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Rome Prize
Foreign languages' Peter O'Neill is on the top of the world after
being awarded prestigious prize.
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Life couldn't be any better right now for Peter O’Neill.
Not only has O'Neill, an assistant professor of classical studies in the
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, been awarded one of the
most prestigious prizes in his field, but he also will be able to conduct
further research on his field of study on location.
All thanks to the American Academy in Rome.
O'Neill will leave for Rome in mid-September where he will spend the next
several months on a fellowship from the American Academy, one of the leading
overseas centers for independent study and advanced research in the arts
and humanities. Last spring O’Neill was one of 30 recipients of the
Rome Prize, chosen from a pool of 650 applicants.
"The chance to be in Rome and spend an entire year is great, especially
since my research is focused right in Rome," he said.
The Rome Prize provides fellowships ranging from six months to two years
for American artists and scholars to live and work at the Academy's 18-building,
11-acre site atop Rome’s highest hill, the Janiculum.
Recipients are granted in the fields of architecture, design, historic
preservation and conservation, landscape architecture, musical composition,
visual arts and ancient studies, medieval studies, Renaissance and early
modern studies, and modern Italian studies. The fellowships are selected
by juries of experts who review past work and the proposed project of
each applicant.
O'Neill, who was awarded the academy's Andrew Heiskell/National Endowment
for the Humanities Post-Doctoral Rome Prize Fellowship, is believed to
be the first faculty member from the humanities at Iowa State to receive
this award. He will receive a $20,000 research stipend and spend a year
at the American Academy in Rome.
The prize itself is wonderful according to O'Neill. But what makes this
fellowship worthwhile is O'Neill's research activities and his access
to valuable data vital for him to proceed with his studies. During his
stay in Italy, he will continue his research on local neighborhoods of
Rome, looking at sites of social interaction in the period 133 to 44 B.C.
By the end of his fellowship, O'Neill hops to turn that research into
a book.
"The late period of the Roman Republic was a period with lots of
turbulence and lots of rioting," O’Neill said. "Most people
are interested in the Roman public forums and politics, but I want to
concentrate on the neighborhoods."
Another advantage to O'Neill's Rome stay will be the library at the American
Academy, while O'Neill describes as one of the best in his field.
He will also have access to some of the world's leading experts on Rome
in 133 to 44 B.C. during his stay. And of course, he be able to wander
the streets of Rome.
"It's a good chance to learn the archaeology of the city, which is
good for my work and what I teach at Iowa State," O’Neill said.
"It's an amazing piece of luck to get this fellowship in this location."
Around LAS
September 9-22, 2002
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