Graduate Student Research and Travel

UW may be a small school by the standards of major research universities, but you wouldn’t know it by the number, quality, and range of experiences reflected in our MA students’ accomplishments. Here is a profile of this year’s students, including the title of their thesis and the work on which it is based:

Jason Mundy. Following a year in Uzbekistan where he worked with farmers on water management in the post-Soviet era, supported by a highly competitive NSEP (David Boren) Fellowship, Jason’s thesis is “Water Management in Uzbekistan - Water Users Associations and Transboundry Watercourses.”

Jason Mundy peforming research in Uzbekistan

Jane Daniels. Jane spent the summer of 2003 in the Czech Republic to improve her fluency in the Czech language.She then won a UW Summer Independent Research Award that returned her to the Czech Republic in 2004 to do a fieldwork project about the World Heritage site in Moravia. Her thesis is “Local Impacts of International Cultural Landscapes: Preservation in Lednice-Valtice World Heritage Site, Czech Republic.”

Nigina Alieva. As a Muske Fellow, Nigina was able to return to Tajikistan where she spent the summer working with non-governmental organizations and gathering material for her thesis, “Trafficking in Tajik Women for Sexual Exploitation and Servitude: The Problem, Policies and Recommendations for Its Prevention.”

Shawn Bunning. Though fluent in French and Japanese, Shawn began learning Chinese and undertook several weeks of research in Harbin, China in order to do his thesis, “Female Paricipation in Rural– Urban Labor Migration in China: A Case Study from Harbin Women’s Federation Job Placement Center.”

Shu-Chen Wang. One of a long list of students at UW who completed the MOEA course offered for the past 20 years by International Studies in Hsin Chu, Taiwan, “Jenny” Wang spent part of the summer working in a firm specializing in immigration law in Los Angeles, providing material for her thesis, “The Significance of Employment-based Immigration Policy in the United States and Its Implication for Taiwan.”

Matt Maines. Working with Political Science professor Larry Hubbell, Matt traveled to the small island nation of Dominica and gathered data for his paper, “Micro State Foreign Policy.”

Rachayeeta Pradhan. Concerned about the failure of disaster relief to prepare adequately for women’s needs, Rachayeeta spent two months in her native India working with government agencies. Her visit coincided with the devastating tsunami of December 2004. She saw the destruction first-hand, an experience that informed her thesis, “Gender Issues in Disaster Management.”

Trent Bishoff. Trent is off to a PhD program in Oklahoma, but not before writing on Costa Rica’s shift from agricultural export-driven development to high-tech industry, described in his thesis, “The Switzerland of Central America: Globalization and the Role of the State in Costa Rica.”

Evgeniya Arzamazova. “Zenyha” came to UW as a Muskie Fellow in Public Administration, but shifted her interests to International Studies and is completing her thesis, “Skilled Labor Migration Policy for the European Union.”

Timothy J. Tappe. TJ spent 2004 in the Ukraine, working with former Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, David Nicholas, during the Orange Revolution. This is the basis for his thesis, “The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Ukraine: The International Context of Democratic Transition.”

Hong Zhao. Though one of the top students in the College of Business, Hong is getting an MA in International Studies, working on a variety of international economic issues, including the topic of her paper, “Learning Opportunities in Chinese State-Owned Enterprises.”

Elizabeth Wilson. With a strong life sciences background, Liz secured a spot in the Pacific Islands Field Training Program through UC Santa Barbara, taking her to the Solomon Islands in the summer of 2005 where she did interviews and gathered data for her thesis, “Socioeconomic Impacts of a Marine Protected Area: A Pilot Study of Baraulu, New Georgia, Solomon Islands.”

Sully Taulealea. Sully took his first MA in Agricultural Economics and his second MA in International Studies. He traveled to his native Fiji last year to complete research on his applied thesis project, “Feasibility Study on Establishing a Holistic Agricultural Market Center in Fiji to meet Domestic and International Market Standards.”