ICAR Boasts Two Fulbright Scholars

Published 08/25/08, Mason Gazette.

The number of Mason scholars winning the Fulbright award continues to increase. One Mason scholar was selected in 2006 and three in 2007. One Fulbright winner is Nicole Goodrich, a current Ph.D. student in Mason's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR). She will travel to Sierra Leone to perform field research for her dissertation and volunteer work for two NGOs. Leaving in September, she expects to be there through next June.

"I'll be looking at gender violence during the civil war there and trying to determine predictors of the use of sexual violence in a civil-political war context. I hope to interview male and female survivors of the war—both perpetrators and survivors of sexual violence—and listen to their commonalities."

Goodrich will also be volunteering for NGOs in the cities of Freetown and Bo, where there is a lack of medical care for women who have genital injuries resulting from childbirth or sexual violence. "I'll also travel around the community; try to build relationships and trust. I know there will be days that will be challenging, but I'm looking forward to it." Goodrich has master's degrees in international peace and conflict resolution and in social science education. She previously taught public school in Atlanta's inner city.

In January, Idil Izmirli will be traveling to Crimea, Ukraine, on her Fulbright scholarship. In addition to winning the scholarship, which she applied for independently, Izmirli is also the recipient of the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Award for 2008-09.

Izmirli, M.A. Sociology '99, is currently working on a Ph.D. through ICAR. In Ukraine, she will be closely watching the ongoing Russian conflict with Georgia in addition to attending to her regional research on the peninsula. "With the recent Russian attack, the Ukraine is in danger too," Izmirli says. "I'll be investigating the dynamics of the conflict, especially in Crimea, which differs from the overall Ukraine." Over the past five years, Izmirli has conducted research and taught courses in Crimea. In 2005-06, Izmirli was awarded the International Research and Exchange Board Individual Advanced Research Opportunities Grant.

In addition to teaching, Izmirli has collaborated with Crimean local and regional NGOs to lead workshops on media, culture, and immigration in the Ukraine. Some of her work is featured in the book Migration, Homeland and Belonging in Eurasia by Cynthia J. Buckley and Blair Ruble.