Pardee Center Announces 2011 Summer Fellows

Nine graduate students from across Boston University have been named Pardee Summer Graduate Fellows for 2011. They will spend the summer conducting research at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future and participate in a cross-disciplinary program of research on longer-range challenges related to human well-being. This year, in partnership with the BU Center for the Study of Asia (BUCSA), one of the selected fellows will focus his research on the study of Asia.

Selected from a stellar pool of nearly 50 applicants, the class of 2011 Pardee Summer Fellows includes graduate students from the BU departments of Political Science (2), Religion (1), International Relations and Geography and Environment (1), Anthropology (1), History (1), Economics (1), School of Public Health (1)  and the School of Management/Economics (1).

This is the fourth year of the Pardee Center Summer Graduate Fellows program (2008, 2009, 2010). Fellows from previous years have worked on a variety of issues and a number of the papers written by them have been turned into Pardee Center publications:

The 2011 Pardee Graduate Summer Fellows are:

alejandro-editAlejandro Avenburg,
a Ph.D. student in Political Science at Boston University and a Fullbright Fellow. He received his M.A. in International Relations from Flasco-San Andres in Argentina, and his B.A. in Political Science from University of Buenos Aires. Alejandro’s research at the Pardee Center will focus on the expansion of delegative democracies in Latin America and its consequences for economic development.

jen foth-editJennifer Foth,
a Master’s candidate in Public Health, concentrating in International and Environmental Health. She received her B.A. in International Studies from Middlebury College, and is currently working as a research assistant for the Pardee Center’s Development that Works conference. As a 2011 Pardee Graduate Summer Fellow, Jennifer will be conducting research on the role of public-private partnerships in disaster risk reduction.

santiago-editSantiago Gomez,
a Public and Nonprofit MBA student at the School of Management and also a graduate student at the Department of Economics. He has worked in the public and private sectors in Mexico, first at the Mexican Central Bank and later at McKinsey & Company. His research at the Pardee Center will explore the professionalization of civil associations in Latin America as a democratic anchor for long-term social development.

brian jenkins-editBrian Jenkin,
a Ph.D. student studying Science, Philosophy, and Religion in the Department of Religion. He is primarily interested in how science and religion interact at the local and global policy levels. His Pardee research will focus on the potential roles scientific axiology and value theory can play in global development planning and policy-making.

nataliemettler-editNatalie Mettler,
a Ph.D. student in the History Department. Mettler holds a B.A. in Anthropology and French from Macalaster College, and has studied and done fieldwork in Cameroon and Mali. Her work at the Pardee Center will explore the potential policy applications of local subsistence knowledge and practices in Sahelian Africa to ensuring food security and long-term environmental management.

chloe-editM. Chloe Mulderig,
a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Boston University. She received her M.A. in Near Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies and her B.A. in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies from Dartmouth College. She is currently conducting fieldwork in Fes, Morocco. Her work at the Pardee Center will focus on education and youth frustration in the 2011 North African revolutions.

kristin sippl-editKristin Sippl,
a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Northwestern University. Her interests include sustainable development, human security, ethics, and policy. Her work at the Pardee Center will explore transitions away from mercury use among artisanal gold miners in developing countries.

Jonars-editJonars Spielberg,
a Master’s candidate in the International Relations and Environmental Policy. His research interests are located at the intersection of human development, public policy, and the environment. Jonars’ work at the Pardee Center will focus on strategies for providing clean water and sanitation to Asia’s burgeoning urban slums.

Wing Tse-editChun Wing Tse,
a Ph.D. candidate in the Economics department with a focus on development and environmental economics. His current research is on the impact of environmental risks in disaster prone countries of Asia. His work at the Pardee Center will look at migration decisions and coping mechanisms post-disasters. Tse has been selected jointly with the BU Center for the Study of Asia.