A global look at environmentalism.
A modern day epic journey in ancient lands. A lute-playing trek through Central Asia.
Those are the topics of three
seniors chosen as finalists by the campus committee for the coveted Watson
Fellowship.
Erin Kane, Maximilian Seel and
Adam Grode were being interviewed on campus this week by a national
representative of the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. The winners of the $22,000
travel-study grants will be announced in March.
Forty-three Union students have received Watson Fellowships since the program began in 1969.
Kane, of Southington,
Conn., has proposed “Environmentalism
Abroad: The Natural World in the Global Community” to focus on differences and
similarities in how individuals and societies relate to and understand the
natural environment. She would like to travel to New
Zealand, Ecuador,
South Africa, India and Ireland
to consider how, along with the U.S.,
those nations can share effective environmental efforts.
The campus Watson committee cited
Kane's background in geology and psychology. “This mixture of physical and
social sciences will give her a unique perspective on the issues involved in
conservation and resource management in the countries she will visit,” the
committee wrote of her. “She has done geological field work in several parts of
the world, and is a seasoned traveler. She is also an award-winning
photographer and an artist, with an interest in preserving the environment not
just physically, but in visual images as well.”
Seel, of Houghton, Mich., proposes
“A Modern Epic Journey through the Ancient Lands of Classical Myth,” which
would take him to sites in ancient Greece and Rome to “follow the footsteps of
the gods and heroes of classical mythology to bring alive the texts and
language pronounced by many to be dead,” he said. Besides using his journeys to
follow Roman and Greek myth, he plans to use his knowledge in Latin to
transform his journal entries into a modern-day English and Latin epic poem.
“The idea of a college student
taking an “epic” journey may seem outlandish at first, but for Max,
this represents a long-standing dream, and one for which he is very well
suited,” the committee report said. “Max has a deep affinity for the classical
myths, and takes an uncommon joy in working with the intricacies of their
language and forms.
“The ancient themes speak strongly
to Max, and he brings them to bear on modern problems in vibrant ways.
“Anyone who can make writing Latin
poetry and reading it aloud his passion, while still remaining well liked by
all, is truly someone to be reckoned with.
Grode, from Philadelphia, has proposed “Long-necked Lutes from Baku
to Bishkek: A Musical Journey in Central Asia.” This would have him travel along the
Silk Road in Central Asia, a route not just of commerce but of musical styles and
instruments developed from centuries of cultural syncretism. He plans to travel
to five Central Asian countries and, by learning to play the long-necked lute
indigenous to each, lay a foundation for understanding the region's rich
culture and musical heritage.
The campus committee cited Grode's
record of making his own path, starting the Arabic Workshop for 20 Union
students interested in studying the language, creating his own major in
Eurasian studies.
“He uses his music as a means of
developing connections with others,” the committee said. “He has done this to
good effect during a previous trip to Russia
and another to China.
In each case, his interest in the traditional music of those cultures gained
him access to social environments that normally would not be available to
western tourists.
“Faculty members who have worked
with Adam all note that if anyone can have a successful year in the former Soviet Republics
of Central Europe, he will. “
The campus Watson committee
consists of Joyce Madancy, history; Charles Batson, modern languages; Ann
Anderson, mechanical engineering; and Davide Cervone, mathematics (committee chair).
Last year, Nori Lupfer of West
Lebanon, N.H., was named a Watson Fellow. An accomplished aerial freestyle skier who competed at
the international level and performed on three tours with the Ringling
Brothers-Barnum & Bailey Circus, she studied “Circuses and Stunts:
Photography of Entertainment in Motion.” The adventure took her to Brazil, Switzerland,
France, Slovenia, Italy,
the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark,
Czech Republic
and Russia.