Two Portland State University (PSU) students, Eric Wynkoop and Alder Phillips, have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student scholarships to study abroad. Wynkoop will study Anthropology in India and Phillips will study Public Administration and Policy in Mexico.

Wynkoop and Phillips are among over 1,200 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2006-2007 academic year through the Fulbright Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential.

Wynkoop leaves for Mumbai, India, in mid-September where he will be investigating how caste, socio-economics, religion and health concerns influence food choices in urban India. The study will largely be on identity, and individual and group orientation through the lens of food. Wynkoop hopes to address the ways in which home-cooked meals facilitate relationships across space and time.

Phillips is currently based in Oaxaca City, Mexico, and is also conducting research in two rural communities outside Oaxaca City. Her research is focused on microfinancing, specifically looking at whether or not such programs are helping to offset the impacts of globalization and curb urban migration in rural communities. She will also be looking at how microfinance programs are affecting gender roles, family dynamics and power within households.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education. Fulbright recipients are among over 30,000 individuals participation in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year.

Since its inception, the Fulbright Program had exchanged approximately 273,500 people – 102,900 Americans who have studied, taught or researched abroad and 170,600 students, scholars and teachers from other countries who have engaged in similar activities in the United States. The program operates in over 150 countries worldwide.

For Immediate Release (#06-103)

Source: Debra Clemans (503-725-5859)
PSU Office of International Affairs