During midterms, most of us can only dream of an escape from the library or the chance to feel the sun on our faces. Perhaps we daydream of travel or the chance to replace predictable Usdan Cafe with something a little more exotic. For Nadine Channaoui '10 and Anna Pancheshnikov '10, warm sun and new flavors are an everyday reality-Channaoui wakes up each morning in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Pancheshnikov in Santiago, Dominican Republic.Channaoui and Pancheshnikov are both recipients of the prestigious Fulbright grant. This grant awards graduates the opportunity to conduct research overseas. The Fulbright program was named for its founder, Senator J. William Fulbright. After the World War II era, Fulbright was searching for a way to cultivate peaceful international relations. In 1946, he introduced a bill to Congress to utilize the money from the sale of surplus war property to promote peaceful dialogue through a global student exchange program. According to its website, since its inception, the Fulbright program has sent over 191,000 students from 144 countries and 10 nations all over the world. Fulbright felt that "educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing as no other form of communication can to the humanizing of international relations," according to U.S. Fulbright Online.

The Fulbright program challenges students to develop independent research projects and devise their own research methodology. Applicants must prepare a thorough research/study proposal for a project that will in some way further their academic and personal developments. The Fulbright program also offers additional opportunities for professionals and scholars to research and teach in universities worldwide.

Channaoui and Pancheshnikov are just two of the four graduates from the Class of 2010 to receive the prestigious Fulbright grant. Channaoui will be exploring the psychological implications of migration from Bolivia to Argentina, and Pancheshnikov is working to raise awareness regarding prenatal HIV/AIDS transmission in the Dominican Republic.

Danielle Hollenbeck-Pringle '10, another recipient of the grant, is currently analyzing the effects of midwifery in Sri Lanka, and Hilda Poulson '10, the fourth scholar, will soon leave for Venezuela, where she will be studying community engagement.

An undergraduate study abroad experience to Bolivia in 2008 inspired Channaoui's Fulbright research. In 2008, Channaoui explored the effects of external migration on children as part of an independent study project which included volunteer work for SUMAJ KAUSAY, a nongovernmental organization that provides extracurricular activities and academic services for children of migrant families. Now, she is beginning research on the implications of migration on Bolivian family dynamics. Channaoui has started research in Buenos Aires, a city where many Bolivians emigrate to find greater economic opportunity. Though she has just settled into her apartment, Channaoui has already started her fieldwork.

"I went to Villa 31, a poorer neighborhood in Buenos Aires where a lot of Bolivian migrants live. . I am hoping that I can volunteer [at a soup kitchen] at least a couple of nights; that way, I can sit down and talk with them over a meal," Channaoui says. In addition, she hopes to enroll in graduate level courses at the Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social to study migration from a political, anthropological and social perspective.

"What I've been working on now is getting a basic sense of where Bolivians are in Buenos Aires so I can build relationships with them," she adds.

Channaoui is passionate about Bolivia and Bolivians because of her undergraduate study abroad experiences there. So far, her favorite moment in Buenos Aires was during Charrúa, a traditional Bolivian festival that is full of food, dancing and, according to Channaoui, lots of "buena onda (good energy)."

"At Charrúa [Bolivians] are celebrating their culture and their country," Channaoui says. She finds this celebration poignant in a place in which Bolivians are often discriminated against.

For several months in the winter, Channaoui will relocate to Bolivia to volunteer for SUMAJ KAUSAY, the same NGO for which she worked during her undergraduate experience abroad. The area she will be going to is the leading supplier of migrants to Argentina. There, Channaoui will also spend time talking to families with relatives living outside the country for work in order to gain a more thorough understanding of the effects on migration. Channaoui will conclude her research in Buenos Aires.

For her Fulbright research, like Channaoui, Pancheshnikov's undergraduate study experiences inspired her Fulbright research. Pancheshnikov spent 3 months studying in Salvador, Brazil and 2 months conducting research in Puerto Rico, where she was exposed to the feminization of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

"Generally, my proposal has to do with the knowledge of young women who have just given birth about prenatal HIV transmission and prevention. That's the first part: the knowledge. The second part is the access of these women to prevention resources, and the third part is the utilization of these resources," Pancheshnikov says.

Pancheshnikov will gather her data using several strategies.

"I am using a mixed methodology-some quantitative data, like a survey, and I am hoping to get about 150 women throughout the year. [For] the qualitative data I want to use a mix of in-depth interviews with a few women ... and group interviews," she says. It is Pancheshnikov's hope that her research will help to spread awareness of prenatal HIV transmission.

"I want to write an article based on the results of my study.. analyzing the gaps of both access and knowledge [of HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention] ... Hopefully that helps the local community," she says.

Pancheshnikov is also auditing several courses at La Pontificia Universidad Católica in Santiago to enrich her knowledge of public health there.

However, it is the informal learning experiences that are perhaps most important to her. Pancheshnikov regularly takes conchos, a popular form of public transportation in Santiago. These four-passenger sedans are often crowded with up to eight people.

"The greatest learning experience [has been] in these conchos," she says. There, in the conchos, conversations flow and arguments erupt.

This all relates back to Senator J. William Fulbright's initial conception of the Fulbright program. It is an opportunity for research but also for fostering global communication.

"[The Fulbright program] is about fostering mutual understanding and creating cultural bridges. . Fulbright students are considered diplomats," Pancheshnikov says.

"I want to learn from everything and everyone. I want to immerse in the community," she adds about her year long experience.