Fulbright New Zealand announces 2016 award grantees

Fulbright New Zealand announces the new grantees of its prestigious awards, who were honoured at a special ceremony at Parliament.

The Fulbright New Zealand programme promotes international goodwill and mutual understanding between New Zealand and the United States through educational and cultural exchange. Fulbright New Zealand offers a range of awards to New Zealand and American graduate students, scholars, artists and professionals to study or research in each other’s countries.

Grantees are selected on the basis of academic excellence, leadership potential and ambassadorial qualities. In addition to award payments towards study or research, grantees receive return airfares, a basic health benefit plan, enrichment activities and programme support during their exchange.

“By giving people opportunities to study, research, teach or present their work in top institutions, our awards open doors for tomorrow’s leaders and thinkers,” Fulbright New Zealand Executive Director Penelope Borland says.

“For New Zealand, it is vital our future leaders have broad exposure to international thinking and trends, and bring their knowledge home to share. We are proud to welcome this year’s outstanding grantees into the global Fulbright network.”

The grantees are as follows.

Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Awards

These awards are for promising New Zealand graduate students to undertake postgraduate study or research at US institutions in fields targeted to support growth and innovation in New Zealand. Ten awards were granted this year. These Awards are offered in partnership with the Science and Innovation group of the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment.

• Alexandra Sinclair from Masterton will complete a Master of Laws degree specialising in intellectual property and civil and indigenous rights at Columbia Law School in New York City. Alexandra graduated with a BA and an LLB (First Class Hons) from Victoria University of Wellington in 2013.
• Ethan Thomson from Christchurch will research ground motion simulation at Stanford University, as part of his PhD in Earthquake Engineering at the University of Canterbury. Ethan graduated with a BE (Hons) from the University of Canterbury in 2014.
• Hannah Griffin from Wellington will complete a Master of Public Administration specialising in Environmental Policy at Syracuse University, New York. Hannah graduated with a BCom conjoint with a BSc from Victoria University of Wellington in 2013.
• Harrisson Jull from Hamilton will research laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy applied to an agricultural robot at Nova Southeastern University, towards his PhD in Engineering at the University of Waikato. Harrisson graduated with a BE (First Class Hons) from the University of Waikato in 2013.
• Henry Lane from Auckland will research the phylogeography of the oyster parasite Bonamia at the College of William and Mary, Virginia, towards his PhD in Zoology from the University of Otago.Henry graduated with a BSc in 2011 and an MSc (First Class Hons) in 2013 from Victoria University of Wellington.
• James Major from Christchurch will complete a Master of Engineering in Geological Sciences at Cornell University in New York. James graduated with a BSc from the University of Canterbury in 2015.
• Chantal Juntao Chen from Auckland will complete a PhD in Neuroscience specialising in computational modelling of neural activity at Washington University in St Louis. Chantal graduated with a BSc (Hons) from the University of Otago in 2015.
• Mataroria Lyndon from Whangarei will complete a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. Mataroria graduated with a MBChB from The University of Auckland in 2011.
• Sanna O’Connor-Morberg from Auckland will complete a Masters Degree in Environmental Management specialising in Environmental Science and Policy at Yale University, New Haven. Sanna graduated with a BA/BE (Hons) conjoint degree from The University of Auckland in 2013.
• Sarah Neill from Auckland will complete a Masters of Science in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials, specialising in earthquake engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Sarah graduated with a BE (Hons) from The University of Auckland in 2011.

Fulbright-EQC Graduate Award in Natural Disaster Research
This award is for a promising New Zealand graduate student to undertake postgraduate study or research at a US institution in the field of natural disaster research. One award was granted this year.

• Alex Shegay from Auckland will research the seismic performance of high-rise structural walls at the University of Washington in Seattle, towards a PhD from The University of Auckland. Alex graduated with a BE (Hons) in 2014 from The University of Auckland.

Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Graduate Award
This award is for a promising New Zealand graduate student to undertake postgraduate study or research in the US in the field of indigenous development. One award was granted this year.

• Maia Wikaira from Tūrangi will complete a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy specialising in freshwater law and policy and indigenous rights at Stanford University in California. Maia graduated with an LLB (First Class Hons) and BA from the University of Otago in 2011.

Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Awards
These awards are for promising New Zealand graduate students to undertake postgraduate study or research at US institutions in any field. Six awards were granted this year.

• Ana Montgomery-Neutze from Kāpiti will complete a Masters in Social Documentary Film at The School of Visual Arts in New York. Ana graduated with a Bachelor of Design (Hons) from Massey University in 2004, a Postgraduate Diploma in Secondary Education from Victoria University of Wellington in 2006, and a Diploma in Digital Film from the Southern Institute of Technology in 2015.
• Clara Pau from Alexandra will complete a PhD in Political Development, specialising in community development and policy in the Pacific at Tulane University, New Orleans. Clara graduated with a BA (Hons) in 2012, a BSc in 2013 and an MA in 2014 from the University of Otago.
• David Bullock from Lower Hutt will complete a Master of Laws at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. David graduated with an LLB(Hons)/BCA from Victoria University of Wellington in 2012.
• David Green from Waitakere will complete a Master of Laws degree specialising in indigenous legal issues at Harvard University in Boston. David graduated with a BA and an LLB (Hons) degree from The University of Auckland in 2013.
• Emily Draper from Auckland will complete a Master of Arts specialising in English Literature at the University of Washington. Emily graduated with a BA (Hons) from the University of Otago in 2015.
• Jeremy Olds from Auckland will complete a Master of Arts in Journalism specialising in arts and culture at Columbia University in New York. Jeremy graduated with a BCS (Hons) from AUT University in 2012.

