Fullbright-mtvU Fellowships winners announced

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, announced today the five 2008 winners of the Fulbright-mtvU Fellowships, established to promote “the power of music” as a global force for mutual understanding.

The Fellowships, administered by the Institute of International Education, were awarded to Melissa Adams of Emory University, Ainsley Breault of the University of Southern California, Katherine Good of Loyola University, Chicago, Spencer Orey of the University of California, Berkeley, and Alexis Tucker of Princeton University. Recipients were chosen through a multi-tiered, merit-based selection process beginning with field and discipline merit reviews by U.S. and foreign academic leaders and area experts. mtvU and musical icons Serj Tankian, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio, Wyclef Jean, and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahsreviewed and nominated candidates. Final selection was made by the Presidentially-appointed J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

The five Fulbright-mtvU Fellowship winners will conduct research abroad for one academic year on projects of their own design, around an aspect of international musical culture. Winners will share their experiences with their peers during their Fulbright year via video reports, blogs and podcasts that will be showcased on mtvU and mtvU.com.

Through the creation of this fellowship, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and mtvU are promoting the role of music in mutual understanding, invigorating interest in international education among U.S. college and university students, and furthering the positive impact of public-private partnerships.

As a result of overwhelming response to the latest cycle, the Fulbright Program and mtvU also announced today that they are launching their search for the next Fulbright-mtvU Fellows. Applications will be accepted now through March 1, 2009. More information is available at www.us.fulbrightonline.org.

Fulbright-mtvU Fellows Melissa Adams, who graduated from Emory University with a Masters in Public Health, will travel to Uganda to work on a hip-hop therapy project in which youth affected by war and by AIDS in Northern Uganda learn to beatbox, break dance, compose positive rap songs and create hip-hop beats with local instruments. She will conduct an assessment of the children's needs and available resources and will use the data to determine how best to further meet their psychosocial needs through these therapeutic resources.

Ainsley Breault, who will graduate from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Communication and a minor in Cinema-Television, will travel to New Zealand to research the role of music in perpetuating Maori culture. She will conclude the project by obtaining a one-year certificate in Maori music at Auckland University of Technology, and will chronicle two significant Maori music events, sharing her findings through two 30-minute rockumentary-style digital videos.

Katherine Good, who graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Loyola University Chicago with a B.S. in Anthropology and B. A. in International Studies, will travel to Mexico to produce podcasts that anthropologically explore the Mexican youth renaissance of performing various pre-rock music styles. A folk musician and independent radio producer, Katherine will work with the School of Mexican Music in Mexico City and the danzon and son jarocho circles of Veracruz to document this growing cultural trend.

Spencer Orey, who will graduate from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Anthropology, will travel to Mali to study the rich tradition of griot musicians, who are considered living embodiments of cultural knowledge. He will research the roles musicians played in the Malian transition to democracy and what roles they play currently. From his findings, he will create a compilation CD of music.

Alexis Tucker, who will graduate from Princeton University with a B.A. in French and African Studies in May 2008, will travel to France to study how socially engaged French rap music and hip-hop culture have addressed the aftermath of the 2005 riots and the 2007 French Presidential election. She will produce a multimedia presentation and a documentary that reflect the political role of hip-hop in France.

The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is the world-renowned, flagship international educational program supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. The Fulbright Program has provided more than 286,000 participants with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, to exchange ideas and to contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Broadcasting to 750 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of over 7.2 million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students wherever they are – on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music videos from emerging artists, news, student life features, events and pro-social initiatives. For more information about mtvU, please visit www.mtvU.com.