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2009-10 |
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Dr. SUE STROHSCHEIN |
Invited by Diakonova University College in October 2009 to deliver a presentation at the conference “Public Health Nursing ? Challenges, Approaches and Solutions.” (The American Civilization Lecture Fund) |
 "In the spring of 2009 I received an invitation from Diakonova University College to present at an international conference of public health nurses they planned for October. Thanks to the generous scholarship from the Norway-America Association I was able to accept.
The conference was hosted by the public health nursing faculty of Diakonova. Nearly 100 public health nursing practitioners and faculty attended representing England, Ireland, the United States, and Norway. I presented a poster session on evidence-based public health nursing to the participants. At the close of the conference Minnesota was selected for the site of the next conference. Although we are in the early stages of planning and fund raising, our inspiration started with the conference and connections made in Oslo and continues to sustain us. For me personally and professionally it was an immensely rewarding experience. I am grateful for the assistance the association provided to make it happen."
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ALISON CHANG |
Research/Studies in Art History at the Munch Museum in Oslo (The Norwegian Marshall Fund) |
"I am in the process of completing my doctoral dissertation on Edvard Munch and I spent the 2006-7 academic year in Oslo conducting the initial research. After my return to the U.S., I realized that I needed to return to Oslo to collect information pertaining to a group of paintings that Munch executed in 1916, after he hired an African model from the Hagenbeck Circus. The Norwegian Marshall Fund Fellowship supported a trip to Oslo in July 2009.
I spent ten days gathering new research materials that enabled me to finish my dissertation, and more specifically, my chapter that pertains to the perception of Africans in Norway in the early decades of the twentieth century. I presented a preliminary version of this material at the annual College Art Association conference in February 2009. A full version of my essay will appear in The Spectacle of Blackness: Representing Blacks in European Art of the Long Nineteenth-Century, edited by Adrienne Childs and Susan Libby, sometime in 2012."
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JOSEPHINE HSIEH |
Research/Studies in Music Performance at the Norwegian Academy of Music (The Norwegian Marshall Fund) |
 "Coming to Norway was the best decision I could have made for pursuing my graduate studies in piano performance. My experience of the diploma studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music has been more than I could hope for.
Norway possesses a great cultural foundation. There are venues in every corner for the musician to expand his or her performance experience and it has been easier than ever for me to have and plan concerts. My experience in the musical scene in Norway has been exceptional, from concerts in Telemark to small successes at the Norwegian Academy of Music. As a result of winning the Chamber Music Competition at the Academy, I will be able to perform in the Oslo Chamber Music Festival held every August. Also through the Academy, I have been asked to perform the first of Dmitri Shostakovich's piano concertos with the Oslo Symphony Orchestra. As well, I will have the ability to receive a stipend in the annual Conoco-Philips competition held at the Academy. There has been much activity in my musical life and I am grateful to Norway-America Association for aiding me in my pursuits. Through the association I have had the opportunity to play for the King of Norway and in return I can offer my musical abilities to help in whatever way I can.
My first school year in Norway almost draws to a close and I am very excited for what the next school year holds. I am grateful that many people have been generous to me here and appreciate what I have to offer. It has been a tremendous learning experience for me, especially under the tutelage of Håvard Gimse. He pushes me to achieve the highest level of musicality from myself and encourages me to pursue every possibility."
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JORDAN R. MERTES |
Research/Studies in Glaciology at UNIS, Svalbard (The Norwegian Marshall Fund) |
 For a complete version of this article, please download The Norseman, No. 1, 2010 (PDF).
"No student handbook or collection of photos can ever prepare a person for the reality of going somewhere like Svalbard. After traveling for two days, I was finally looking out my airplane window onto a landscape more amazing than anything I have ever seen. It was quite a shock to step off the plane at 2 a.m. and look across Isfjorden at the mountains and glaciers shimmering under the midnight sun.
In a place like Svalbard, you form a tight bond with other students. We live together in old miner barracks, and there is always something going on: icebreakers, weekly get-togethers, and events in the “barracks.” One can also spend free time exploring Svalbard. I have hiked all around Longyearbyen, exploring the glaciers and the plateaus around the town. The possibilities are endless and the outcomes always unknown.
