EducationUSA Weekly Update     

No. 92, August 11, 2008

I. Scholarships and Fellowships
- Graduate:  AAUW Fellowships and Grants Program Information
- International Glass Art Fellowship
- Fellowship: Human Rights Watch Fellows
- Fellowship: Human Rights Watch 2009-2011 Aryeh Neier Fellowship
- Undergraduate: Washington State University International Academic Awards

II. News you can use
- Library Thing
- Wisc-Online: Online Learning Object Repository

I. Scholarships and Fellowships

AAUW Fellowships and Grants Program Information

One of the world's largest sources of funding exclusively for graduate women, the AAUW Educational Foundation supports aspiring scholars around the globe, teachers and activists in local communities, women at critical stages of their careers, and those pursuing professions where women are underrepresented.
 Fellowships and grants changes for 2009-10
PLEASE NOTE THAT AAUW MEMBERS MAY NOW APPLY FOR ALL FELLOWSHIP AND GRANT OPPORTUNITIES.
1. International Fellowships
To ensure that fellows in the master’s degree programs return to their home countries with full academic credentials, AAUW will award up to 6 renewable International Fellowships annually.
2. American Fellowships
All dissertation fellowships will now be managed within the American Fellowships (AF) program. The only necessary change was a shift of the engineering fellowships to AF from Selected Professions, which also should increase visibility for these STEM fellowships.
3. STEM encouragement
With recognition of the underrepresentation of women in STEM, a larger proportion of American Fellowships will be awarded for STEM studies in order to increase the incentives for women to pursue these underrepresented fields.
  AAUW fellowships and grants
Please refer to each program for application details, eligibility requirements, and deadlines.
• American Fellowships support women doctoral candidates completing dissertations and scholars seeking funds for postdoctoral research leave or for preparing completed research for publication. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. One-year postdoctoral research leave fellowships, dissertation fellowships, and summer/short-term research publication grants are offered.
• Career Development Grants support women who hold a bachelor's degree and who are preparing to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the work force. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
• Community Action Grants provide seed money to individual women, AAUW branches and AAUW state organizations, as well as local community-based nonprofit organizations for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equity for women and girls. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
• International Fellowships are awarded for full-time graduate or postgraduate study or research to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. 
• Selected Professions Fellowships are awarded to women who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who intend to pursue a full-time course of study (during the fellowship year) in designated degree programs where women's participation traditionally has been low.
  View all Deadlines
 Directory of Fellowship and Grant Recipients
 Request a Fellowships and Grants Brochure
Use the link above to order copies of the AAUW Educational Foundation fellowships brochure that includes general descriptions for each fellowship program, or e-mail aauw@act.org, call 319/337-1716 ext. 60, or write to the customer service center at:
AAUW Educational Foundation
Dept. 60
301 ACT Drive
Iowa City, IA 52243-4030
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International Glass Art Fellowship

Two fellowships are offered to Emerging Artists and one fellowship to an Established Artist. Fellowships are for an eight week period and include access to all areas of the Studio on a scheduled basis, technical support and materials as stipulated in the Fellowship Agreement. The Fellowship does not include room and board; however, each Visiting Artist receives an honorarium of $1,500 for his/her discretionary use. The Emerging Artist Fellowship is designed to provide recent graduates with a bridge between the academic and professional world. The Established Artist Fellowship is offered to working artists with established careers.

Deadline: December 5, 2008
Contact:

Visiting Artists Program
UrbanGlass
647 Fulton St
Brooklyn NY 11217-1112

718-625-3685
http://www.urbanglass.org/node/10
info@urbanglass.org
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Human Rights Watch Fellows

Fellows work full-time for one year with Human Rights Watch in New York, Washington, D.C., or London (Aryeh Neier fellows will work full-time, for an additional year, at the ACLU). Fellows monitor human rights developments in various countries, conduct on-site investigations, draft reports on human rights conditions, and engage in advocacy aimed at publicizing and curtailing human rights violations. Past fellows have conducted research and advocacy on numerous different issues in countries all over the world. A few recent examples are: a project on the rights of Iraqi refugees in Syria and Lebanon; on violations of the rights of girls in juvenile custody in New York State; on corporal punishment of children in southern public schools in the US; on the rights of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal and India; on abuses against Sri Lankan migrant domestic workers; and abuses committed in the context of the Naxal conflict in Chhattisgarh state, India.
QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must have exceptional analytic skills, an ability to write and speak clearly, and a commitment to work in the human rights field in the future. Proficiency in one language in addition to English is strongly desired. Familiarity with countries or regions where serious human rights violations occur is also valued. Depending on the fellowship for which they wish to apply, prospective fellows must be graduates of law, journalism, international relations, or other relevant studies, or must provide evidence of significant, comparable, relevant work experience (please see our Frequently Asked Questions section for the specific requirements of the various fellowships.
Fellowships begin in September 2009.
SALARY AND BENEFITS: The salary for 2008-2009 fellows is $48,000, plus excellent employer-paid benefits. The salary for 2009-2010 is currently under review and may be increased.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 3, 2008
Applicants are responsible for compiling complete application packets which must include the following:
• cover letter
• résumé (curriculum vitae)
• two letters of recommendation
• at least one unedited, unpublished writing sample
• an official law or graduate school transcript (applicants in one-year graduate programs should supply an undergraduate transcript with a list of their graduate school courses)
Complete applications (including transcripts and recommendations) for 2009-2010 Fellowships must be received no later than October 3, 2008. Applications should be sent by e-mail, under single cover and as PDF files, to fellowship@hrw.org with the name of the fellowship you are applying for in the subject line.
Applicants must be available for interviews in New York from early November to mid-December 2008. Inquiries may be directed to the Fellowships hotline at (212) 290-4700 x312, or to fellowship@hrw.org. Please click here for more information.
Faxing Parts of Your Application
Applications must be submitted by e-mail, under a single cover and in PDF format. However, under truly extenuating circumstances and only with prior written approval from us, you may send in an application or part of an application by fax, by the deadline of October 3, 2008. Lateness of an application does not constitute extenuating circumstances. Faxed applications will not be accepted without prior written approval from Human Rights Watch.
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2009-2011 Aryeh Neier Fellowship

