Pardee Graduate Students Awarded Travel Grants
Six students have been awarded the third annual Pardee School Travel Grants, an initiative of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University.
Grants are awarded via a competitive process, which encourages students to undertake path-breaking research around the world in order to further the Pardee School motto of Advancing Human Progress.
The 2016 Pardee School Travel Grant Winners are:
- Justin O’Shea, MA in International Relations and Religion: “The Pardee Travel Grant will allow me to travel to Washington, D.C. to interview several academic scholars in the terrorism field. My research focuses on the emergence of ISIS and Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham (JFS), formerly Jabhat Al-Nusra and affiliate of Al-Qaeda. I will be meeting with several scholars to discuss the context of Salafism and Jihadism in Syria and how it affected the rise of the two groups. I also plan to meet with a seasoned terrorism expert who can provide valuable insight into the future of ISIS and JFS. These interviews will provide me with important insight that will greatly contribute to the outcome of my paper.”
- Paige Pascarelli, MA in International Relations and Religion: “I will be using my travel grant to assist with my MA research paper, which looks at the push and pull factors underlying terrorism and terrorist group allegiance by looking at the Moroccan and Turkish populations in Belgium, and explores some possibilities for why Moroccans have been over-represented among Islamic State foreign fighters and networks. It will look at the question of security from a more psycho-social lens, analyzes broader societal issues like stigmatization, as well as relative strengths/weaknesses of intra-group relationships. It will also take into account the noverlap between criminal networks and terror. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to use this travel grant to travel to Amsterdam and Brussels to conduct interviews with notable local experts and researchers who work on these issues.”
- Michael DiMuccio Jr., MA in International Relations and Environmental Policy: “Thanks to the Pardee School Travel Grant, I will have the opportunity to travel and research ways to effectively get water to those that need it most in parts of the world where the effects of climate change are no longer remote. For decades, the much-discussed threats of changing climates have been seen as a problem for future generations. However, as years pass and little action is taken on a global scale, these distant concerns are becoming a reality. I am honored to have received this grant so that I can begin to address our climate problem and affect real change on the ground.”
- Tara Moore, MA in International Relations and Environmental Policy: “I will travel to Madagascar to research conservation policy and local involvement in conservation actions. While there, I will travel from the capital Antananarivo to two national parks on the east and west coasts, conducting research in both urban and rainforest environments. This travel grant allows me to be able to conduct qualitative studies of members of government as well as survey local community members to gather thoughts on the current political situation and conservation actions. With this research, I will provide a set of conservation policy recommendations for Madagascar that reflect biodiversity needs and priorities of the locals. I’m so grateful to receive this award that enables me to pursue my passion for conservation in one of the most biodiverse parts of Africa and the world.”
- Jack Davidson, MA in International Relations: “My thesis is focused on the relationship between Turkish energy policy and Turkish security policy, specifically how dependence on energy imports alters Turkish foreign policy. Turkish foreign policy has undergone significant changes over the last decade and a half, and though this is the result of many factors, the role of energy is key. I plan to travel to Turkey to interview some of the officials from the relevant ministries who have made this policy, in order to determine more clearly what factors have been driving this shift in energy policy and how it has related to Turkish security policy. I intend to arrange interviews with institutions such as Turkish Foreign Ministry, the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, and the Turkish Interior Ministry.”
- Jennifer Kelley, MA in International Relations: “Rwanda has the highest proportion of women in any parliament in the world. My Master’s thesis asks the question, “Why does the amount of women, in Rwanda’s Parliament, exceed the gender quota?” I have four different hypotheses as to why this has occurred. First, due to the increase in women’s rights institutions. Second, it is internally generated. Third, it is externally generated, and fourth, due to the gender demographic of the country changing dramatically, as a result of the 1994 genocide. I am appreciative for the Pardee School travel grant and the opportunity to travel to Rwanda this summer. The purpose of my visit is to observe and inquire about the traits Rwandan voters see in a leader and traits they see in a woman. In doing this, I want to see if there is a relationship between the two in order to help me answer my thesis question.”
All students will undertake their research travel in 2017. Congratulations to all award winners!