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Press Releases | |
May 2, 1997
Contact: Jane Finalborgo, Joe Dionisio
Southampton Graduate Campus Sets Mark With 6 Fulbright Scholarships in 1997
(516) 287 8313
Fax: (516) 283-4081
Newsflash, August 11: Our 7th Fulbright of 1997! Six students at Southampton Graduate Campus of Long Island University have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships in 1997, marking the best single-year total in the College's 34-year history. Twenty-seven students from the College have received the prestigious honor in the past 22 years. This year's total of six scholarships is among the highest for any equivalent-sized college in the United States.
"In the last two years, Southampton has had nine Fulbright Scholarship recipients in its graduating class, an extraordinary accomplishment for a college of our size," said Provost Tim Bishop.
Five of the six Fulbright Scholars are majoring in Marine and Environmental Science, a program for which Southampton Graduate Campus is nationally acclaimed .
Harriet Fulbright, whose late husband founded the Fulbright program in 1946, will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at the 31st annual Southampton Graduate Campus Commencement on May 18 at 2 p.m. The vision of former Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright was to "increase mutual understanding" between nations through lecture and study. Through the program, 850 American students study abroad each year while 1200 foreign students come to the U.S.
Dr. Robert Danziger, the Faculty Fulbright Advisor at the College, can be reached at (516) 287-8410.
The six Southampton Graduate Campus recipients for 1997:
- Toni Ferrara, a Marine Science Biology major from Briarwood, Queens, N.Y., will travel to Australia for her 12-month project, entitled "Systematics and Pathogenesis of Fish Parasites from the Great Barrier Reef." She will evaluate new species of parasites, their effects on their hosts, and the parasites' life cycles, which remain a mystery to scientists. Ferrara faced financial difficulties as she prepared to enter college, when both parents had lost their jobs. She prepared to join the Navy as a means of pursuing her education, but the fates intervened when her father won $15,000 at an Atlantic City slot machine, which enabled her to attend her first two years at Southampton. After her Fulbright Scholarship, Ferrara will attend graduate school for Environmental Toxicology, then pursue a Ph.D. in Pathology. In addition, she wants to write children's books and produce films for the public. "Toni Ferrara will be an outstanding Fulbright Scholar," said Dr. Liddle, Marine Biology Professor. "The laboratory in Australia will be delighted with what she brings to them and with her willingness to learn."
- Bethanie Carney, a Marine Science Biology major from South Hempstead, N.Y., will travel to the University of Göteborg in Sweden for her 12-month project focusing on the effects of environmental contamination on Baltic salmon which are suffering from a syndrome known as M74. In the fall of 1996, Carney interned at the University of Oregon, where she studied the Bowhead Whale, and the bacteria inherent to its stomach. She also earned a fellowship to Charleston University in 1995 where she examined the effects of pollution on estuaries. "Bethanie has a stellar future awaiting her as a research scientist," said Sandra Shumway, a Professor of Marine Science at the College. She is a member of Habitat for Humanity, Tri Beta Biological Society, and the Marine Science Club, where she taught underprivileged school children. She has received a Merit Fellow Scholarship, a University Scholarship, and a Fort Johnson Summer Research Fellowship.
- Meredith Clinton, a Marine Science Biology major from Voorhees, N.J., will be at the Greek islands of Crete and Zakynthos, and the Sea Turtle Protection Society in Athens, for her 10-month project. She will conduct a genetic population analysis of endangered loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean. Clinton has taken advantage of many of Southampton Graduate Campus' unique programs. In 1995, she spent nine weeks aboard a 125-foot schooner for the SEAmester program. For the annual Tropical Marine Biology trip, she studied in Fiji and Tonga. She also worked two co-ops -- at Brookhaven National Lab, and at the Clearwater (Fla.) Marine Aquarium. In 1996, she interned at the Biotechnology Institute at the University of Florida. "These programs gave me direction and some valuable connections in my field," said Clinton. "Southampton Graduate Campus concentrates on experiential learning, so I never had to wonder what I would like to do after graduation."
- Allison Dwileski, a Marine Science Biology major from Rensselaer, N.Y., will travel to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama for her 10-month project studying two species of sea urchins in the Blas Islands. Her study will "contribute to the understanding of the factors involved in the coral reef community structure which may enable us to better protect this incredibly diverse but threatened habitat," said Dwileski. In 1994, Dwileski worked in Cambridge, England, at the British Antarctic Survey. Her ultimate goal is to obtain a permanent research position where she can study the ecology of fish and invertebrates in tropical marine ecosystems.
- Kristen E. Schultz of Burnt Hills, N.Y., won't likely forget her senior year at Southampton. Her Fulbright Scholarship makes her the first English major in the history of the College to win the prestigious award, and she also will be honored as co-valedictorian. Her 10-month project is titled "The Effects of the U.S. Military Base on the Women of Okinawa." She is studying Japanese for her visit, which was inspired by the tragedy of an Okinawan girl who was raped by three U.S. servicemen. "I am interested in what makes ordinary men lose their sense of reason and commit vicious crimes against women," said Schultz, who also will photograph the women and servicemen. In 1995, she received the Walt Whitman Scholarship for Writing. Her photography has been featured in books, journals and newspapers, and at exhibitions on campus and in Japan, including the permanent collection at the Shinoe Museum of Modern Art. After her Fulbright, she will attend graduate school for Sociology or Women's Studies.
- Matthew B. Sullivan, a Marine Science Biology major from Xenia, Ohio, will be at the Queen's University of Belfast Marine Laboratory in Northern Ireland for his 10-month project investigating naturally occurring substances in red algae which can be used to replace toxic compounds. The Fulbright Program also will underwrite his Master of Science degree there. His project has ecological and economic significance. Man-made items such as boats and turbines, which get fouled in salt water, often are protected by toxic paints. He will research natural anti-fouling mechanisms in red algae which instead produce safe chemical compounds. After his Fulbright, he will pursue his Ph.D. at a joint Biological Oceanography program between Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "I came to Southampton Graduate Campus (because) I wanted to save the earth," said Sullivan. "I discovered that this Marine Biology program was amazing. I fell in love with the ocean."
Newsflash, August 11: Our 7th Fulbright of 1997!
