University of Idaho student Taylor Azizeh is going to the Arctic. While the experience in an inhospitable environment may seem daunting to some, to Azizeh, it is the perfect place to expand her research.
Azizeh has spent her undergraduate years at UI participating in as many research opportunities as she could get her hands on — from studying kangaroo rats in the Mojave Desert with associate professor Craig McGowan to studying mosquitos in professor Shirley Luckhart’s lab. Now Azizeh has the chance to interact with creatures from a new environment — the Arctic.
The environmental science and wildlife resources fourth-year student was selected for a Fulbright Award to Denmark. Azizeh said she will spend six months at Aarhus University’s Arctic Research Centre taking masters level courses and conducting independent research. She will continue her coursework and research for another six months at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources in Nuuk, Greenland.
According to the official Fulbright website, the program began in August 1946 when President Harry S. Truman signed a bill into law calling for surplus war property to fund “promotion of international good will.” According to the website, the program is the largest US exchange program for students and “young professionals” interested in graduate study. The program awards approximately 2,000 grants annually in more than 140 countries.
Azizeh said each of the other students selected for the fellowship listed Ivy League schools on their applications. She originally applied without high hopes that she would make the cut — she wanted to take the chance and see where it took her. She feels “incredibly lucky” to be able to participate in the program.
“It speaks highly of the University of Idaho,” Azizeh said.
This will not be the first time Azizeh has studied abroad. Azizeh traveled to Costa Rica in spring 2017. She also traveled to Ecuador in summer 2018 to study bats. This trip to Denmark will be the first time Azizeh has traveled to an arctic ecosystem.
“For me, it was a really clear contrast between my research in that end of the spectrum in terms of extreme ecosystems and then going to the Arctic to see that whole other side of the spectrum,” Azizeh said. “So, it ties into my previous environmental research.”
Azizeh said she is excited for the opportunity to study internationally once again. She is also excited to represent the US while abroad. Azizeh said that while the US has some connections to Denmark, diplomatic relations are not as strong as in other parts of the world.
“With programs like Fulbright, we get to go and make even stronger connections, especially in terms of the academic world,” Azizeh said. “It’s an incredibly unique opportunity.”
Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]