Travel Grant Advisors
Overview of our grant advisors:
 Regions:
o Western Europe
o Asia: Southeast Asia (China, Thailand) and South Asia (India)
o Central and Southern America
o Africa
 Special skills/interests:
o Music
o Documentary film
o Non-profit organizations
o Medicine
o Biochemistry
o Global health
o Journalism
o Research: interviews, writing
 Languages
o French
o Spanish
o German
o Mandarin
SARAH TAYLOR (Chair of Dean Rusk’s Grant Advisors)
~Countries of interest: India, France, with travels to 13 additional countries
-Independent research: qualitative documentary interviews with refugees in
Ohio
I wrote a successful Dean Rusk grant proposal in 2015 to study women’s rights
movements in Tunisia, but had to cancel my trip due to violence in the country. I
also conducted a grant in 2014 through the Center for Civic Engagement to create
a documentary about refugees in Columbus, Ohio.
Email me at sntaylor@davidson.edu to set up a time to talk about your grant
proposal. Office hours by appointment.
KEELY BROWN
Countries of interest: Ireland, England, France, maybe China and Germany
Independent Research: Music and native Irish language study
I grew up hearing stories of my father’s travels all around Europe— it’s this that
originally stimulated my interest in traveling, languages, and culture.
Recreationally, I’ve traveled abroad to England and France. In the summer of
2015, I was awarded a Dean Rusk travel grant to conduct independent research in
Ireland, which involved a study of both traditional language and music, and how
the two are tied together in culture. In the past I have studied Chinese, and I’m
currently planning on minoring in German studies. I’m also very interested in
Russian and Russian history. I’m so grateful to be a part of this team and am
eager to help in any way possible during your grant application process!
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:00 pm
Email Keely at kebrown@davidson.edu.
YIYAO XIE
~Countries of interest: Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand
~Independent Research: Interviewing old veterans, capturing their stories
My name is Yiyao Xie and I am from Changsha, China. I am a Sophomore and a
Math Major. This summer I went to Taiwan and conducted an independent
project about the veterans of the Chinese Civil War. I interviewed some old
veterans from the Civil War and collected their stories.
My expertise area is East Asia, especially China and Taiwan. And I would love to
work with you if you have any questions regard Dean Rusk International Travel
Grant.
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 1pm to 2pm.
Email Yiyao at yixie@davidson.edu
ANTONIA GILES
~Countries of interest: China (and other parts of Asia), Germany
I conducted ethnographic research and made a documentary
I spent last summer in China thanks to the Freeman Foundation and made a
video ethnography (i.e. documentary) about organic agriculture in Shanghai. I
used the money from the Ernest Finney Patterson Award to fund my research in
Detroit where I worked on an urban farm. I mostly want to edit the grants
because I love editing papers.
Office Hours: 10:30-12:00 pm Wednesday and Thursday
Email address: angiles@davidson.edu
LAUREN GRACE (LG) HIMES
~Countries of interest: Nicaragua and Honduras
~Independent research: Internship and Independent Medical Research
Hi there! If you are interested in research in a healthcare setting or travelling in
Central America, I would love to talk with you. I spent two months in Nicaragua
this past summer, where I conducted a research project on the patient-provider
relationship and spent time observing and gaining hands on experience in a
private clinic. I so enjoyed my time in Nicaragua and cannot wait to go back to
visit! I have also been to Honduras on a mission trip and hope to travel there
again this summer as part of a medical mission team.
Office hours: Wednesday 7:30-9:30 pm
Email LG at lahimes@davidson.edu
JAMES STEWART
~France (EXTENSIVELY)
~Independent research: Biology Lab Internship
I’m a French and Biology double major in my senior year here at Davidson. With
the Davidson in Tours program, I spent 10 months abroad living in the central
region of France. During that time, I traveled all across the country and made my
way to a majority of the big French cities. I also traveled to many of the other
Western and Central European countries, including Italy, Croatia, Poland, and
many others. I am passionate about the global Francophone culture, particularly
in Sub-Saharan Africa, and am interested in the role African nations in the postcolonial era.
For my Dean Rusk project, I put together a project that allowed me to combine
my two fields of study, biological research and Francophone studies. I affiliated
with a biochemistry lab in Tours, France and organized a three-week internship
working on the relationship between smoking and Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease (COPD). I scheduled this research internship at the end of my
study abroad experience in France. This strategy made the experience logistically
feasible and cost-effective, and allowed me the opportunity to gain valuable
laboratory skills and familiarize myself with the functioning of a French lab, skills
that have proven vital as I look for research positions post-graduation.
Office Hours: 10:30-11:30 am Monday and Friday
Email James at jastewart@davidson.edu
ELISE LANKIEWICZ
~Country of interest: South Africa
~Non-Davidson Study Abroad Program: Global Health Research
My experience writing an application for Dean Rusk was for the Summer 2015
cycle, where I participated in a non-Davidson study abroad program. I lived in
South Africa and worked on research related to the medical system in the rural
northeast through a global health studies course. The program was associated
with Duke and the Organization for Tropical Studies.
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00-3:00 pm
Email Elise at ellankiewicz@davidson.edu
HAYLEY ATKINS
~Countries of interest: Spain, Costa Rica, Canada, and parts of Europe such as
France and a part of Switzerland
~Davidson Study Abroad Program: Davidson in Cadiz
Hi! I'm Hayley Atkins, and I've had the opportunity to experience several parts of
Europe, the most recent being Spain with the Davidson in Cadiz program, which
was made possible through the Dean Rusk program. I have many stories to
share about my experiences in Spain this past summer and how the Spanish
courses at Davidson helped me to ease into the culture of the Gaditanos. I have
also traveled with my family to Costa Rica, Canada, France, and Switzerland! I
can assist students in their grant-writing process, specifically for those applying
for study abroad grants instead of research grants.
Office Hours: Tuesdays from 12-1, Thursdays from 12-1, Fridays 1-2
Email Hayley at haatkins@davidson.edu