Fulbright US Graduate Awards

These awards are for promising US graduate students to undertake postgraduate study or research at New Zealand institutions in any field. Eight awards were granted this year.

• Clare Jones from New Orleans, Louisiana is completing a collection of poetry, specialising in the intersection between ecology and poetry, at Victoria University of Wellington. Clare graduated with a BA from Carleton College in 2010 and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2014.
• Daniel Coppersmith from Concord, Massachusetts is researching the epidemiology and prevention of youth suicide and self-harm, at the University of Otago. Daniel graduated with a BA from Brown University in 2015.
• Elena Perry from Bethesda, Maryland is researching how supplementary feeding affects the gut microbiome of the endangered kakapo, at The University of Auckland. Elena graduated with a BS from Yale University in 2015, and is currently completing a PhD at the California Institute of Technology.
• Eliza Oldach from Chapel Hill, North Carolina is researching coastal ecosystems with the Marine Ecology Research Group at University of Canterbury. Eliza graduated with a BA from College of the Atlantic in 2015.
• Kandyce Anderson from Indianapolis, Indiana is completing a Post-Graduate Diploma in Global Education, focusing on theoretical underpinnings of Kaupapa Māori Theory at the University of Waikato. Kandyce graduated with a BA from DePauw University in 2015.
• Lindsey Pointer from Fort Collins, Colorado is completing a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy, specialising in the role of rituals in restorative justice, at Victoria University of Wellington. Lindsey graduated with a BA from Colorado College in 2013.
• Matt Jones from Pullman, Washington is using empirical data collection and statistical modelling to understand the establishment of dung beetle introductions to New Zealand. He is based at the University of Canterbury. Matt graduated with a BS from Gardner-Webb University in 2009 and an MS from the University of Maine in 2013. He is currently a PhD candidate at Washington State University.
• Robby Goldman from Los Angeles, California is researching how the distribution and composition of primary volcanic features observed in the heavily eroded Akaroa volcano of the Banks Peninsula constrain numerical models of that volcano’s formation, at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. Robby graduated with a BA from Pomona College in 2015.

Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Awards

These awards are for New Zealand academics, artists or professionals to lecture and/or conduct research in the US for three to five months. This year three awards were granted.

• Matthew Stott from Taupō is undertaking research into the ecological, functional and taxonomic similarities of microorganisms that populate geothermal ecosystems in New Zealand and Yellowstone National Park, Montana. Matthew leads the Extremophiles Research Group in the Department of Geothermal Sciences at GNS Science, Wairakei.
• Nigel Isaacs from Wellington is researching the development of the first USA national building code (1922) and its impact on the first New Zealand national building code (1924) based at the University of Illinois with visits to archives in Minnesota, Iowa and Maryland. Nigel is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington.
• Rob Keyzers from Wellington will research the use of microbial imaging mass spectrometry to fast-track the discovery of new antibiotics at the Skaggs Institute of Pharmacy, University of California in San Diego. Rob is a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Victoria University of Wellington.

Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Scholar Award

This award is for a New Zealand academic, artist or professional to conduct research and/or lecture in the US for three to five months in a field of indigenous development. One award was granted.

• Te Kīpa Kēpa Brian Morgan from Waiheke Island is researching potential applications of the Mauri Model Decision Making Framework at the University of Hawai`i, Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Arizona. Te Kīpa Kēpa Brian is a Senior Lecturer at The University of Auckland.

Fulbright US Scholar Awards

These awards are for US academics, artists or professionals to lecture and/or conduct research in New Zealand for three to five months. This year four awards were granted.

• David Grainger from Salt Lake City, Utah is developing a new nanoparticle toxicity assessment model for the brain at the University of Otago. David is a University Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Utah, and active consultant for the global medical device and drug delivery research and development enterprise.
• Jake Vander Zanden from Madison, Wisconsin is researching factors affecting water quality in New Zealand lakes, based at the University of Waikato. Jake is a Professor at the Center for Limnology and Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Katherine Crawford-Garrett is an assistant professor of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of New Mexico. Her areas of scholarship include neoliberal contexts of schooling, teacher activism, critical literacy and feminism. Her research will focus on TeachFirst NZ, a programme that prepares university graduates in New Zealand to work in low-decile schools.
• Louise Davidson-Schmich from Miami, Florida is researching New Zealand’s female Prime Ministers (Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark) and teaching a class on Comparative Political Economy at the Victoria University of Wellington. Louise is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Miami.

Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence Programme

These awards are for US academic institutions to host overseas academics for a semester or full academic year to help upgrade and internationalise their curricula, give advice on faculty development and conduct lectures from a comparative perspective. Approximately 50 awards covering travel, living costs, insurance and professional allowances are offered each year to institutions historically underserved by international scholarly exchange.

• Caro McCaw from Dunedin will be hosted by State University of New York in upstate New York to teach in their Graphic and Multimedia design programme. Caro will give talks about current art and design practices in New Zealand to nearby universities and the wider community. Caro is a Principal Lecturer and Academic Leader of Communication Design at Otago Polytechnic.