Spotlight On: Student Internships

BY MARK ROBERT RAPACZ, ICA COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Last summer economics major Joshua Wong experienced the thrills and challenges of living and working abroad through his East Asia Internship placement at Ogilvy Taipei in Taiwan. “Many people had described to me the local corporate culture, but nothing could compare to working with foreign colleagues,” said Wong, who will graduate in 2014. “The experience was sometimes trying, often amusing, but always rewarding."

Wong was among 25 students selected to participate in the 2012 East Asia Internship program offered by ICA and the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia Pacific Research Center. The students could choose from over 60 different internship opportunities in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan in the fields of business, media, education, medicine, and technology, as well as with non-profit organizations.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY

ica.stanford.eduica.information@stanford.edu

Kim Rapp Executive Director

Jane StahlOffice Manager

Kimberly AmbayecProgram Coordinator

Joanne CamantigueFinancial Assistant

Mark Rapacz Communications Coordinator

Katherine Welsh Student Service Administrator

ICA CENTRAL STAFF:

Vol. 1, Issue 2

ICA PROGRAMS & CENTERS:

CENTER FOR AFRICAN STUDIES

CENTER FOR EAST ASIAN STUDIES

CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES

CENTER FOR RUSSIAN, EAST EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN STUDIES

CENTER FOR SOUTH ASIA

EAST ASIA INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

THE EUROPE CENTER

FORD DORSEY PROGRAM IN INTERNATIONAL POLICY STUDIES

FRANCE-STANFORD CENTER FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

HAMID AND CHRISTINA MOGHADAM PROGRAM IN IRANIAN STUDIES

INNER ASIA @ STANFORD

MEDITERRANEAN STUDIES FORUM

PROGRAM IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

SOHAIB AND SARA ABBASI PROGRAM IN ISLAMIC STUDIES

THE STANFORD HUMAN RIGHTS INITIATIVE

TAUBE CENTER FOR JEWISH STUDIES (continued on page 2)

Joshua Wong explores Jinguashi, a Japanese colonial era mining town along the coast of northern Taiwan.

Norman NaimarkFisher Family Director of the Division of International, Comparative and Area Studies

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Student Internships (continued from page 1)

Students came home excited by the new career possibilities opened up by their internship experience. History major Healy Ko landed an internship with Arirang TV, an international English-language network based in Seoul, South Korea. Over the summer she learned how news is produced for an international audience, from on-the-ground primary sources to working with the floor director to ensure broadcasts run flawlessly. “These past two months have opened up many possibilities for me in journalism and broadcasting,” she noted upon her return. “These are fields I would not have considered before this internship.”

Some students found the internship experience to be a fantastic complement to their academic work. “The internship was a perfect fit,” said international relations major Lilian Rogers, ’13, who interned at Caixan Media, a Beijing-based media group that produces financial and business news. “I was even able to do some of my thesis research while at the company by talking to reporters and editors.” Alex Chen, Biology, ‘13, had a similar experience interning at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital. “My principal investigator and coworkers were more than willing to guide me through each step of the research process. The lessons that I learned will prove to be invaluable in my future medical career.”

Each student awarded an internship through the East Asia Internship Program receives a small stipend from the program or host organization to assist with airfare, housing, and living expenses. Before heading off on their international journeys, students must secure a passport and visa and attend pre-departure and arrival orientations. These are small but necessary time commitments students must make to facilitate a successful cultural and professional international experience.

“Living in Beijing was exciting,” shared Robert Burns, ’15, who traveled to China for an internship with Larkin Trade International, a consulting firm that specializes in compliance and business strategy. “The food, the sights, and the people all made this summer one of the best I have ever experienced, and the internship gave me practical experience in a field I could definitely see myself pursuing in the future.”

Students interested in the East Asia Internship Program are encouraged to apply now (the summer 2013 deadline is Tuesday, February 12). Applications are accepted from all Stanford undergraduate students in good standing. Application and guidelines can be found at ceas.stanford.edu/students/internship.

Internship opportunities in other regions are administered by several ICA centers and programs, including the France-Stanford Center, Center for Latin American Studies, and the Center for South Asia. ]

Sanaa Hafeez and friends sightsee in Tokyo, Japan.

Healy Ko enjoying a meal at a seafood restaurant in Korea.

