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International discussions
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Conversations with colleagues in a lab results in international
student award for Karin Brandt.
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Conversations in a food science laboratory made up Karin Brandt's mind.
At the time Brandt was a nutritional science major and in between conducting
experiments, her discussions with graduate students and post-docs from
Ghana, China and India cemented her academic goals.
"I was working in the lab with all these test tubes and I realized
through conversations with my co-workers that malnutrition could be better
explained by political reasons than simply scientific issues," she
said. "My passion lies more with the policies that are instituted
for food distribution.
"I promptly switched majors."
Brandt switched to dual majors in political science and international
studies. And for the past two years she has served as an undergraduate
research assistant for the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, under
the direction of Robert Mazur, associate professor of sociology.
In her role with that Center, Brandt has learned about partnerships with
an NGO (non-governmental organization) which is assisting rural farmers
in Uganda to improve agricultural livelihoods. She has also researched
refugee and forced migration issues in northern Uganda and Burma.
"This has been the most memorable experience I've had at Iowa State,"
Brandt said. "I've learned so much from Dr. Mazur."
Mazur has nothing but praise for Brandt.
"It's been a great pleasure to work with Karin and with her Honors
project," he said. "She is a truly outstanding student, scholar
and human being – one whom I'm honored to be associated with during her
career at Iowa State."
Brandt spent seven months in Ghana on a study abroad program. During her
stay, she worked with an NGO on women's literacy in the country, which
she is transforming into her Honors project. She produced three books
in the Komba language, facilitated literacy teachings in area villages
and generated literacy awareness by selling local story booklets and creating
signboards.
This was the second time Brandt had traveled to Ghana. The first time
was a brief, three-week stay.
"The longer stay gave me a better understanding of the complexities
in the developing world. Students may have to bribe their way into a university
and farmers may lose an entire harvest to drought," she said. "I
was taken aback by how people can cope with that – situations that most
of us wouldn't even dream of experiencing."
There's a good chance that Brandt will be going back to the Africa in
the near future. The May graduate has applied to work for the USAID (U.S.
Agency for International
Development). She hopes to go to the Sudan for a year and then go on to
graduate school.
In the meantime, Brandt has been named a recipient of the College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences' Student International Excellence Award.
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Karin Brandt
Around LAS
March 26 to April 8, 2007
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