CID awards 30 grants to undergrads for research

The Center for International Development (CID) has awarded 30 grants to Harvard undergraduate students to support international development internships and research projects this summer.

The following students will work as volunteer teachers in Costa Rica, Namibia, China, or Ecuador through the WorldTeach program funded by CID. In Costa Rica will be Jon Gatto ’07, Senait Tesfai ’07, Eric Lopez ’07, Casey Hinkle ’06, and Frankie Chen ’07. Students working in Namibia include Vanessa Ouellette ’05, Claire Provost ’07, Todd van Stolk-Riley ’06, and Zoe Sachs-Arellano ’05. In Ecuador will be James Hairston ’07, Susie Skoda ’06, Casey Roche ’06, Ryan Rappa ’05, and Maria Troein ’07. Mathieu Desruisseaux ’07 will intern in China.

The following students will pursue summer research in developing countries with CID support:

Leah Aylward ’05 (environmental science and public policy) will research the teaching model of the agriculture department at the University of Costa Rica in San Jose.

Joseph Badino ’05 (special concentration: the Information Age) will examine government institutional support for Taiwan’s technology-driven economic development.

Megan Crowley ’05 (government) will research the causes of re-emergence of the human rights movement in Argentina.

Lindsay Freeman ’05 (social studies) will research women’s organizations and their efforts in peacemaking and reconstruction in Uganda.

Willa Friedman ’05 (social studies) will study social capital in community schools in Mali.

Chris Golden ’05 (special concentration: environmental conservation) will survey the presence, causes, and intensity of “bushmeat” hunting and consumption in the Makira Forest of Madagascar.

Mary Jirmanus ’05 (social studies) will investigate agrarian movements, food sovereignty, and organizing strategies in El Salvador.

Matt Krueger ’05 (economics) will interview elderly adults in Tanzania to collect data on their consumption and production, and the effects of extreme poverty.

Jennifer Lee ’05 (social studies) will research the Chinese feminist movement and the growth of women’s studies programs within universities.

Zach Liscow ’05 (environmental science and public policy, and economics) will collect data on Nicaraguan brick makers to determine what factors influence reforestation behaviors.

Aaron Mihaly ’05 (government) will investigate the causes of the October 2003 coup against Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.

Itumeleng Malgetla ’05 (social studies) will study South African banking groups’ involvement in low-income housing finance.

David Mericle ’05 (economics and history) will study migrant workers and the impact of foreign investment in China.

Eda Pepi ’06 (government and women’s studies) will travel to Nepal to research women’s health conditions and social taboos.

Brett Simchowitz ’05 (social studies) will research the interaction of South Africa’s government and civil society in the provision of antiretrovirals for HIV treatment.