Alumni News

“Once a Humboldtian, always a Humboldtian”

The alumni of the AvH – “Humboldtians” – are at the center of American Friends work and of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s mission.

Alumni News	Alumni Spotlight
Humboldt German Chancellor Fellow Awarded Fulbright to Research in New Zealand Dr. Louise Davidson-Schmich, an Associate Professor of Political Science and former Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of Miami, has recently been awarded a Fulbright Award to conduct research at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand in the spring of 2016. Inspired by her research on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and trips to and from Germany, Dr. Davidson-Schmich felt it was important to visit another country that has had a female chief executive. New Zealand has had not one, but two female prime ministers, Dame Jenny Shipley (1997-1999) and Helen Clark (1999-2008). Furthermore, Dame Shipley and Ms. Clark represent two different political parties, the National and Labor parties. Dr. Davidson-Schmich feels that the New Zealand case will allow her to shed further light on a topic, “Gender, Intersectionality, and the Executive Branch,” she began studying for the Humboldt Kolleg (Symposium) she organized at the University of Miami. She is one of the newest members of the Alumni Council and a co-Humboldtian-on-Campus at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL.	Seven Humboldtians Elected to The National Academy of Sciences On April 28, 2015, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announced the election of 84 new members and 21 new foreign associates from 15 countries. Election to NAS is a recognition of the distinguished and continued contributions of a scientist in original research and one of the highest honors a scientist can receive. Joining this year’s class were five former Humboldt Awardees; one former Max Planck Research Award Winner; and one former Humboldt Research Fellow. Read full article here. Humboldt Research Prize Winners: Dr. Aharon Kapitulnik, Physics, Stanford University – see full article here Dr. Shaul Mukamel, Chemistry, University of California, Irvine – see full article here Dr. Daniel M. Neumark, Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley – see full article here Dr. Richard Taylor, Mathematics, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ Dr. Shoucheng Zhang, Physics, Stanford University – see full article here Max Planck Research Award Winner: Robert J. Schoelkopf, Physics, Yale University – see full article here Humboldt Research Fellow: Dr. Julian I. Schroeder, Plant Sciences, University of California, San Diego – – see full article here
Humboldt German Chancellor Fellow named Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs at Denison University Dr. Catherine Dollard, a Humboldtian working at Denison University, has recently been named Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs at the university located in Granville, Ohio. She will be joining the Office of the Provost starting in July 2015. Dr. Dollard first joined the History faculty at Denison as Assistant Professor in 2000, shortly after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina. She is a historian of Modern Europe with a particular interest in the history of Imperial Germany and gender history. According to an article featuring Dr. Dollard earlier this year, Dr Dollard finds the study of history appealing because she believes “the practice of studying the past is uniquely able to inspire the moral imagination.” She comes to the Associate Provost position with extensive leadership experience on the Denison campus, having served as chair of the Department of History from 2008-2011, as chair of the Academic Affairs Council during the 2008-09 academic year, and as chair of the faculty in 2013-14. Dr. Dollard has also served as a Posse Mentor, as a member of the Senior Faculty Review Board, and has been active in the Early Career Programming Group. She and her husband, Dr. Ted Burczak, also a Professor at Denison (in the Department of Economics), have two boys, Jack and George. As a Humboldt German Chancellor Fellow, in 1994-1995, Dr. Dollard divided her year between Bonn and Berlin, where she conducted archival research for her subsequent book on The Surplus Woman: Unmarried in Imperial Germany, 1871-1918.
Humboldt Research Awardee Josef Rauschecker Appointed Hans Fischer Senior Fellow Humboldt Awardee Josef Rauschecker (2002) was recently appointed as a Hans Fischer Senior Fellow in Neuroscience. Outstanding international scientists who intend to explore innovative, high-risk topics in their scientific areas of research together with a research group at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are eligible for the Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship, provided jointly by TUM and the Institute for Advanced Study.Since 1995, Professor Dr. Rauschecker has been a Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, Neurology, and Neuroscience at Georgetown University. He serves as the director of the Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition, as well as of Georgetown University and Howard University’s international education and research program in Cognitive and Computational Systems, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and includes partnerships with nine institutions in four countries.The Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship hopes to encourage a lasting productive international research relationships, beginning with a three year research stay. The Award is named after German Organic Chemist Hans Fischer who received the Nobel Prize for his revolutionary work with hemoglobin and related structures in 1930.To learn about the Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship, please click here. Read more about Professor Dr. Rauschecker and his work here.

