Shannon awarded Fulbright

GAMBIER, Ohio (April 7, 2004) Kerry Shannon, Class of 2004, has been named a recipient of a prestigious J. William Fulbright Scholarship. A senior chemistry and international studies double major from Belle Mead, New Jersey, Shannon will use her Fulbright to research the sustainable development of water resources in northeast Thailand. She will also work with communities to determine how to involve affected people in managing their water resources.

The U.S. government's premier scholarship program, the Fulbright Program was established in 1946 to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills.

It was in 2002, during her fall semester in Thailand, that Shannon became interested in that country's environmental issues. With her research grant, Shannon plans to work with the Research and Development Institute at Khon Kean University. "Three areas which I would especially like to explore are the communities near the Pak Mun Dam, the Nam Pong River Basin, and the Region of Nakhon Nayok Province," she says.

Shannon first gained experience in community building in developing countries during two spring-break mission trips to Honduras. "That was the first time I had been to a developing country," she says. "What I saw there whetted my interest in developing issues." Shannon has also volunteered for several service trips to Appalachia, where she helped to repair homes.

Shannon has also been active in scientific research. For the past several summers, she has researched the effects of intermolecular multiple quantum coherences on NMR microscopy imaging with a team from Princeton University. Shannon will travel to Pacific Grove, California, on April 18 to present her findings at the 45th Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference. The team's findings have also been published in the journal Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Shannon plans to use her dual background in chemistry and in international studies to pursue a career in international government or public health.