News Archive

Twice a year LACIS accepts applications from undergraduate students for internships or volunteer projects to be conducted in, or related to, Latin America, the Caribbean or Iberian Peninsula. Today, we are pleased to announce our December recipients!

• Megan Hall: Hospital Pedro Vicente Maldonado, Pedro Vicente Maldonado, Ecuador
• Chelsea Match: Delegation to San Jose de Apartado, Colombia with Colombia Support Network
• Monica McCarthy: La Fundacion Entre Mujeres, Esteli, Nicaragua
• Elizabeth Mejicano: Coastline Conservation Project, Esmeraldas, Ecuador & the Utila Iguana Conservation Project, Utila, Honduras
• Steven Pegelow: Delegation to San Jose de Apartado, Colombia with Colombia Support Network

Please join us in congratulating these students!

Former Tinker Visiting Professor Appointed to New Position by Brazilian President Roussef

LACIS is pleased to announce that former Tinker Visiting Professor Glauco Arbix (Fall 2010) was recently appointed by the Djilma Roussef administration (new President of the Brazilian Federal Republic) as President of FINEP, which promotes the economic and social development of Brazil through the stimulation of investment in science, technology, and innovation in universities, businesses, research institutes, and other public and private enterprises.

We wish Glauco all the best in his new position and look forward to his upcoming visit to Madison later this spring (details TBA).

LACIS Title VI funding renewed for cycle 2010-2014!

View our letter here.

LACIS Affiliated Faculty Christina Ewig Publishes Book

Second-Wave Neoliberalism Gender, Race, and Health Sector Reform in Peru Published in 2010 “In this outstanding book, Ewig offers a model of intersectional research and analysis. Ewig’s narrative emphasizes the centrality of gender, race, and class to the process of health sector reform and thus demonstrates the importance of looking at all three factors when assessing policy change. Her careful and skilled intersectional analysis of the complex arena of policy reform is an example of such research at its best. The book is a tremendous contribution to the gender and feminist studies literature.” —Lynne Haney, New York University Please visit: http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-03711-0.html to learn more.

Former LACIS Undergrad (and LACIS Travel Grant Recipient), Jacob Kushner, Published by Several Noted Magazines and News Sources

• Newsweek Magazine: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/08/haiti-s-post-quake-recovery-is-slow-t…
• Jazz Times Magazine: http://twonationsnews.com/news-from-the-dominican-republic/johnbern-thom…
• Jazz Times Magazine: http://twonationsnews.com/news-from-haiti/jazz-in-post-earthquake-haiti-…

Haiti Storm Video which led to his work being used by the Associated Press, Newsweek and AFP Wire Service:http://twonationsnews.com/news-from-haiti/surprise-storm-gives-a-bitter-…

LACIS NAVE Visiting Scholar Susana Chávez-Silverman (Professor, Pomona College) featured on Here on Earth on WI Public Radio.

Read more and listen here.

LACIS Graduate Student Jessica Moore and Affiliated Faculty Member Chris Walker Featured in UW-Madison’s “Illuminate: Year of the Arts” Kick-off Celebration!

Illuminate: Year of the Arts spotlights the breadth, depth, power, and purpose of artistic exploration and expression at UW–Madison.

Recent LACIS Alumnus Joel Featured in Med School Article

Read the full article, “Joel and Jesse Charles Have School of Medicine and Public Health Seeing Double.”

Frank Salomon, Anthropology Professor at UW-Madison featured in recent article in the New York Times.

Read the full article, “High in the Andes, Keeping an Incan Mystery Alive” by Simon Romero.

Professor Severino Albuquerque presents an edited book on a Conference to celebrate Joaquin Nabuco’s legacy

Please visit: http://www.academia.org.br/ for further information.

LACIS Undergraduates Sarah Maria Donohue and Mollie Overby Recipients of Wisconsin Idea Fellowships from the Morgridge Center!

(In the tradition of the Wisconsin Idea – which declares that education should improve people’s lives beyond the university classroom – fellowships are awarded to projects that enhance student learning while meeting a community need.

 Fellowships are awarded annually to semester- or year-long projects designed by a UW-Madison undergraduate (or a group of undergraduates) in collaboration with a community organization (whether local, national or international) and a UW-Madison faculty or academic staff mentor. All WIF students are invited to present their work at the Undergraduate Symposium in the spring. You read more about these fellowships here)

Increasing Accountability and Efficiency through Evaluation of Clean Water and Menstrual Pad Projects in Uganda
Students: Mollie Overby, Aneela Alamgir; Faculty Mentor: James M. Ntambi; Community Partner: Community-Based Integrated Nutrition – Kampala, Uganda This project will conduct and in-depth study on the impact of initiatives implemented in rural Uganda by the Village Health Project, including clean water and Maka menstrual pad projects. The project will evaluate the success and effectiveness of these initiatives, in collaboration with Community-Based Integrated Nutrition, Professor Ntambi, and the students involved in this project, in order to further benefit the Ugandan community where the VHP programs take place.

Mosquito Net Distribution Project: Mobile Health Initiative in Rural Kenya
Student: Megan Kleber, SarahMaria Donohue; Faculty Mentor: Araceli Alonso; Community Partner: Project Africa- Mombasa, Kenya One of the major public health concerns and leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Kenya is malaria. This project addresses the identified need for anti-malaria mosquito nets in the communities of Lunga Lunga, Godo, and Perani located in rural southeast Kenya. In addition to the distribution of mosquito nets to local women and children, the Mobile Health Initiative will provide community-wide sessions on disease prevention and treatment, specifically addressing malaria.

