

Appointment is initially for one year, renewable for second year based on satisfactory performance. Competitive stipend. Start date flexible. Positions subject to availability of funds.

E-mail inquiries are welcome to mbutler@hawaii. edu Applications (preferably by e-mail) should include cover letter, CV, names and contact info for 3 references, pdf's of two most significant publications or manuscripts. Review of applications begins February 1.

http://www.hawaii.edu/zoology/faculty/butler.html
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~mbutler
http://www.hawaii.edu/zoology/

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Postdoctoral Fellowship in Systematic & Evolutionary Plant Biology
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden invites applications for the Fletcher Jones Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Botany.

Applications for this full-time position are solicited from individuals with a primary interest in, and commitment to, active field-, lab- and/or collection-oriented research in the systematic, phylogenetics, or evolution of vascular plants using contemporary techniques. We seek an individual who will bring an exciting and innovative project that will complement and extend on-going research activities, and who will interact extensively with scientists, students, and professional staff.
The Garden's Research Department is home to staff scientists who are also faculty members at Claremont Graduate University; 14 graduate students; and facilities that include laboratories (molecular and structural, including SEM); an herbarium of more than 1.1 million plant specimens, almost entirely of vascular plants; an excellent research library; and extensive plant growth facilities.
For additional information about Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and its Research Department, please visit http://www.rsabg. org or communicate with any of the department's faculty. Candidates must have their Ph.D. prior to beginning the position. This is a one year position with possible extension to two years based on
performance. The position carries a competitive salary ($39,000) and a budget of $5,000 per year for research expenses. Regular employment at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden is for no specified period of time; conditions and status of employment (hours, pay, title, duties, etc.) are subject to change at any time. Employees, and likewise RSABG, are free to end the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without notice or cause, unless otherwise prohibited by law.
 
To apply, send a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae, and a brief research proposal (no more than 10 pages all inclusive). The proposal should clearly indicate how the project both extends the applicant's dissertation research and fits into his/her long-term plans. Please also include the names, addresses (including e-mail), and telephone numbers of three references. Send applications to: Ms. Alex Charlap, Fletcher Jones Postdoc Search, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont, CA 91711. Applications will be considered beginning Feb. 15, 2007 for a starting date in mid to late 2008.

j.travis.columbus@ cgu.edu
 

II. News you can use
 

Interactives: The Periodic Table

The Harris School of Public Policy: Working Papers Series

A Student's Guide to the Medical Literature

Human Development Report 2007/2008

Interactives: The Periodic Table

http://www.learner.org/interactives/periodic/index.html

It can be tricky to remember the position of lanthanides within the periodic table of elements, but this interactive feature from Annenberg Media's "Interactive" series will keep students in the know about those so-called "rare earth" elements. This particular feature begins with "Atomic Basics", which provides an overview of the atom and its various functions. After completing this section, visitors can test their knowledge with the "Name That Atom" game. The game is full of protons, neutrons, and electrons, but it should be no problem for students who've been paying attention to this lively exploration of the atom. Moving on through the site, visitors will learn about the periodic table's organization, isotopes, and the groups within the table, all the way from the alkali metals to the boron family.

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The Harris School of Public Policy: Working Papers Series

A Student's Guide to the Medical Literature

Human Development Report 2007/2008

http://harrisschool.uchicago.edu/About/publications/working%2Dpapers/

A number of public policy schools across the world have a working papers series, and quite a few of them offer these documents online at no charge. The Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago has offered their working papers on this site for several years now, and visitors with a penchant for national and international policy issues will probably want to make several return visits to this site. Visitors can conduct a full document keyword search or also browse the series by author, date, or subject. Some recent papers of note include "Consumption and Income Poverty for those 65 and Over" and "Food Stamps, Unemployment Insurance, and the Safety Net".

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A Student's Guide to the Medical Literature

http://grinch.uchsc.edu/sg/

As any new medical student knows, exploring the existing medical literature can be a real challenge. Fortunately, this site offered by the University of Colorado’s Health Sciences Center provides a nice guide to navigating these potentially treacherous waters. Created by a fourth year medical student, Katherine McLucas, the guide begins with a short tutorial that outlines a simple four-step approach to reading medical literature. Additionally, the site also includes a section on search strategies, an interactive glossary with hyperlinked terms, and version of the guide that can be used on a PDA. Overall, the site is well-thought out and executed, and is something that medical students will want to revisit when they are in need of some assistance.

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Human Development Report 2007/2008

http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_complete.pdf

Released biennially by the United Nations Development Programme, the Human Development Report offers informed commentary and analysis of issues that affect humans across the world. In past years, the report has dealt with civil wars, starvation, economic growth, gender inequality, and a wide range of pressing matters. Released at the end of November 2007, this edition of the Human Development Report takes on the development impact of climate change "that could bring unprecedented reversals in poverty reduction, nutrition, health and education." The 399-page report offers a portrait of the challenges presented by widespread climate changes by looking at growth in certain parts of the world, growing carbon footprints, and how developing and developed nations might mitigate some of these changes.

www.educationusa.state.gov

www.educationusa-mena.org