Alumni Spotlight

Humboldt German Chancellor Fellow Awarded Fulbright to Research in New Zealand

Dr. Louise Davidson-Schmich, an Associate Professor of Political Science and former Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of Miami, has recently been awarded a Fulbright Award to conduct research at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand in the spring of 2016.

Inspired by her research on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and trips to and from Germany, Dr. Davidson-Schmich felt it was important to visit another country that has had a female chief executive. New Zealand has had not one, but two female prime ministers, Dame Jenny Shipley (1997-1999) and Helen Clark (1999-2008). Furthermore, Dame Shipley and Ms. Clark represent two different political parties, the National and Labor parties.

Dr. Davidson-Schmich feels that the New Zealand case will allow her to shed further light on a topic, “Gender, Intersectionality, and the Executive Branch,” she began studying for the Humboldt Kolleg (Symposium) she organized at the University of Miami. She is one of the newest members of the Alumni Council and a co-Humboldtian-on-Campus at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL.

Seven Humboldtians Elected to The National Academy of Sciences
On April 28, 2015, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announced the election of 84 new members and 21 new foreign associates from 15 countries. Election to NAS is a recognition of the distinguished and continued contributions of a scientist in original research and one of the highest honors a scientist can receive. Joining this year’s class were five former Humboldt Awardees; one former Max Planck Research Award Winner; and one former Humboldt Research Fellow. Read full article here.

Humboldt Research Prize Winners:

Dr. Aharon Kapitulnik, Physics, Stanford University – see full article here
Dr. Shaul Mukamel, Chemistry, University of California, Irvine – see full article here
Dr. Daniel M. Neumark, Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley – see full article here
Dr. Richard Taylor, Mathematics, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ
Dr. Shoucheng Zhang, Physics, Stanford University – see full article here

Max Planck Research Award Winner:

Robert J. Schoelkopf, Physics, Yale University – see full article here

Humboldt Research Fellow:

Dr. Julian I. Schroeder, Plant Sciences, University of California, San Diego – – see full article here

Humboldt German Chancellor Fellow named Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs at Denison University

Dr. Catherine Dollard, a Humboldtian working at Denison University, has recently been named Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs at the university located in Granville, Ohio. She will be joining the Office of the Provost starting in July 2015.

Dr. Dollard first joined the History faculty at Denison as Assistant Professor in 2000, shortly after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina. She is a historian of Modern Europe with a particular interest in the history of Imperial Germany and gender history. According to an article featuring Dr. Dollard earlier this year, Dr Dollard finds the study of history appealing because she believes “the practice of studying the past is uniquely able to inspire the moral imagination.”

She comes to the Associate Provost position with extensive leadership experience on the Denison campus, having served as chair of the Department of History from 2008-2011, as chair of the Academic Affairs Council during the 2008-09 academic year, and as chair of the faculty in 2013-14. Dr. Dollard has also served as a Posse Mentor, as a member of the Senior Faculty Review Board, and has been active in the Early Career Programming Group. She and her husband, Dr. Ted Burczak, also a Professor at Denison (in the Department of Economics), have two boys, Jack and George.

As a Humboldt German Chancellor Fellow, in 1994-1995, Dr. Dollard divided her year between Bonn and Berlin, where she conducted archival research for her subsequent book on The Surplus Woman: Unmarried in Imperial Germany, 1871-1918.

Humboldt Research Awardee Josef Rauschecker Appointed Hans Fischer Senior Fellow

Humboldt Awardee Josef Rauschecker (2002) was recently appointed as a Hans Fischer Senior Fellow in Neuroscience. Outstanding international scientists who intend to explore innovative, high-risk topics in their scientific areas of research together with a research group at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are eligible for the Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship, provided jointly by TUM and the Institute for Advanced Study.Since 1995, Professor Dr. Rauschecker has been a Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, Neurology, and Neuroscience at Georgetown University. He serves as the director of the Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition, as well as of Georgetown University and Howard University’s international education and research program in Cognitive and Computational Systems, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and includes partnerships with nine institutions in four countries.The Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship hopes to encourage a lasting productive international research relationships, beginning with a three year research stay. The Award is named after German Organic Chemist Hans Fischer who received the Nobel Prize for his revolutionary work with hemoglobin and related structures in 1930.To learn about the Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship, please click here.
Read more about Professor Dr. Rauschecker and his work here.