International Presidential Fellows
2009-2010
The International Presidential Fellows Program seeks to honor CSU graduate students and visiting faculty members for their international involvement. Each of the Presidential Fellows comes from an impressive background with strong international research interests and experience. The purpose of the program is to introduce Fellows to on-going path breaking research at CSU and develop their leadership potential in the international sphere.
This year the International Presidential Fellows program includes 26 graduate students and post-graduate visitors from 20 countries. We asked the deans of every college to make nominations for candidates with strong international research interests and experience. This year’s cohort is particularly diverse and includes representatives from all eight colleges at CSU.
Getinet Adamu
Ethiopia
College of Business
Dalal Alrmuny
Jordan
College of Natural Sciences
Batkhishig Baival
Mongolia
Warner College of Natural Resources
Charles Osei Boateng
Ghana
College of Agricultural Sciences
Pranav Chanchani
India
Warner College of Natural Resources
Rinku Dewri
India
College of Natural Sciences
Jean-Nicolas Enjalbert
France
College of Agricultural Sciences
Romano Foti
Italy
College of Engineering
John Bosco Gasangwa
Rwanda
College of Business
Mohd Rozi Ismail
Malaysia
College of Applied Human Sciences
Jennifer Keahey
USA
College of Liberal Arts
Byungsoo Kim
South Korea
College of Natural Sciences
Natalia Kravchenko
Ukraine
College of Liberal Arts
Steven Lovaas
USA
College of Liberal Arts
Meghan Mordy
USA
College of Liberal Arts
Ryan Murphy
Canada
College of Agricultural Sciences
Cuong M. Nguyen
Vietnam
College of Engineering
David Nitsche
Germany
College of Engineering
Vincent Okoth
Uganda
College of Business
Sarah Noyse Parker
USA
College of Applied Human Sciences
Santosh Prakash
India
College of Applied Human Sciences
Irma Sanchez-Vargas
Mexico
College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Litto Suu
India
College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Hana’a Thigeel
Iraq
College of Applied Human Sciences
Valerie Thompson-Ebanks
Jamaica
College of Applied Human Sciences
Ramin Zahedi
Iran
College of Engineering
Getinet Adamu
Born in a small town called Debrework in the Northern part of Ethiopia, I earned a diploma in the field of 'General Agriculture' from one of the recognized agricultural colleges in the country — Awassa College of Agriculture. Following my graduation, I started my career in a large private commercial farm called Birale Agricultural Development PLC. In 2004 I left my cool job to pursue my education and join the Faculty of Agriculture at Jimma University as a student of Horticulture. Since December 2006, I have
worked as an agronomy/irrigation officer with International Development Enterprises - Ethiopia, which is a non-profit NGO working to create income opportunities for poor rural households.
Dalal Alrmuny
I am a Fulbright student from Jordan working on my PhD in Computer Science at Colorado State University. My research is focused on improving software testing. I have more than seven years of experience in the IT industry. Previously, I worked in the software quality insurance field focusing in the production of high quality software. Later, I worked as an instructor teaching computer courses for undergraduate students. I worked as a teaching assistant in the computer science department for on-campus and online courses. I admire the academic environment at CSU, which provides the proper resources and the support for students to do research.
Batkhishig Baival
It was a dream of my childhood and of my parents to have me educated in one of the world’s leading universities. After I became a graduate student at CSU, I felt so good about all the opportunities available on the campus for professional and personal growth. Every single day of being a graduate student is a call for a challenge that I am proud to take. I owe my deep gratitude to my loving family, my graduate advisor and AAUW for their trust and tremendous support in helping me to achieve my dreams.
Charles Osei Boateng
I was born into a very humble Christian family in Ghana. Upon realizing that I wanted to be a leader in agricultural research and education, I have always been driven by initiative, a strong sense of professionalism and the earnest desire to quickly and willingly acquire new skills pertinent to my field of study. This quest led me to England where I obtained my Master’s degree in Crop Science and
Management, and then to Colorado State University to pursue a PhD program in Plant Pathology. I love soccer, basketball, music and sightseeing.
