2016

Mauro Mussolin

Through his research project entitled Michelangelo and Paper as Palimpsest, Mauro Mussolin, professor at the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and New York University Florence, investigated the sources of Michelangelo’s graphic work as well as the lifecycle and uses of paper in the studios of Italian Renaissance artists. Arguing that Michelangelo’s use of paper was …

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Gladys Tutisani

Gladys Tutisani, of the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe, received recognition for her unusually effective programming; her persuasive exchange nominations; her ability to strategically innovate and expand cultural programming; and her willingness to jump into staffing gaps and mentor new officers. In response to her outstanding nomination, we have resolved to start offering a cash …

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Anna Offit

Anna Offit, of Princeton University, received support for her fascinating ethnographic study of ambivalence about the role of lay decision-makers in the judicial system. Despite being a pioneer in safeguarding representative jury selection, Norway is now considering doing away with the jury system. Anna seeks to investigate this decision as well as examine the relationship …

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Matthew Lee

Matthew researched of the causes of video game-related aggression, specifically the role of certain social mechanisms, such as game difficulty, user experience, community engagement and perceived social support, in encouraging or deterring anti-social toxicity manifested through cyberbullying and the intentional sabotage of other players’ experiences. Matthew’s findings contributed to his dissertation, which focused on a …

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Rick Ruth

Rick’s expertise and deep commitment to excellence in the conduct of cultural and public diplomacy have inspired countless ECA and State Department colleagues. Through a career spanning four decades, he has always focused on relationships with people—predicated on the respectful exchange of ideas and experiences, and reflecting the founding premise and highest aspirations of US …

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Vince Redhouse

Originally, Vince set out to examine the effectiveness of deliberative democracy and hoped to apply his findings to US political theory with the aim of improving intercultural communication and the well-being of Native Americans. However, Vince’s research led him to examine the legitimacy of the rule of the Australian government over indigenous people, which he …

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Tilly De Groot

Tilly De Groot, of the U.S. Embassy The Hague, received this award in recognition of a long career of achievements, including: the creation of American Studies degree programs at five top universities; the establishment, staffing and programming of the John Adams Institute; and work with Dutch Muslim and immigrant communities. Two of de Groot’s programs …

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Steve Giovinco

This award supported the completion of Steve Giovinco’s photo series Inertia. Photographed in southern Greenland, this series documents changes to land, ice and communities through images of the country’s ice-scarred earth, shrinking glaciers and modern and ancient human settlements. Taken at dawn, twilight or nighttime, these haunting images remind the viewer of the impact of …

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Ana Montgomery-Neutze

The 2016 Winks Award was granted to Ana Montgomery-Neutze, who is earning a Master’s degree in Social Documentary Film at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. After completing her studies, Ana aspires to be a New Zealand based documentary filmmaker, focusing on capturing the stories of the Māori, specifically those of her …

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Heidi Katz

Heidi Katz received support for a Masters degree in Learning, Learning Environments and Educational Systems from the University of Turku in southwestern Finland. She is used this opportunity to research school support of student autonomy and to compare teaching methods in Finland, Spain and Cameroon. Heidi hoped to apply the educational practices she learned in …

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Stephanie Jazmines

Stephanie Jazmines of Yale University used her time in Finland to observe and learn first-hand Scandinavian design and craft through the Alvar Aalto Wood Program. Our project support enabled her to visit historic wooden structures around Finland after completing these studies. After her Fulbright Fellowship, Stephanie planned on further honing her wood-oriented architectural skills and …

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Kirsten Santos Rutschman

Kirsten Santos Rutschman, of Duke University, conducted research on the concept of “folk” in 19th century Swedish music. During this century, Sweden’s boundaries changed dramatically, leading to a crisis of national identity. Rutschman’s research links this questioning of what it meant to be Swedish with the incorporation of folk melodies into various forms of music, …

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Tess Kurtasz

Tess Kurtasz, of the Pennsylvania State University, used her Fulbright Fellowship to situate the collections of Queen Christina of Sweden within the broader antiquarian markets of 17th-century Europe. By broadening our knowledge of this subject, Tess sought to illuminate the significance of art collecting as a sign of power and social status as well as …

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Robert Chandler & Elizabeth Chandler

Robert Chandler and Elizabeth Chandler received recognition for their translation of The Captain’s Daughter, by Alexander Pushkin (New York Book Review Books, 2014).

Aaron Poochigian

Aaron Poochigian received recognition for his translation of Jason and the Argonauts, by Apollonius of Rhodes (Penguin, 2014).

Jason Bahbak Mohaghegh

Jason Bahbak Mohaghegh was awarded this prize for his translation of Born upon the Dark Spear: Selected Poems of Ahmad Shamlu (Contra Mundum Press, 2015). Known for his voice of resilient defiance and political dissent, Shamlu is one of the most prominent literary figures in twentieth century Iran, evidenced by his nomination for a Nobel …

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Nastaran Kherad

Nastaran Kherad’s translation of The Neighbors (Austin, TX: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, 2013), by Ahmad Mahmoud, tells the story of a young man whose involvement in Iran’s oil industry in the 1950s leads him to discover that the world is bigger than the poverty surrounding him.

Janet Afary & John R. Perry

Charand-o Parand: Revolutionary Satire from Iran, 1907-1909 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016), translated by Janet Afary and John R. Perry, gives a new audience access to the essays and newspaper columns of Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda, which entertain as they offer a critical evaluation of Iran’s old political order.

Iglika Vassileva

Iglika Vassileva was awarded first place for her translation of the John Banville’s 1997 novel The Untouchable. This book, based largely on the life of Englishman Anthony Blunt, tells the story of an art historian who becomes a double agent working for both the Queen and the Kremlin during the height of the Cold War. …

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Bistra Andreeva

Bistra Andreeva was awarded second place for her translation of Stephan Kelman’s Pigeon English. It is the story of Harrison Opoku, an eleven-year old Ghanaian immigrant who, with his best friend, investigates the murder of a boy on the London estate where he lives. Read and interview with Bistra Andreeva.

Maureen Freely & Alexander Dawes

Maureen Freely and Alexander Dawes won the MLA-Roth Award for their spectacular translation of The Time Regulation Institute (Penguin, 2014), by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar, which describes the misadventures of the antihero Hayri Irdal, as tradition meets modernity in early 20th-century Turkey. In the words of Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, “Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar is undoubtedly the …

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David Edginton

Through his work in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Edginton has inspired countless colleagues and transformed staff roles. He has energized the U.S. Embassy’s engagement with youth and women and brought innovations to its arts and education programs. Demonstrating Lois Roth’s knack for finding audiences where they live, David also created a series of cartoon YouTube videos …

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