Duke's Fulbright total holds steady

The University's number of Fulbright Scholarship recipients held steady this year, matching last year's total of 18.

An international exchange program sponsored by the government, the Fulbright allows recipients to spend a year teaching English or studying abroad.

“The success of Duke students in securing Fulbright research, study and English teaching grants is testimony to the quality of the undergraduate and graduate educational experience and to the global perspective of our students and faculty,” said David Baker, Duke’s Fulbright Program adviser, in a Duke News press release.

This year's winners are as follows, listed along with their Duke affiliation, area of study and Fulbright country:

• Nina Arutyunyan, Arts & Sciences graduate student, history, Russia.
• Kemen Austin, Nicholas School of the Environment graduate student, environmental studies, Indonesia.
• Sarah Berman, Trinity '14, English teaching assistant, Malaysia.
• Trenita Childers, Arts & Sciences graduate student, sociology, Dominican Republic.
• Emma Fridel, Trinity '14, English teaching assistant, Taiwan.
• Stephanie Friede, Arts & Sciences graduate student, anthropology, Mexico.
• Richard Gawne, Arts & Sciences graduate student, biology, Denmark.
• Maia Hutt, Trinity '14, English teaching assistant, Georgia.
• Richard Lambert, Arts & Sciences graduate student, language and literature, Austria.
• Erika Lampert, Trinity '14, medical sciences, Spain.
• Jessica Lie, Trinity '13, English teaching assistant, South Korea.
• Patrick Oathout, Trinity '14, English teaching assistant, Greece.
• Michael Pelehach, Trinity '10, English teaching assistant, Bulgaria.
• Tricia Ross, Arts & Sciences graduate student, history, Germany.
• Andrew Ruoss, Arts & Sciences graduate student, history, Netherlands.
• Brian Smithson, Arts & Sciences graduate student, anthropology, Benin.
• Connor Southard, Trinity '12, creative writing, Tanzania.
• Olivia Wasteneys, Trinity '14, English teaching assistant, Turkey.

Duke has been named by the U.S. Department of State as one of the nation's top producers of Fulbright Scholars for 10 years now. The 18 scholarships awarded this year and last year show a slight uptick from recent years—between 2006 and 2012, the number of Fulbright scholarships awarded annually fluctuated between nine and 14.