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4, 2002 ASU announces Middle East Studies Committee awards to students, faculty The Arkansas State University Office of International Programs has announced the 2002 student and faculty recipients of the Middle East Studies Committee (MESC) awards. The MESC annually awards faculty research grants and student scholarships to members of the ASU community. Funding for these awards is provided by the government of Saudi Arabia with the purpose "to promote understanding and appreciation of the Middle East." Student scholarship recipients can attend a pre-existing program in any academic discipline of their choosing or can design their own program. ASU has partner institutions in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco and is pursuing partnerships in Turkey, Israel and other Gulf countries. Natalie Bari of Jonesboro, a senior history major, will receive $4,000 for a three-month study at the Graeco-Roman Museum in Alexandria, Egypt. Bari will conduct an independent study of museum archives and Hellenistic Period archeology. Heather Evans of Swifton, a junior history major, will receive $3,700 for a five-week summer academic program at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. The program is entitled, "Crises and Continuity: Jewish Religion and Politics in the Second Temple and Talmudic Periods, 538 B.C. to 638 C.E." Nathan Schick of Paragould, a junior political science major, will receive $3,150 to participate in a five-week intensive Arabic language program at the University of Jordan. All scholarship applicants submitted a personal essay, well-developed study plan, two reference letters and a program budget. Faculty research grants enable ASU faculty to conduct original research in any of the countries designated as Middle East without restrictions on discipline or subject. Past faculty recipients have conducted research in countries such as Yemen, Jordan, Kuwait and Israel. Alyson Gill, instructor of art history in the College of Fine Arts, has been awarded $6,500 to contribute to dissertation research. Gill’s research for "Baths and Bathing in Classical Antiquity: The Influence of the Carthaginian Model or Later Roman Baths" will be examined from Alexandria, Egypt, Carthage, Tunisia, and Troy, Turkey. Dr. Gil Fowler, professor of journalism in the College of Communications, has been awarded $1,000 to conduct a research survey study entitled "An Examination of Cell Phone Use by Students at Kuwait University, American University in Cairo, and Arkansas State University: Who They Are, and How and Why They Use This Technology." MESC grants offer an unrestricted award of up to $6,500. Faculty research projects have frequently been published in international journals and presented at national and international conferences. Research results are presented each fall to the ASU and Jonesboro communities at the annual Middle East Night. # # # |
 University Communications Office Jonesboro, Arkansas Staff: Tom Moore Straley Snipes Vic Nelson 870-972-3056 fax 870-972-3069 Send mail: ASUnews@astate.edu Links: List of News/Announcements Upcoming Public Events About ASU ASU Home Page |
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