AT&T and the AT&T Foundation are offering new media fellowships of up to $1,500 through the Watson Institute for International Studies for students wishing to "pursue innovative international projects" over winter break.
The fellowships will fund programs that address global policy issues or critical needs in society. Students will be required to document their experiences on the Global Conversations blog run through the Watson Institute and to create a final video project.
A committee made up of members from the Watson Institute will choose the recipients of the fellowships through a selective process.
"We wanted to create a new media platform for the Brown community, a way for the students to capture their experiences," said Geoffrey Kirkman '91, deputy director at the Watson Institute. "We get very excited about the energy and creativity of the students and their projects, which have a lot of funding potential, but no predetermined outcome."
Watson first partnered with the AT&T Foundation in 2009. The foundation provided funds to support the projects of 11 students this summer. These students traveled around the world and blogged about their experiences with photographs and video podcasts. The Watson Institute had a series of workshops to train the winners and lent them high-definition video cameras. The funding helped to cover the students' costs of airfare, food and lodging.
"It's nice to have a fellowship that is specifically targeted to media. It's the only one of its kind," said Quyen Ngo '12, who won a fellowship last summer. She traveled to various regions of Vietnam to examine the education system around the nation.
"There's also a lot of flexibility because we design our own projects," she said.
The program will continue as long as funding is available, Kirkman said.
"We hope other organizations choose to fund us as well," he said.
The Watson Institute is also offering to lend video cameras to students who already have winter plans set up to document their experiences on the Global Conversations blog. The number of cameras available will depend on the demand for them.
The deadline for the winter fellowships is Nov. 8. The six-part application is available online.