Pranav Chanchani
I joined CSU in fall 2008 as a PhD student in
Ecology in Dr. Barry Noon’s lab. Before this, I pursued a Master’s degree in Wildlife Science at the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun. My dissertation research was on the habitat ecology of endangered Trans-Himalayan ungulates in Sikkim, India. My doctoral research at CSU will focus on how landscape configuration and anthropogenic
disturbance influence the distribution and abundance of tigers and their prey species in North India. In the long run, I expect to work on issues at the interface of conservation and development in India and elsewhere.
Rinku Dewri
Rinku was born in Guwahati, a prospering city in the northeastern part of
India. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur with a Master’s Degree of Science in Mathematics and Computing, and is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Computer Science at
Colorado State University. Rinku joined CSU with a research background in evolutionary multi-objective optimization. His research here at CSU has explored topics related to value-focused decision making in data privacy, information security and pervasive data management. He is currently investigating privacy threats emanating from the ubiquitous usage of location-based services.
Jean-Nicolas Enjalbert
France is my country of origin. I have been in Colorado for three years. I was first here as an exchange student. I went back home to finish my Master’s degree in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and finally came back here to start my PhD in August 2007. I am currently working in Bio-fuel development as part of my PhD. Academia is not my only activity. I am also a professional mountain biker, fly fisher, photographer and traveler.
Romano Foti
was born in Giarre (CT), a small town located in eastern Sicily, Italy. He attended undergraduate studies in Catania at the "Universita' degli Studi di Catania" and graduated in 2005. He first visited CSU during the 2006 Spring semester to work on his Master's degree research topic and he subsequently achieved the Master's degree at the "Scuola Superiore di Catania per la Formazione di Eccellenza" in the Fall 2006. Based on this first experience in Fort Collins, he decided to apply for graduate study at CSU and enrolled in a PhD program in Civil Engineering in 2007, working on a project of assessing US vulnerability to water shortage and climatic changes under the supervision of Prof. Jorge A. Ramirez. In 2009 he had the opportunity to teach Dynamics at CSU during the Summer semester. Besides his research interests, he enjoys playing tennis, volleyball, indoor soccer and skiing on the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
John Bosco Gasangwa
I hold a Business degree from the National University of Rwanda and speak 5 languages; English, French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda and Luganda. My experience is in micro
finance, providing loans to the underprivileged people in Rwanda. I have been working with kiva.org in Rwanda to develop partnerships to access funds for their growing number of clients. After the 1994 Genocide, I helped to create a non-profit organization to support widows, orphans and street children in Rwanda. I participate in speaking engagements in the United States through World Vision to raise funds for programs in Rwanda focusing on creating social, economic and environment sustainability. My goal is to help end poverty and foreign aid dependency through encouraging sustainable entrepreneurship, fair trade and economically empowering women through sustainable business opportunities in developing countries. I am the founder of A Bowl of Porridge ministries in Rwanda. We serve 65 poor children with porridge every day of school and they all have access to education and health care. I am an outgoing person who likes making new friends, basketball and fishing!
Mohd Rozi Ismail
My home county is Malaysia and I am currently working on my PhD in Education Leadership and Management at Colorado State University. I was able to obtain more educational leadership content and attend frequent lectures and internship programs in America. My interest in education began in 1995, which was my first year as a student in Daito Bunka University in Tokyo, Japan, where I studied for five years. I received my Master’s degree in Malaysia with an objective of applying the management knowledge I acquired in Japan. I intend to incorporate my leadership and management knowledge to enhance the educational system in Malaysia where I hope to become a specialist in education.
Jennifer Keahey
I received a BA in Anthropology and French from the University of Utah, and an MA in International Development and Social Change from Clark University. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Latvia and have also worked in France, Ghana and Japan in international education and development. I am a PhD student in the Sociology Department at CSU where I am affiliated with the Center for Fair and Alternative Trade (CFAT). My research interests include globalization, political economy, gender and social movements. For my dissertation, I am examining challenges and opportunities in the development of fair trade organic cotton textile
markets.
