Overview of Our Grant Advisors

Travel Grant Advisors Overview of our grant advisors:  Regions: o Western Europe o Asia: Southeast Asia (China, Thailand) and South Asia (India) o Central and Southern America o Africa  Special skills/interests: o Music o Documentary film o Non-profit organizations o Medicine o Biochemistry o Global health o Journalism o Research: interviews, writing  Languages o French o Spanish o German o Mandarin

SARAH TAYLOR (Chair of Dean Rusk’s Grant Advisors) ~Countries of interest: India, France, with travels to 13 additional countries -Independent research: qualitative documentary interviews with refugees in Ohio

I wrote a successful Dean Rusk grant proposal in 2015 to study women’s rights movements in Tunisia, but had to cancel my trip due to violence in the country. I also conducted a grant in 2014 through the Center for Civic Engagement to create a documentary about refugees in Columbus, Ohio.

Email me at [email protected] to set up a time to talk about your grant proposal. Office hours by appointment.

KEELY BROWN Countries of interest: Ireland, England, France, maybe China and Germany Independent Research: Music and native Irish language study

I grew up hearing stories of my father’s travels all around Europe— it’s this that originally stimulated my interest in traveling, languages, and culture. Recreationally, I’ve traveled abroad to England and France. In the summer of 2015, I was awarded a Dean Rusk travel grant to conduct independent research in Ireland, which involved a study of both traditional language and music, and how the two are tied together in culture. In the past I have studied Chinese, and I’m currently planning on minoring in German studies. I’m also very interested in Russian and Russian history. I’m so grateful to be a part of this team and am eager to help in any way possible during your grant application process!

Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:00 pm Email Keely at [email protected].

YIYAO XIE ~Countries of interest: Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand ~Independent Research: Interviewing old veterans, capturing their stories

My name is Yiyao Xie and I am from Changsha, China. I am a Sophomore and a Math Major. This summer I went to Taiwan and conducted an independent project about the veterans of the Chinese Civil War. I interviewed some old veterans from the Civil War and collected their stories.

My expertise area is East Asia, especially China and Taiwan. And I would love to work with you if you have any questions regard Dean Rusk International Travel Grant.

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 1pm to 2pm. Email Yiyao at [email protected]

ANTONIA GILES ~Countries of interest: China (and other parts of Asia), Germany

I conducted ethnographic research and made a documentary I spent last summer in China thanks to the Freeman Foundation and made a video ethnography (i.e. documentary) about organic agriculture in Shanghai. I used the money from the Ernest Finney Patterson Award to fund my research in Detroit where I worked on an urban farm. I mostly want to edit the grants because I love editing papers.

Office Hours: 10:30-12:00 pm Wednesday and Thursday Email address: [email protected]

LAUREN GRACE (LG) HIMES ~Countries of interest: Nicaragua and Honduras ~Independent research: Internship and Independent Medical Research

Hi there! If you are interested in research in a healthcare setting or travelling in Central America, I would love to talk with you. I spent two months in Nicaragua this past summer, where I conducted a research project on the patient-provider relationship and spent time observing and gaining hands on experience in a private clinic. I so enjoyed my time in Nicaragua and cannot wait to go back to visit! I have also been to Honduras on a mission trip and hope to travel there again this summer as part of a medical mission team.

Office hours: Wednesday 7:30-9:30 pm Email LG at [email protected]

JAMES STEWART ~France (EXTENSIVELY) ~Independent research: Biology Lab Internship

I’m a French and Biology double major in my senior year here at Davidson. With the Davidson in Tours program, I spent 10 months abroad living in the central region of France. During that time, I traveled all across the country and made my way to a majority of the big French cities. I also traveled to many of the other Western and Central European countries, including Italy, Croatia, Poland, and many others. I am passionate about the global Francophone culture, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, and am interested in the role African nations in the post-colonial era.

For my Dean Rusk project, I put together a project that allowed me to combine my two fields of study, biological research and Francophone studies. I affiliated with a biochemistry lab in Tours, France and organized a three-week internship working on the relationship between smoking and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). I scheduled this research internship at the end of my study abroad experience in France. This strategy made the experience logistically feasible and cost-effective, and allowed me the opportunity to gain valuable laboratory skills and familiarize myself with the functioning of a French lab, skills that have proven vital as I look for research positions post-graduation.

Office Hours: 10:30-11:30 am Monday and Friday Email James at [email protected]

ELISE LANKIEWICZ ~Country of interest: South Africa ~Non-Davidson Study Abroad Program: Global Health Research

My experience writing an application for Dean Rusk was for the Summer 2015 cycle, where I participated in a non-Davidson study abroad program. I lived in South Africa and worked on research related to the medical system in the rural northeast through a global health studies course. The program was associated with Duke and the Organization for Tropical Studies.

Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00-3:00 pm Email Elise at [email protected] HAYLEY ATKINS ~Countries of interest: Spain, Costa Rica, Canada, and parts of Europe such as France and a part of Switzerland ~Davidson Study Abroad Program: Davidson in Cadiz

Hi! I'm Hayley Atkins, and I've had the opportunity to experience several parts of Europe, the most recent being Spain with the Davidson in Cadiz program, which was made possible through the Dean Rusk program. I have many stories to share about my experiences in Spain this past summer and how the Spanish courses at Davidson helped me to ease into the culture of the Gaditanos. I have also traveled with my family to Costa Rica, Canada, France, and Switzerland! I can assist students in their grant-writing process, specifically for those applying for study abroad grants instead of research grants.

Office Hours: Tuesdays from 12-1, Thursdays from 12-1, Fridays 1-2

Email Hayley at [email protected]