UI international studies and German major Madeline Kaiser, a native of Orono, MN, was awarded a United States Teaching Assistantship at Austrian Secondary Schools and will headed to Vienna this fall to teach at two secondary schools. 

Funds will be used for research, writing, teaching abroad

Meet a few of this year's recipients

As an elementary education major with an added endorsement in teaching English as a second language (ESL) and a minor in Spanish, Henry Hartzler envisions his English Teaching Assistantship to the Asturias region of Spain will deepen his ability to work with Spanish-speaking immigrant students in the future. Hartzler, an avid rock climber, also plans to organize an after-school youth climbing club.

Three UI undergraduates awarded prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

English courses that introduced Katherine Will to Spanish literature sparked her interest to develop her writing in two languages. As a language-learning assistant in Argentina, Will plans to use her Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to promote an appreciation for language and dialect diversity.

Samantha Westphal envisions starting a student health club in Argentina with her Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. Westphal also plans to promote peace and cultural exchange through education as a teaching assistant at teacher-training colleges.

A Fulbright U.S. Student Program Study/Research award will allow Scott Sulzener to conduct research critical to his dissertation on Protestant convents that existed in Germany more than a century ago. Sulzener plans to use his Fulbright grant to explore the intersection of gender and power in the German provinces.

Many different experiences with UI international students from China and Taiwan interested Kelsey O'Donnell to understand Taiwanese culture and language. She credits these deep relationships with providing new perspectives on life, education, and the world. With a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, O’Donnell plans to teach at local schools and volunteer with the Girl Scouts of Taiwan.

Hodna Nuernberg is a literary translator and voracious reader of North African literature. She is excited to expose students in Morocco to contemporary American authors and, in turn, become a more sensitive translator and advocate for Maghrebian literature.

Lisa Miles will travel throughout the Indonesian archipelago to study traditional beaten bark papermaking, printmaking, and natural dyeing still practiced in the region by contemporary artisans. She will create a series of one-of-a-kind bark paper artist books as a response to her experiences. To engage with the local community, she will offer free papermaking and bookbinding workshops to the public.

Recognizing that science, at its core, is an international effort, Nicholas McCarty will use his Fulbright Program Partnership Award grant to conduct research on a global stage and foster collaborations with European scientists in the United Kingdom. McCarty’s ultimate goal is to make intensive drug production processes much less expensive in an effort to expand access for cardiovascular disease patients.