Byungsoo Kim
has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Seoul National University in South Korea. He then came to the Math graduate program in CSU. Since 2005, he has been in the PhD program in Applied Mathematics. His research is focused on dynamic systems and atomic motion on solid surfaces. He enjoys the opportunity to work with great researchers in Japan and the UK under the support of a CSU professor who has strong international networks with researchers. Between his work, he enjoys skiing, hiking, mountain biking and other outdoor activities in Fort Collins.
Natalia Kravchenko
Natalia was born in the country of Ukraine. While attending Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University in Ukraine she earned a bachelor’s degree in quantitative economics and began to develop her interests in politics, international relations, and business at the Scientific Research Financial Institute in the Ministry of Finance. As a scholar in Sweden, Natalia was motivated to study law and politics at Lund University. Later, when studying in Prague, she took the opportunity to learn the skills of finance. Here at CSU Natalia is pursuing a Master’s degree in Economics and focusing on economic development strategies.
Steve Lovaas
Steve grew up in Fort Collins. He studied Chemistry, Marine Science, Music, Computer Networking, and Information Assurance elsewhere before returning to CSU, where he is the IT Security Manager. He lives in Fort Collins with his wife Heidi. Steve is a security author, essayist, and instructor, but his PhD research examines the human side of communication, particularly issues of trust in computer-mediated communication. His international studies have included a summer in Ireland studying Gaelic; Steve also hopes to continue his contact with relatives in Norway as he broadens his research focus to cross linguistic and cultural barriers.
Meghan Mordy
Meghan was with the Peace Corps in El Salvador and completed her Master’s degree in Public Administration studying farmers’ cooperatives in Central America in 2006. In addition to her Peace Corps service, she has volunteered for several NGOs and community organizations in El Salvador. To develop her interests in development, globalization, and social inequality, she joined the CSU Sociology PhD program in 2008. She currently is the research assistant for the Center for Fair and Alternative Trade at CSU, thanks to an institutional development grant from Colorado State University. She plans to do her dissertation on fair trade in Latin America.
Ryan Murphy
Ryan was raised on his family’s purebred Charolais and Red Angus cattle operation at Bonnyville,
Alberta, Canada. After graduating with his B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Saskatchewan in April 2004, he transferred to Colorado State University the following January to pursue a M.S. in the Meat Science Program. Ryan graduated with his degree in May 2008 and is currently a PhD candidate in the same program.
After graduating with his PhD in December 2010, Ryan intends to move to Asia and work for a
government agency, a non-profit trade organization, or a multinational company that strives to expand trade opportunities in Asia for North American red meat products.
Cuong Nguyen
My name is Cuong Nguyen. I was born and raised in
Hanoi, Vietnam. In the early years of my education, my teacher commented on my poor record in math. I
remember how sad my father was after one parent meeting. A year later, I came in first in an entry test for a class for gifted math students. I was the recipient of Vietnamese National Mathematics Olympiad prizes in 1994 and 1995. I could have been a math student in college but I decided to go to engineering school. After my graduation from Hanoi University of Technology in 2001, I was appointed to be a lecturer in the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of
Technology (PTIT), Vietnam. There, I was awarded a scholarship for a Master’s program in the US. I came to CSU in 2004 and I am now a PhD student in the ECE Department. I am doing research in the field of radar meteorology and
developing algorithms to help to improve measurement of weather phenomena.
David Nitsche
My Name is David Nitsche. I was born and grew up in a small town called Ruesselsheim, Germany. Since my childhood, I had the dream of being a physics engineer. After graduating in 2004, I started studying Applied Physics at the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden where I received my Bachelor’s degree in 2009. During that time, I was involved in several exchange programs. As a result, I decided to leave
Germany for a study abroad program. After my acceptance at the German Fulbright Program, I applied as a Scholar to CSU due to their high educational standards in the Engineering Department. My interest is in hydrogen storage in metal hydrides, and I am working on my Master’s thesis, which I hope to complete in May 2010. After my time in Colorado, I will go back to Germany in order to complete my PhD. degree.