Human Rights Watch / American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and Human Rights Watch invite applications for the Aryeh Neier Fellowship. The fellow will work with both organizations on joint initiatives to strengthen respect for human rights in the United States. Work is likely to include field research in the United States, preparation of reports, advocacy, and development of litigation strategies.
Human Rights Watch and the ACLU created the fellowship to honor the legacy of Aryeh Neier. As executive director of the ACLU and then of Human Rights Watch, Aryeh Neier helped develop both organizations into powerful forces for justice and human rights.
A special committee from both organizations will select the fellow, who will begin the two-year fellowship in the fall of 2009. He or she will work in the New York City offices of Human Rights Watch and the ACLU, spending a year at each.
Qualifications
Applicants should be recent law school graduates or should graduate by June 2009. Applicants must have exceptional analytical skills, an ability to write and speak clearly and forcefully, and a commitment to human rights and justice. They should have academic or work experience related to some aspect of the protection of human rights and civil liberties in the United States. Proficiency in one language in addition to English is recommended but not required. Applicants should be dynamic, self-motivated, able to work independently as well as part of a team, and have proven initiative and follow through.
Salary and Benefits
The fellow will receive $47,000 in the first year, with a salary increase in the second year. Please note that the fellowship salary for the first year is currently under review and may be increased.
Applications
Applications should contain a cover letter, resume, two letters of recommendation, at least one unedited, unpublished writing sample, and an official law or graduate school transcript. Complete applications (including transcripts and recommendations) must be postmarked no later than October 3, 2008. Applications should be sent to:

HRW-ACLU Fellowship Committee
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299
Applicants must be available for interviews in New York from early November to mid-December 2008.
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Washington State University the International Academic Awards

At Washington State University the International Academic Awards (www.ip.wsu.edu/enroll/scholarships/ip-financial-assistance.shtml) have been a stable source of tuition reduction for international undergraduates for over 8 years.  These awards are automatic (not requiring an application) and are based strictly on the grades earned at the previous schools of newly admitted international undergraduate students to the main campus in Pullman, Washington.  The three awards are for Freshmen, Transfer and Post-bacc (second bachelor) level students.  They are currently awarded similarly (3.30-3.59GPA = $1000/sem) and (3.60-4.00GPA = $2000/sem), but the renewal period varies.  Freshmen can renew up to a full four years, Transfers up to three years, and Post-bacc up to two years just by maintaining their WSU cumulative grade point at a 3.2. There is currently no limit on the number of awards that can be offered, and this academic year it is expected that over $1,000,000 will be administered for new and renewed awardees.  It you are interested in learning more about Washington State University, contact the International Enrollment Office at: international@wsu.edu, or go to the website: international.wsu.edu."

II. News you can use

Library Thing

http://www.librarything.com/

One user writes, "Web application LibraryThing lets you catalog all the books you own and use tags to organize your collection. Add book titles by entering a title and viewing search results from the Library of Congress or Amazon. ... LibraryThing is an impressive cataloging app that feels like del.icio.us for books." This might be useful for centers to catalog their books and share with REACs and other advisors. It even connects with Amazon.
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Wisc-Online: Online Learning Object Repository

http://www.wisc-online.com/
Drawing on a wide range of subject expertise, the Wisconsin Online Resource Center (Wisc-Online) is a digital library of web-based learning resources known as "learning objects". "Learning objects" are essentially self-contained small chunks of learning that can be embedded in a learning activity, lesson, unit or course. The site includes over 2170 of these objects, and new objects are being developed continuously. Visitors will need to complete a short registration form before they are allowed to access all of the materials on the site, but they can certainly get a sense of what the site includes by checking out the "New Learning Objects" area. Here they will find everything from animated presentations showing how the pH level of a cleaning solution is controlled to an interactive activity on industrial automation. Also, visitors are also encouraged to sign up to receive their RSS feed.
From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008. http://scout.wisc.edu/