UNL announces 2 more Fulbrights; students to Germany, China

Two more University of Nebraska-Lincoln students have been awarded prestigious Fulbright grants -- among as many as eight that will be received by UNL students this spring.

Racheal Strong of Grand Island will live in Chengdu, China, and Nick Ziegler of Muscatine, Iowa, will travel to Leipzig, Germany, for a year under the Fulbright Program, which aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills.

Strong graduated from UNL in May 2009 with majors in international studies and Spanish. She will use her Fulbright award to do research on sustainable and equitable economic development in western China, focusing on water resources and management systems in Chengdu, China.

"I want to look at how water pollution and sanitation affect the standards of living for urban and rural residents in Chengdu," she said via e-mail from South Korea. "I chose Chengdu as it is a major focal point for development in western China; however, it faces problems with water shortages and pollution. I will be exploring what can be done to create better water systems using sustainable methods. I chose this as my research topic because I believe water supply is a concern shared by the international community and a source of conflict in many areas."

She said she plans for her project to serve as a foundation to continue studying natural resources and development in law school.

Along with the Fulbright research grant, Strong was awarded a Fulbright Critical Language Enhancement Award to attend the C.V. Starr-Middlebury Chinese Intensive Language Program in Kunming, China, for four months before starting her research project.

Ziegler earned a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University in 2005 and is a graduate student at UNL in educational psychology. He plans to study in Germany the motivations behind foreign language learners and strategies in motivating people to learn new languages.

With four undergraduate majors: Spanish, German, political science and international studies, Ziegler started his scholarly career wanting to be an engineer, but his first study-abroad experience in Mexico led him to change his study interests.

"After studying in Mexico I started adding more majors, and I studied again in Mexico, then Bolivia for a summer, Spain for a summer, then to Germany," he said. There he met his wife, who is Japanese. She spoke no English, he, no Japanese; so they got to know each other conversing in German. Ziegler has also taught English in Japan before coming to Nebraska to study for his master's degree. Currently he's student teaching Spanish and German in Beatrice. Professor Ali Moeller at UNL is his graduate adviser and he will work with a professor at the University of Leipzig beginning this fall when he and his wife move there for the Fulbright.

Both Strong and Ziegler said their study abroad experiences enhanced their interest in international scholarship and travel, and they recommend studying abroad to other students.

"My biggest advice to students is to find your passion," Ziegler said. "Find it, follow it and be determined."

"Take advantage of every opportunity available to you while you can," Strong said. "Find out what it is you are passionate about and what you love. Sometimes this must be done through trial and error, such as doing an internship or working at a part-time job in your field of interest. Also, try to get to know your professors. They can be the best source for information in your field of interest, especially in terms of academic opportunities such as graduate school, internships, research grants, jobs, and so on."

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and founded in 1946, the Fulbright program provides funding for students, scholars, teachers and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. The flagship international educational program sponsored by the U.S. government, the program is designed to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries.

WRITER: Kelly Bartling, University Communications, (402) 472-2059