Three seniors win coveted Watson Fellowships

Author: Leslie Lim

The Thomas J. Watson Foundation has named three Middlebury seniors among its 50 fellows for 2007. The fellowships awarded to Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak, Carolyn Barnwell and Sathyavani Sathisan provide $25,000 grants for a year of independent research and overseas exploration.

Nationally, nearly 1,000 students from 50 participating colleges and universities entered the competition. The 179 finalists competed nationally for a Watson-sponsored year of travel and discovery. The recipients this year hail from 24 different states and seven countries, and will voyage to a combined 90 countries.

The three fellowships received by the seniors ties the College with Williams College and the University of Puget Sound for the most awards received by an institution over the course of a year. This year also marks the 10th straight year that a student from the College has won a Watson fellowship, bringing the total number of College recipients to 25 since 1981.

"I have so much respect for the dedication and hard work that the other three nominees from Middlebury put into their Watson applications," said Sathisan. "All this, of course, would not have been possible without the rah-rah of Karen Guttentag [associate dean of student affairs and head of the selection process this year], who has been an amazing pillar of strength and support throughout the entire process."

This year, the projects of the College's three Watson fellows span a range of subjects and destinations.

Al-Abdulrazzak, a Kuwaiti national and environmental studies and biology major, will pursue her research on shark and stingray conservation efforts in the Bahamas, Fiji, New Zealand, Seychelles and South Africa. According to Al-Abdulrazzak, her decision to focus on the topic stems from a long-time interest in a group of organisms that has been globally misunderstood.

"I was absolutely thrilled and honored," said Al-Abdulrazzak. "It still hasn't hit me yet, and I don't really think I'll fully understand the magnitude of what this means until I do my first dive, see my first shark or stingray, and realize that I get to do this everyday for an entire year."

In high school, Al-Abdulrazzak participated in research at the Scientific Center of Kuwait, the largest aquarium in the Middle East. Al-Abdulrazzak said that the fellowship would afford her an even greater opportunity for exploration.

"It allows me to step outside the traditional role of a scientist and incorporate cultural perspectives into my research," she said. "I want to know how different societies design successful conservation efforts. The Watson Fellowship will give me the opportunity to satisfy that desire and make meaningful connections that will significantly further my lifelong passion for [these organisms]."

Barnwell, an environmental studies and sociology and anthropology major from Concord, N.H., will focus on the effect of climate change. She will conduct her research by traveling throughout New Zealand, Tuvalu, Mauritius, the Chagos Archipelago, Micronesia and Palau. She hopes to explore the socio-environmental issue of who becomes responsible for creating a new kind of self-reliance when the resources that allow villagers to rely on themselves are no longer viable. Barnwell recalls the trepidation and excitement of the fellowship notification and all it held.

"We were expecting to receive the notification emails at 3 a.m.," she said. "Starting at 3:01 I kept refreshing my Midd e-mail inbox and nothing was there...every time I refreshed it my stomach flipped...until I realized that I should check my Gmail account. And there it was. I was so flabbergasted I could not stop laughing."

Additionally, Barnwell noted the impossibilities of knowing what effects a Watson year would have on her.

"I like not knowing how my project will affect my future or my career," she said. "The decisions I make and the people I meet along the way will absolutely give me a lot to reflect on. I am looking forward to creating a challenging and meaningful year for myself."

Sathisan, a political science major from Singapore, will explore theater from a socio-political perspective by traveling to Malaysia, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.

In her academic, extracurricular and personal opportunities, Sathisan has used theater to transcend the typical boundaries of political and ethnic conflict - a strategy that has proven more effective in many cases than discussion alone. Sathisan intends to explore further the interchange between arts and politics, and how theater can effect social changes on scales ranging from local to global.

"I found it fascinating and revolutionary about theater, that in one evening you could assemble people from all walks of life, focus their attention on a political, social or spiritual theme and with creativity subsequently harness their energy to effect change," Sathisan said. "It is most often not merely the entertainment component but what happens post-performance that intrigues me the most."

In preparation for a future involving international and corporate law, Sathisan credits the fellowship for expanding her personal and career-oriented horizons.

"My Watson Fellowship will enable me to employ theatre to understand the causes of societal schisms and the effective means to alleviate them," said Sathisan. "By gaining exposure to both the theoretical and culturally specific dimensions of conflict, I am confident that I will be able to play a significant role in bringing about greater peace both within and between people in areas of conflict and under-development."

The seniors, once they set off for their studies abroad, will be forbidden from returning to the United States for the duration of their research - but if anything, the recipients reacted to that prospect with even more enthusiasm.

"I think it's absolutely fantastic," said Al-Abdulrazzak. "We, along with Karen Guttentag and the Watson Selection Committee have worked incredibly hard all year and it has clearly paid off. Each of our projects is unique and equally meaningful. I can't wait to begin."