2002 Wheaton Scholars
Four Wheaton students won academic awards in 2002. Their interests were wide-ranging: Acadian culture and music; German drama; water management practices in Zambia, Africa; and the dielectric properties of pyridine in solvents.
The scholars are:
- Brooke Bisson, Fulbright Scholar
- Laura Jones, DAAD Scholar
- Anastasia Pano, ACS Brauner Memorial Book Prize Undergraduate Research Award
- Anna Schulz, Fulbright Scholar
Brooke Bisson '02
2002 Fulbright Scholar
Yarmouth, Maine
A double major in English literature and music, Brooke Bisson won a Fulbright award to explore Acadian culture and folk music in Nova Scotia. ''Acadians are the largest non-English minority group in Maine,'' Bisson said. ''The question that interests me and many other people of Acadian descent is what defines music as being Acadian. How is it different from being French-Canadian, Cajun, or Quebecois?'' Through past research, which included interviews with her grandmother, a native of Prince Edward Island, Bisson learned how the shared U.S./Canadian history of the Acadian people became an inspiration for many Acadian songs and ballads. Bisson's Fulbright scholarship supported her work on a master's degree at Nova Scotia's St. Mary's University. After completing her degree, Bisson planned to work for an arts and culture organization celebrating and showcasing Acadian culture in Maine.
Laura Jones '03
DAAD Scholar
Freedom, Maine
German major Laura Jones was awarded a prestigious DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) award in support of a directing and dramaturgy internship at Hamburg's Thalia Theater for 2002-2003. The $2,000 undergraduate scholarship is modeled on the U.S. Fulbright scholarship program. ''My work in German is part sincere interest and part that I just found myself on this incredible path,'' commented Jones, who speaks German, Italian and some Finnish. ''My mother is from Finland. Language has always been very important in my family.'' Jones has a minor in Italian and studied in Bologna in fall 2001, but it was her extraordinary work in German theater that earned her accolades on campus and from DAAD. During her Wheaton career, Jones wrote and directed several plays entirely in German, including Berlin, Berlin and Publikums Beschinpfung (Insulting the Audience), and her work won Mount Holyoke's German theatre festival in both 2000 and 2001.
Anastasia Pano '02
ACS Brauner Memorial Book Prize Undergraduate Award
Worcester, Mass.
Wheaton graduate Anastasia Pano was the first recipient of the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society's (ACS) Phyllis A. Brauner Memorial Book Prize Undergraduate Research Award. Each year the Northeastern Section organizes a research symposium for undergraduates, graduates and postdocs to present their research in a poster session; six of the 60 students are asked to make a presentation as well. Pano spoke about her research with Wheaton Professor Herb Ellison on the dielectric properties of pyridine in different solvents, an investigation important to the understanding of the structure of matter. ''I felt honored but scared, and my professors and mentors not only convinced me that I should have no doubts and accept it, but they worked for days with me on the presentation,'' Pano said. ''This collaborative environment led us not only to take the first prize at Boston University on that Saturday and many other awards, but also to succeed in the real world.''
Anna Schulz '02
2002 Fulbright Scholar
International relations and political science major Anna Schultz won a Fulbright Scholarship to embark on a study of integrated water management practices in Zambia, Africa. Schulz shaped her Wheaton experience through internships and fellowships in Geneva, Switzerland, Egypt, Tanzania and the White House. ''Water scarcity and water stress are crucial issues in Africa, maybe more than anywhere else in the world,'' Schulz said. ''Zambia is a particularly interesting region to study because it is a multi-national river basin.'' Schulz was accepted to the University of Dundee (Scotland) to study toward a master's in international water law and policy following her year of research in Africa.