Fulbrights awarded to three OSU students

Monday, April 19, 2010

Three Oklahoma State University scholars have been awarded Fulbright Grants under the U.S. Student Program for the coming year to teach or study outside the United States.

This competitive program is designed to give recent university graduates, graduate students and young professionals and artists opportunities for personal and career development and international experience.

Jennifer Lawmaster of Norman has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany; Brandon McVey of Tulsa received a University Student and Research in Economics Award to study at Goethe University of Frankfurt; and Jared Crain of Woodward received a Fulbright Award for agriculture research in Mexico. All three students will graduate in May.

“Oklahoma State University is proud to have three outstanding students selected for these prestigious Fulbright grants,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “OSU has made it a priority to provide all our graduates with some type of international experience, which is vital for the world in which we live.”

Jennifer Lawmaster
Lawmaster, a Spanish and German major, will be an English teaching assistant in a German school where she may conduct all or part of a class, typically for conversation practice. This assistantship places students in overseas schools to improve foreign students’ English language abilities and knowledge of the U.S.
She will travel to Vienna, Austria at the beginning of May where she will spend the summer as an intern in the U.S. Embassy, and then transfer to Germany to teach from September through June 2011.

She has extensive travel experience in Germany and Mexico, and spent a semester in Austria where she attended the University of Salzburg. Upon returning from Germany, she plans to complete a master's degree and pursue a career in teaching German or Spanish.

“I’m not only appreciative of the Fulbright Program, but also of OSU—specifically Dr. Stephen Hallgren, Dr. John te Velde and Dr. Bob Graalman, as I received constant support and encouragement from these faculty members throughout the nine month application process. Fulbright is providing me with an opportunity to deepen my understanding of global politics, economy and culture in general, from which my future career as an educator will benefit immensely.”

According to Hallgren, OSU Fulbright Program adviser and associate professor of natural resource ecology and management, Germany has the largest Fulbright program in the world. In addition to the teaching assistantships, the nation supports 80 research awards and continues to provide very high support for international exchange at all levels.

Lawmaster, a 2006 graduate of Norman High School, is the daughter of Jack and Jan Lawmaster of Norman.

Brandon McVey
McVey received a University Student and Research in Economics Award that he will use to conduct research in monetary policy to learn why there was a long delay in Europe’s monetary policy responses to the current economic crisis and whether the long delay contributed to the severity of the crisis. He will receive a 10-month grant beginning in August or September 2010.

He has considerable international experience having spent a semester at the University of Basel in Switzerland and traveled in German and Austria. The year-long program in Germany will contribute to McVey’s career plans to research and develop monetary policy.

“My research goals fit well within the Fulbright mission to increase international understanding and cooperation, and I look forward to representing the United States while in Germany,” McVey said. “I know that the opportunities and experiences I’ve had at OSU will bring me continued success into the future.”

He will receive his Honors College Degree in finance, plus a B.A. degree in German and a B.S. degree in accounting. The 2005 graduate of Tulsa Memorial High School is the son of Eugene and Cindy McVey of Tulsa.

Jared Crain
Crain will conduct research with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico, during the next year on a project to develop and adapt an inexpensive nitrogen sensor for field application to improve nitrogen management and environmental stewardship. The goal is to provide farmers with the technology to reduce nitrogen runoff while sustaining maximum crop yields.

He will travel to Mexico in August or September to begin a nine-month program.

“The Fulbright award is a tremendous opportunity to work in international research and be able to learn more about other cultures,” Crain said. “This award will allow me to pursue research in plant and soil science with one of the premier institutions for wheat and corn research, and develop a network of international contacts in my discipline.”

The research center where he will work is where the Green Revolution began under the direction of Norman Borlaug, and several OSU faculty members have spent considerable time there.

Crain, a 2006 graduate of Fargo High School, is the son of Wesley and Marilyn Crain of Woodward. He will receive his bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science with a minor in biochemistry. His career goal is teaching and international research in soil science.

The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange program that is sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, currently operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. The term “Fulbright Program” actually encompasses numerous exchange programs for individuals and institutions.

For the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, students must be U.S. citizens with a bachelor’s degree or possess equivalent training or professional experience by the start of the grant, in good health, and have sufficient language ability as required by the host country and in keeping with the Fulbright mission.