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Fulbright New Zealand is proud to welcome the 2024 cohort of US Scholar and Graduate Award winners.
Fulbright NZ Executive Director Penelope Borland says the calibre and quality of the 2024 grantees is as impressive as ever.
“Among this year’s cohort, we have a psychologist, a geologist, an engineer, a sociologist, a composer and conductor, and more. Each of them brings a specialist set of skills and interests, together with a wide array of backgrounds.
“And this is the great strength of the Fulbright programme—the breadth and depth of people and subjects travelling between countries. Every Fulbrighter has the opportunity to build and share their expertise and experience, while furthering our understanding in their fields of study and research,” said Penelope Borland.
Established in the US in 1946, the Fulbright programme is one of the largest and most significant educational exchanges of scholars in the world. Fostering academic excellence and people to people connection, the Fulbright Programme seeks to ‘bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs.’
This year, Aotearoa will host six US Graduates, four US Scholars, two US Global Scholas and two Ian Axford Fellows. Fulbright New Zealand administers the Ian Axford Fellowships in Public Policy on behalf of the Ian Axford Fellowship Board.
The full list of award recipients is as follows.
US Scholar Award
Alexandra Adams, from Bozeman, Montana, will research ‘Examining Models of Māori Indigenous Knowledge Incorporation in Health Promotion Programs’ at The University of Auckland.
Sheila Crowell from Eugene, Oregon, will research ‘Enhancing support for pregnant adolescents through a cross-cultural exchange of skills and resources in New Zealand’ at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington.
Matthew Lachniet, from Las Vegas, Nevada, will research ‘Fingerprinting the climate controls on Aotearoa New Zealand river water Isotopes’ at NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research).
Kira Omelchenko, from Kansas, currently teaching in Ontario, is a music conductor. Her project involves collaborative performances with students, colleagues, and community members, as well as co-creating new music with local Indigenous and Classical composers in New Zealand at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington.
US Global Scholar Award
Nancy Ann Neudauer, from Portlande, Oregon, will research ‘Connecting far corners of the world through Matroids and Creating a Network of Women in Mathematics’ at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington.
Brian Walker, from Fairfield, Connecticut, will research ‘Penguins and Microplastics – a Global Collaboration on Research Techniques and Population Education’ at the University of Otago
Ian Axford Fellowship in Public Policy
Rachel Levinson-Waldman, from Washington, D.C., will research ‘Social Media Surveillance in New Zealand: Landscape, Best Practices, and Guardrails’ while gaining experience at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Megan Seeds, from Hennepin County, Minnesota, will research ‘Strategies to transform digital experience in New Zealand’s social service delivery’ while gaining experience at the Ministry of Social Development.
US Graduate Award
Monica Dix, from Chicago, Illinois, will research ‘Drinking Water and Disaster Risk Governance in Canterbury, Aotearoa’.
Kendrick Hardaway, from West Lafayette, Indiana, will research ‘Preparing Communities for Climate Change Uncertainty’ at the University of Canterbury.
Gabrielle Langkilde, from Pago Pago, American Samoa, will research ‘Pacific Studies: Making Space for Pasifika Voices and Ways of Knowing in Academia’ at the University of Auckland.
Patrick Monari, from Madison, Wisconsin, will research ‘Determining the hormonal and vocal responses of a New Zealand bird to artificial light’ at the University of Auckland.
Melanie Schwimmer, from San Diego, California, will study for a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences and will research ‘Investigating Legacies for LGBTQ+ Women from FIFA World Cup 2023 in New Zealand’ at the University of Otago.
Panikaa Teeple, from Anchorage, Alaska, will study for a Master’s Degree in public health, researching ‘Tangata Whenua and their Healing Efforts from Historical Trauma’ at The University of Auckland