Vincent Okoth
Vincent hails from Uganda, East Africa and his background is in agricultural economics, developing value chains for smallholder coffee and dairy farmers. He has five years work experience mainly with American based firms; Technoserve Inc. Uganda and Chemonics International. Vincent has a firm belief in the potential of entrepreneurship to bring sustainable transformation to communities through its wealth and income creating power. He holds a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics and is currently enrolled in the College of Business in the GSSE program. Vincent is a member of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), and hopes to combine his experience working with rural communities and entrepreneurial skills from CSU to affect change in Uganda.
Sara Noyse Parker
I am currently working on my thesis, a
qualitative ethnographic study using photo voice to document the lives of some of the youths of the Mathare slum. I’m working with the MEWLU Foundation (http:www.mwelu.org), a youth based photography program in Mathare.
Photo voice is a method that allows the participants to document their lives and record their stories using photography and a series of guided interviews. Those that have previously studied the Mathare document the horrific
conditions, the lack of electricity, water, and sewage system, the murders, gangs, and violence. I aim to document the resiliency of these kids, their strengths and the community’s strengths. Those that wish to keep up with my adventures otherwise communicate with me can get in touch with me through
http://www.sarahnoyesparker.com.
Santosh Prakash
Santosh is a Construction Management graduate student with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Bangalore University in India. His research interests include Greywater Reuse and Highway Tolling. He assisted his professors in research of `Residential Greywater Reuse for Toilet Flushing’ and has been published in the Conference Proceedings of 2009 American Society of Civil Engineers. Santosh was also a teaching assistant for the course Construction Contracts and Project Administration during Spring 2009. Santosh is the Treasurer and founding member of the CSU student chapter of the Construction Management Association of America. He enjoys playing racquetball and volunteering at the Longmont Museum.
Irma Sanchez-Vargas
I was born and educated in my native county of Mexico. My academic background is in Chemistry Pharmacobiology, with a Master’s degree in Biomedical Science and a PhD in Biomedical Science. I am currently a full-time Research Scientist in the department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology at Colorado State University. I have worked with dengue viruses, the most common mosquito-borne viral disease of humans, since my doctoral studies. My PhD work was selected as the best PhD thesis, and I was given the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). My primary research interest is to study the relationship between arthropod-borne viruses and the innate antiviral pathway termed RNA interference (RNAi) in mosquito vectors. Much of this work has been supported by NIH grants and the Grand Challenges in Global Health from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Foundation of the NIH.
Litto Suu
I am from Northeast India in Nagaland. I received my Bachelor of Science in Biology in CSU and am currently doing my DVM degree. After getting sound clinical experience here in the US at mixed practice clinics, I want to ultimately do international work related to infectious disease control. My interests are doing outdoor activities and travelling.
Hanaa A. Thigeel
My name is Hanaa A. Thigeel. I got my Bachelor’s
degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from the University of Baghdad in my country, Iraq. I am
currently getting my Master’s degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University. My research is mainly about developing a web-based food safety training course. I work as a graduate research assistant in the department of Clinical Sciences. This job allows me to provide insights into food safety programs implemented in my country. I enjoy giving talks about my country and participating in international activities.
Valerie Thompson-Ebanks
Valerie is a PhD student in the Interdisciplinary Program in the School of Education with a cognate in social work. She began an early career as a trained teacher and later evolved into social work. She received both the BSc. in Social Work and Masters of Social Work from the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Jamaica. She has contributed eighteen years to the education system in Jamaica and has served at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Over recent years she has served as the Senior Guidance Counselor of Guy’s Hill High School, Adjunct Lecturer at the Jamaica Theology Seminary, and part-time tutor in Social Work in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at UWI. She is passionate about working with children and families and other child welfare related issues.
Ramin Zahedi
Ramin came to CSU in 2004 after getting his
Bachelor's degree from Tehran University in IRAN and started a master’s program in ECE. He began
doing research on portfolio management in financial markets. He tried to relate and use algorithms and methods available in sensor management to design a method for making financial decisions. Ramin
completed his Master’s program in 2007, and after taking a break for a year, he came back to CSU in 2008 to start his PhD. Since then, he has been learning about a topic called "compressive sensing" and his goal is to relate this topic to the detection of signals.
