EVANSTON, Ill. --- Twenty-four Northwestern students have received Fulbright awards for 2007-08, fourth highest among all universities in the country.

"Most of this year's Fulbright winners are out on assignment already," said Sara Anson Vaux, Fulbright Program Advisor. "This includes three to China, three to Spain and five to different parts of Africa."

Under the Fulbright Fellows program, almost 1,500 American students in more than 100 different fields of study have been offered grants to study, teach English and conduct research in over 125 countries throughout the world, beginning this fall. Students receiving awards applied through 570 colleges or universities. Northwestern had 80 applicants.

The Fulbright Fellows undertake self-designed programs in disciplines ranging from the social sciences, business, communication and performing arts to physical sciences, engineering and education.

The Northwestern award recipients includes 19 who recently received undergraduate degrees from Northwestern and five students currently enrolled at the doctoral level, three of whom earned Northwestern undergraduate degrees.

The recent graduates, their major or field, and their Fulbright study subjects and countries are:

Don Atkins: piano performance, piano performance-Austria
Henry Bowles: political science, political science-Kuwait
Abra Chusid: theatre, theatre studies-Singapore
Jeffrey Fredrich: voice and opera, musicology-Russia
Erin Futterer: horn, music performance-Norway
Christopher Hagel: economics, economics-Germany
Louie Huang: political science and history, law-China
Julian Klosowiak: biomedical engineering, engineering-France
Ang Li: biological sciences, biology-Spain
Rosa Li: economics, economic development-China
Devon Liddell: anthropology, anthropology-Spain
Jonathon Marino: social policy and political science, sociology-Uganda
Alison Pezanoski-Browne: radio/television/film, sociology-Hong Kong
John Romankiewicz: materials, energy-China
Mercedes Stickler: environmental science, environmental studies-South Africa
Talia Stol: political science and history, teaching English-Spain
Veronica Switzer: sociology, political science-Zambia
Seth Thorn: philosophy, philosophy-Germany
Lauren Weinstein: political science, sociology-France

The students at the doctoral level, their major or field, and their Fulbright study subjects and countries are:

Cristina Bejan: philosophy/theatre, cultural and intellectual history-Romania
Tracy Carson: history, modern history-South Africa
Jean Hunleth: anthropology, anthropology-Zambia
Courtney Kneupper: history, cultural and intellectual history-Germany
Karthik Sivashankar: medicine, public health-Venezuela

Last year, Northwestern had 15 Fulbright Fellows. Chris Hager was associate director of the program last year. Steve Hill was program director this year.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided approximately 290,000 participants worldwide with the opportunity to observe each others' political, economic and cultural institutions, exchange ideas and embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world's inhabitants. In the past 61 years, almost 42,000 students from the United States have benefited from the Fulbright experience.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Financial support is provided by an annual appropriation from Congress to the Department of State, with significant contributions from participating governments and host institutions in the United States and abroad.

I think it signified the end of the 20th Century.

-Professor Peter Hayes on the Fall of the Berlin Wall