Adventure is not just something one has the chance to do during one's free time. UNIS believes hands-on field work is an integral part of learning and has incorporated this into most of their classes. One of the most memorable experiences had to be while I was helping my lecturer, Tris Irvine-Fynn, collect ablation stake data from a glacier outside of town. We were dropped off in the morning and had to hike up onto a small icecap. In the beginning the weather was horrible and visibility was down to maybe 50 meters. We were struggling trying to navigate to the reference posts, but the minute we stepped onto the icecap the clouds cleared and we could see for miles all around. On the way down the mountain as the sky was growing dark, our GPS died and we had to rely on our compass and map. We tried to call for our pickup and our phone died during the call. We were not sure if they had understood us, so we started walking. It was about 15 kilometers back to town and getting colder. The northern lights were out and though we were freezing, we were having a good time. Finally our ride came and took us back to town. That day I learned about the three key elements of a successful glaciological expedition: glory, stupidity, and rescue.
I have now started my master's degree at the University of Oslo. I am focusing my studies on modeling melt 'elow debris cover on glaciers. A lot of us who were there last year, are trying to find any reason to go back. There is no cure for the 'Svalbard Bug.'" |
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CRAIG LEE MYRUM |
Research/Studies in Biological Sciences at the University of Bergen (The Norwegian Marshall Fund) |
 "In August of 2008, I began a two-year study master's degree program in medical cell biology in the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Bergen in Bergen, Norway. While here, I've heard the question over and over, “Why Norway?” In all honesty, there is no place I would rather study than right here in Norway.
Growing up, my mother always embraced being a “Finlander,” and this pride was also instilled in me. It was not until I attended Norwegian-founded Luther College that I found that same sense of pride in my paternal Norwegian ancestry. Around this time, I learned of a story that is recorded in the history books of the Setesdal Valley. It tells the story how my great, great grandfather decided to immigrate to America. Since then, I've been able to visit the very spot that this decision was made so many years ago. Though my social identity is American, my cultural identity is Nordic, through and through.
Through my education at the University of Bergen, I've learned an incredible amount in the field of cell biology. Much of my first year focused on basic laboratory and cell biology education. I then joined an exciting neuroscience research group with whom I would learn from and work with for the rest of my time here. The group is interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of memory. On June 15th, 2010, I will have officially completed my masters of science at the University of Bergen, Department of Biomedicine.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Norwegian Marshall Fund Scholarship Committee members for selecting me to be a recipient of such a generous award. Thank you for your belief in me and all the others who have gotten the opportunity to live and study in beautiful Norway."
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KYLE REID ELKIN |
Research/Studies in Biological Sciences at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås (The Norwegian Thanksgiving Fund) |
 "I have been part of the SoilCAM project at the Gardermoen airport, looking at how the naturally occurring soil microbes degrade the enormous amount of de-icing chemicals that are used every year at the Gardermoen airport. This is really important because the airport sits above the biggest groundwater table in the country. Every year over 700,000 liters of glycol (for the aircraft) and 1 million kilograms of formate (runway salt) are used to keep the aircraft and runways free from ice and snow.
During the winter these chemicals accumulate in the snow, and in the spring they infiltrate towards the ground water. These chemicals are highly degradable and this is evident through ground water measurements. However, there are side reactions which are not controlled and that is what we are trying to solve. Through many innovative measurements and technology we have been mapping and modeling the movement and degradation of the pollutants before they become a major problem.
From this research project I have had many ideas spawn, one of which has lead to a PhD appointment at UMB in Ås. I will be leaving the SoilCAM project at Gardermoen airport and starting research into another major problem that affects almost every living process on the planet: the release of phosphorus into water systems. At the current time, this is the biggest water pollution problem on a global scale and it is estimated that useable phosphorus (a macro nutrient) will be gone in 300 years if nothing is done. I am planning to develop new technologies that will be able to monitor phosphorus levels in many different systems. Knowing this information would lead to new management practices and sustainability for farming in the future."
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