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A Conversation with Rodolfo Dirzo: Director of the

Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS)

In addition to being the Director of CLAS, you are the Bing Professor in Environmental Sciences and have led a distinguished career as a steward and close observer of nature. Can you tell us about one of your research projects that might resonate with centers and programs across ICA?

In one of my recent research projects, I am looking at the impact of human activities on wildlife in Latin America and Africa and its consequences for ecosystem functioning, as well as the risks of disease in humans. As a multi-disciplinary team of scholars and students (ecologists, earth systems scientists, MDs, among others) we investigate how the decimation of wildlife in rain forests (Latin America) and in savannas (East Africa) brings about increased abundances of rodents which are vectors of pathogens, which in turn may lead to increased risks of disease in humans. The insights derived from similar research in two continents are likely to be particularly informative.

Among the many programs that CLAS coordinates each year, is there one that you find particularly rewarding?

Although CLAS maintains a variety of exciting programs, I wish to highlight our MA in Latin American Studies. This training program has been attracting outstanding students from different backgrounds (culturally and disciplinarily speaking), who make CLAS’s life exciting, refreshing and extremely dynamic. The feedback we are getting from them is that they find the MA at CLAS to be very valuable for the different endeavors they pursue afterwards.

In the area of outreach, thanks to our designation by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Resource Center and its accompanying Title VI grant, we have developed an

educational program directed at underserved high school students from the area: Stanford Academic Alliance for Global Enrichment (SAAGE). Through a variety of pedagogical tools (multi-media presentations, literature analysis, poetry reading, field visits, etc.) students and teachers gain extensive knowledge of Latin American culture and history, political science and economics, and ecology and the environment. This program cultivates student collaboration and leads to a final project showcased at an end of year event attended by parents and families.

I also wish to announce that, under the leadership of ICA Director Norman Naimark, CLAS will be developing an interdisciplinary conference on pressing environmental issues relevant to the different regions of the world covered by ICA. We expect this to be one in a series of joint activities by ICA centers. Stay tuned!

Have you found the roles of Professor and Director to be distinct from one another, or do they overlap?

Although there are activities which are more prominent in each of the two roles, I find that the roles are intertwined to a considerable degree. For example, as a professor, mentoring and teaching are activities that I conduct both at CLAS and the Biology Department. Furthermore, some of my courses (e.g., Environmental Challenges in Latin America, Tropical Ecology and Conservation) have been cross-listed in and attended by students from both units. Likewise, as a scientist in the area of ecology and environmental research, my work in this field involves interaction, not only with other ecologists, but with social scientists, policy makers, or economists – all of whom cultivate central areas of work at CLAS. In another context, the

management of my own laboratory in Biology involves activities such as management of administrative staff, preparation and oversight of budgets, or organization of conferences, and these activities have been a useful experience that I can use in my responsibilities as CLAS director – and vice versa.

Could you recommend to our students a book, film or other resource that highlights the importance of acquiring local, area-based knowledge to explore global environmental issues?

I’d like to recommend my radio interview as part of the “Generation Anthropocene” series where my discussion of this new era of our planet is analyzed from the perspective of my place-based research (in Latin American tropical ecosystems) to address the most critical global environmental change today – biological extinction.

The Center for Latin American Studies is located at Bolivar House (582 Alvarado Row, Stanford, CA 94305). All are welcome to visit! ]

Events & Announcements

EAST ASIA INTERNSHIP PROGRAM DEADLINETUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12SPONSORED BY: Walter H. Shorenstein Asia Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein-APARC) and the Division of International, Comparative & Area Studies (ICA)

STANFORD ASSOCIATION FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT'S 2013 CONFERENCEGender & International Development: RecenteredSaturday, March 2, 9:30 AM - 6:00 PMNVDIA Auditorium and Mackenzie Room

TAKE A LOOK! Center for African Studies highlights student blog. Take a look at http://www.stanford.edu/group/gscmf/cgi-bin/ZambiaBlog/.

STUDENT FUNDSMany of ICA's programs and centers offer Stanford students internships, fellowships, and other opportunities. Go to http://ica.stanford.edu/funding to see what is available!

Division of International, Comparative and Area Studies © Stanford University • 417 Galvez Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-6045 • ica.stanford.edu

All events are co-sponsored by and presented at Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.

(328 Lomita Drive, Stanford, CA 94305)

Soody Sharifi, Fashion Week, 2010. Digital collage. 40” x 60.” Courtesy of LTMH Gallery.