ESE undergrad wins Class of 1938 fellowship to conduct research in Ghana

May 28, 2015

Emma Kelly

Emma Kelly, Bachelor of Science in Public Health student in environmental sciences and engineering at The University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, was one of eight UNC-Chapel Hill students awarded the university’s Class of 1938 Summer Project Abroad Fellowship.

Kelly will conduct field research in Ghana with a research team from The Water Institute at UNC, which is based in the Gillings School’s Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering.

Her team aims to understand the sustainability and functionality of community-managed drinking water systems in the developing world.

The students were selected based on the quality of their proposals, financial need and academic purpose. Each will receive $5,000. A committee that included Class of 1938 members and former fellows chose the awardees.

Class of 1938 members Dr. Charles and Margaret Witten established the award in 1992.

Every year since 1975, an endowment created by the Class of 1938 has funded independent projects abroad by UNC-Chapel Hill students. Class members, who lived through and lost friends to World War II, created the endowment to help foster international understanding and promote world peace.

“[The awardees] truly embody the spirit of the Class of 1938 gift,” said Jane Rosenberg, assistant director for student and exchange visitor services in UNC International Student and Scholar Services office, through which the fellowships are awarded. “The projects they are pursuing will be of benefit to them and to the communities they’re serving. They’ll work in nutrition and health, develop sports programs to empower youth and create a positive sense of community, teach in rural schools and more—all while developing long-term friendships and professional networks.”

Read more about the Class of 1938 Fellowships on the International Student and Scholar Services website.