Etnnic Identity of Estonian Youth and its Influence on Russian-Estonian
Relations
Ethnic conflicts are Even's main interest and he is going to investigate
the new ethnic identity of Estonian youth that has formed after Estonia
regained its independence in 1991. The study will focus on changing ethnic
and national identity after the Soviet Union broke up. He will also analyze
identity as a key factor in understanding Estonian Russian relations.

NGO Efficacy: Perceptions Among Donors, Adminitration, Staff, and
Community in Africa
Jess is interested in International Organization and Human Rights.
She plans to pursue a career with an international NGO and hopes
to discover a better way to  connect with the interest, needs, and
values of the people the NGO seeks to serve.

Emerging Masculinities in Mongolia's Natural Resource Boom
Cal is in the Master's International Peace Corps Program and will be
going to Mongolia to serve as a Community and Youth Development
Volunteer. His research will investigate how social roles are changing
for men in Mongolia and how that will impact social norms.

The Evolution of Shinto in Japan since the Japanese Nationalist
Movement in World War II
Hope believes that religions evolve and adapt. To her, Japan is
an interesting country to study and she is certain that it will provide valuable
and useful insights into the influence of personal identity, modernization,
and globalization on the shape of religion.
For her research project, Hope will be travelling to Osaka, Japan, which
was the first capital of Japan, and is now a major economic, cultural, and
historical hub, housing many shrines, temples, and religious festivals.

Maame Hagan,
Ghana

Can Ghana Avoid the (Oil) Resource Curse? A Case Study of the Ahanta
West-Cape Three Points Oil Drilling Area
Maame's research will asses if three years down the line, Ghana has been
able to put in place the right measures and policies to be able to turn its
new oil findings into a blessing rather than a curse.

Rural Tourism Development in Nepal: One Village's Experience of Socioeconomic
Structural Transformation
Alyssa's research interests include international development, cultural heritage and sustainable tourism development in the Himalayan region. These interests stem from her time volunteering in South Asia, and her enjoyment of mountain culture around the world. She is looking forward to completing her fieldwork research in the fall of 2013.

Anne Mook,
The Netherlands

The INF-Treaty: How European Public Opinion Influenced American Foreign Policy
Anne's research interests include American Foreign Policy, Europe, security, and public opinion. According to her, scholars have written intensively about the INF treaty, but the European perspective and its impact on American foreign policy is often neglected. By exploring recently declassified documents at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, she hopes to gain a better understanding of U.S. perspectives on European public opinion.

Germany's Environmental Ambitions: Morphing Central Europe's Strongest Economy into an Energy Independent Powerhouse
Josh, from Laramie, Wyoming, has spent a majority of his adult life in Germany.  He is interested in the workings of German and EU environmental policy, how they affect each other, and what the significance of all this is for Germany and its plan to eliminate nuclear energy from its soil and produce 80% renewable energy by 2050.  During his field work, Josh plans to travel back to Germany and learn the inner workings of an environmental organization.  He hopes to better understand how Germany has come to the forefront of environmentally-friendly energy production.

Muslim Views on Christians and Jews in Uzbekistan
He wants to contribute to the improvement of Christian-Jewish-Muslim relations by offering alternative discourses in the field.

Rahimjon travelled to Uzbekistan in the summer of 2012 to do thesis research.

Survival in a Hostile Land: Dominican Women of Haitian Descent
Jennifer spent two months in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in the summer of 2012 working to understand the hardships faced by Dominican women of Haitian ancestry. Although these women are the second and sometimes third generation born in the Dominican Republic, they are unrecognized by the government and thus lack citizenship, a human right the United Nations classifies as fundamental. While there, she partnered with a local NGO, the Community Service Alliance, who gave her the opportunity to understand the greater context of poverty for women in general in the nation.

Nicollette (Manjusha) Jones,
Texas

Transgressing Domesticity: Female Renuncation in Jainism
Manjusha conducted ethnographic research in the Northern districts of India, Rajasthan and Delhi. She spent 5 months collecting data, working with and learning from Jain women of the Svetambar and Digambar sects of Jainism in all stages of training; from women who are training to become Jain nuns to women who are fully ordained. She was able to see both their public and private performance of their renunciation. As a result, Manjusha was able to see how the way the women would put on their clothes and care for them was a gendered performance of Jain renunciation.

Lindsay Olson,
Wyoming

Agricultural Diversity Conservation for Food Sovereignity in the Peruvian Highlands: Case Study of the Parque de la Papa
Lindsay's broad research interests relate to sustainable local food systems, which brought her to Peru where she spent time with subsistence farming communities in the Cusco district, who are taking steps to ensure their food security from climate change and socio-economic pressures through local knowledge and native crops.

Japanese City Kanazawa - A Creative City of Crafts and Folk Arts
Anna is in love with Japanese culture and always was interested in the cultural, architectural and natural heritage of each country. She thinks that this heritage should be carefully preserved and that is why she chose Kanazawa, Japan as an example of excellent preservation and development of traditions, arts, crafts, and architecture.

Anna travelled to Japan in the summer of 2012 to do thesis research.

Comparative Analysis of Russian Policy Approach Toward Georgia and Lithuania
Dimitri's interest in foreign policy, particular Russian foreign policy toward post Soviet states, has led him to his study intending to compare policy toward Georgia and Lithuania from 1988-1994. He is also comparing policy-making processes and specific policies during the Soviet period and the early years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Shuping Zhang,
China

Rethinking Urban Expansion and Restructuring of Globalizing Shanghai: A Case Study of High-Speed Rail’s Unsustainable Impacts on Nearby Communities
In her research, the unsustainable impacts of High-speed Rail (HSR) on nearby communities will be depicted based on a case study in two communities nearby the Shanghai-Hangzhou HSR. After the rail construction, the land use in the affected areas has gradually transferred from agriculture dominance to transportation oriented. The process produced unsustainable impacts in regard to social equity, economic security, ecological integrity, and community livability.

Amy Arnold (l) worked in municipal administration in Honduras; Sarah Anderson (r) taught English in Lesotho.

Amy and Zach Moore lived in Mongolia. Amy taught English and Zach worked in environmental education.

Jason Funk (l) worked in Ecuador as a Forestry Extensions volunteer; Devon Reeser (r) worked as a Community Economic Developer in Paraguay.

Mark Jameson (l) worked in Togo as a small business enterprise volunteer; Joy Johnson (r) worked in Mali as an environmental extension volunteer.