Recent LACIS graduate Molly Reddy awarded the Excellence in Civic Engagement Student Award from the Morgridge Center for Public Service

Molly Reddy recently completed her degree in LACIS (May 2010) and has been awarded the Morgridge Center for Public Service Excellence in Civic Engagement Student Award!

(This award is designed to recognize a student who has made community and civic engagement integral to his/her college experience and has had a significant impact on the community, engaged others in service, and understands the larger civic issues related to their service. To learn more about the award, please visit their website.)

Some of the projects she’s been involved in which made her a fantastic candidate are:

• Working with an Alternative Break in San Juan, Texas with an advocacy organization called LUPE – Here is a link to a video about the program
• Volunteering in Medellin, Colombia with Plan Desarme doing community nonviolence education
• Volunteering with the local government in Santiago, Chile while studying abroad, and working with the theater activism group Dignidad Sin Fronteras here in Madison.

From Molly… “In Januaryof this year I had the opportunity to go on an Alternative Break volunteer trip to San Juan, Texas, which is only a few miles from the border of Mexico. While our group of 10 was there we volunteered with an organization called La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE). LUPE’s mission is to engage farmworkers, immigrants, and their families in transforming the communities in which they live.

 Please take a moment to view the video we made about our trip, and consider making a donation if you are able. Many of the photos are from a park in Las Palmas, where a community has worked to take a park back from gangs in order to provide a place for their children to play. LUPE assists community actions like this, as well as provides other community support that you can read about here. [This is also where you can make a donation, by clicking “Donate” in the right hand column]

 I would be happy to talk to you more about my experiences on the border, or answer any questions you may have. Remember that LUPE is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, which means that donations are tax-deductible. If you are unable to make a donation it would be equally helpful if you could pass this information on to anyone who may be interested.

 While our southern most border seems quite a ways away from Wisconsin, in our world today we could all afford to feel a bit more connected!”

LACIS Announces Undergraduate Internship/Research Grant Recipients!

LACIS majors can receive one-time funds for internships in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Iberian Peninsula or domestic internships related to the LACIS field of study. We are pleased to announce this year’s winners:

• Blohoweak, Maria (Multiple Spots): The World Race
• Clayton, Miriam (Spain): Universidad de Alcala’s Instituto Franklin
• Eisenhauer, Steven (Dominican Republic): Dominican National Commission for UNESCO
• Hamborg, Joshua (Minneapolis/St. Paul & Mexico): AmeriCorps’ Admission Possible Program & The Mexico Field Study Program offered by UW’s Dairy Science Program
• Hosek, Emily (Brazil): Saint Jude Medical Brasil
• Kushner, Jacob (Dominican Republic): Conduct research through the University of Iowa
• Nugent, Nicholas (Peru): Centro Sachamama
• O’Brien, Alison (Guatemala): Conduct research on how non-governmental organizations affect development
• Reddy, Molly (Brazil): Alianca Empreendedora
• Sweeney, Rebecca (Brazil): Orpas
• Welsh, Teresa (Colombia): Colombia Reports

LACIS Undergrad Teresa Welsh featured in the Capital Times.

Read more.

Students Awarded an Advanced Dissertation Spring 2010 Research Assistantship

 The following students were recently awarded an Advanced Dissertation Spring 2010 Research Assistantship* through UW-Madison’s Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE):

Nicole Breazeale

(Sociology and Rural Sociology) “Kicking the Tobacco Habit: Small Farmers, Local Markets, and the Consequences of Global Tobacco Standards”

Alex Nading

(Anthropology) “Dengue in the Landscape: Pollution, Poverty, and the Politics of Public Health in Urban Nicaragua” 

These awards provide each student with a 50% time spring RAship so they can work towards completion of their dissertations, both of which are focused on areas associated with LACIS’ mission.

LACIS’ Outreach Coordinator/Undergraduate Advisor Sarah Ripp was recently elected to the Board of Directors for the Dane County Chapter of the United Nations Association.

LACIS Sponsored Event Featured in Recent Isthmus Article

Read more.

LACIS Alum Joel Charles (BA ’08) is the Recipient of the 2009 Jack Kent Cooke Scholar Award.

Read more.

LACIS Affiliated Faculty Member Christina Ewig

Assistant Professor of Gender & Women’s Studies and Political Science, was recently awarded $5500 by WAGE for her research on “Gendered Paradigms of Neoliberalism: Health Sector Reforms in Latin America.” Read more.

LACIS Associate Director Elected to CLASP Executive Committee

LACIS’ Associate Director, Alberto Vargas, was recently elected to 2-year term on the Executive Committee of CLASP (Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs). He will serve from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2011 . Congratulations, Alberto!

UW Emeritus Professor Assisting in Development of University in St. Lucia-West Indies

Professor Emeritus Dean Bowles, Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, is the principal consultant to Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in St. Lucia-West Indies to transform the college into a university in the next five years. Professor Bowles’ 2008 transformation report was accepted by the Board of Governors and the college is currently proceeding to implement its recommendations with the expectation that the first baccalaureate degree class will enter in the fall of 2010.