Killam Fellowships Program

The Killam Fellowships Program provides an opportunity for exceptional undergraduate students from universities in the United States to spend either one semester or a full academic year as an exchange student in Canada. UW students may participate in the program as a direct exchange student (registering at their home university, paying their home fees, and attending the host university as an exchange visitor). The Killam Fellowships Program provides a cash award of $5,000 US per semester ($10,000 for a full academic year), an all expense paid three day orientation in Ottawa, and a three day all expense paid seminar in Washington (plus other benefits).

The Canadian Studies Center is a partner institution with the Killam Foundation enabling up to two full academic year fellowships annually for UW students. (See 2008 partnership agreement.)

UW Killam Fellows
Former Killam Fellows 
Incoming Killam Fellows 
2013-14 Applications available September 2012

UW Killam Fellows 


                       

Hannah Dolph, International Studies; Law, Societies, and Justice
2013–14 Killam Fellow
Study-in-Canada, Carleton University (Fall 2013) 
Killiam Fellowship Recipient Reflects on Task Force Experience

 


                       

Jenny Miller, Photomedia & American Indian Studies
2012–13 Killam Fellow
Study-in-Canada, University of Western Ontario (Fall 2012) 
While studying in Canada I look forward to enriching my education and art by uniting with the Canadian Inuit and First Nations people. As an Inupiat from Northwest Alaska, I hope to share stories of the past, as well as to aide in the preservation of our cultures through artistic outreach and self-representation. Through the friendships I make in Canada I would like to use my art to diminish the stereotypes that keep our people in the past. With this tremendous experience I will learn from the Canadian Inuit and First Nations new ways of empowering and enriching the lives of our people. I greatly look forward to the opportunity.
Killam Fellow Visits the U.S. Ambassador to Canada!

 


                       

Eugene Kobiako, Biology & International Studies
2011–12 Killam Fellow
Study-in-Canada, University of Ottawa (Winter 2011)
Being a Killam fellow has greatly enriched my undergraduate experience as it gave me the opportunity to discover more about the great Canadian cultural mosaic. As an international studies major, I have the need to travel and discover new places, and through this generous fellowship, I was able to study in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, and travel throughout Quebec and the Canadian Maritime provinces (seeing exotic sights such as the beautiful and distant Prince Edward Island!). Academically, I believe my extensive study of Canadian foreign policy and Canadian relations in the Canadian capital greatly supplemented my studies, and this knowledge and experience will surely be beneficial to my professional career. I will forever be grateful for the Killam fellowship.
Killam Fellow Learns Much about Canada from his Semester in Ottawa

Ivy Gooch, Business 
2010–11 Killam Fellow
Study-in-Canada, l’Université de Montréal
Ivy Gooch Reports from I'Université de Montréal
 
Gregory Johnsen, International Studies
2010–11 Killam Fellow
Study-in-Canada, McGill University in Montréal (Fall 2010)
Gregory Johnsen at McGill University, Québec, October 2010
 
Rozanna Fang and Adam Tanga Rozanna Fang, French
Adam Tanga, Political Science
2009–10 Killam Fellows
Study-in-Canada, McGill University & University of Ottawa (Fall 2009)
Killam Fellows of 2009-10
Adam Tanga in Ottawa, November 2009
Adam Tanga, A Semester at University of Ottawa, Fall 2009

Lucas Olson, International Studies & Economics
2008–09 Killam Fellows
Study-in-Canada, University of Victoria (Fall 2008)
Reva Robinson, Linguistics 
2008–09 Killam Fellows
Study-in-Canada, Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario (Fall 2008)
Killam Fellowships Program Comes to UW, April 2008
Ottawa Orientation, September 2008

Incoming Killam Fellows

Chihab El Khachab, Anthropology & Sociology   
2010–11 Killam Fellow
Study-in-Seattle, University of Washington (Winter 2011) 
University of Ottawa Killam Fellow, Chihab El Khachab, Coming to U.W.!

 
Barry Dewitt, Arts and Sciences Program / Mathematics
2008–09 Killam Fellow
Study-in-Canada, McMaster University (Spring 2009)

Kelvin Fong, Physiology / Music
2008–09 Killam Fellow
Study-in-Canada, University of Toronto (Winter & Spring 2009)

 

Killiam Fellowship Recipient Reflects on Task Force Experience

by Hanna Dolph, Killam Fellowship 2013-14, Task Force 2013

Winter quarter, I was fortunate enough to go on a field study trip for my task force. The group traveled to Quebec and Ottawa where we met with scholars, scientists, and Inuit to develop our understanding of current situations in the Arctic region. The class report was focused on contemporary human security in regards to Arctic resource development and governance. During our trip I was ignited with a passion to further explore Canada and continue learning about the effects of climate change and government resettlement on human security in the region. To continue focusing on indigenous perceptions and values in the Arctic, I applied for the Killam Fellowship.

It is such a great opportunity for personal and academic growth. While studying at Carleton University in Ottawa I hope to get involved with a few local organizations we visited on the trip. I am considering volunteering at Projets Auchtochtones du Québec, a partnership program with Makivik Corporation that helps urban Inuit get in touch with resources available to them. Our trip to Ottawa and Quebec made me realize that I would never be done learning through travel, never could my education lack in experience, and always would my perceptions be dictated by the cultures and national identities that I immerse myself in- I couldn’t be happier to delve into this experience!

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Killam Fellow Learns Much about Canada from his Semester in Ottawa

Being a Killam fellow has greatly enriched my undergraduate experience as it gave me the opportunity to discover more about the great Canadian cultural mosaic.


Eugene Kobiako, Biology and International Studies (Killam Fellow 2011-12), just returned from University of Ottawa, where he focused on the study of Canadian foreign policy. Eugene reflects on his experience as a Killam Fellow in Canada. “Being a Killam fellow has greatly enriched my undergraduate experience as it gave me the opportunity to discover more about the great Canadian cultural mosaic. As an International Studies major, I have the need to travel and discover new places, and through this generous fellowship, I was able to study in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, and travel throughout Quebec and the Canadian Maritime provinces (seeing exotic sights such as the beautiful and distant Prince Edward Island!). Academically, I believe my extensive study of Canadian foreign policy and Canadian relations in the Canadian capital greatly supplemented my studies, and this knowledge and experience will surely be beneficial to my professional career. I will forever be grateful for the Killam fellowship.”

The Killam Fellowships Program provides an opportunity for exceptional undergraduate students from universities in the United States to spend either one semester or a full academic year as an exchange student in Canada. UW students may participate in the program as a direct exchange student (registering at their home university, paying their home fees, and attending the host university as an exchange visitor). The Killam Fellowships Program provides a cash award of $5,000 US per semester ($10,000 for a full academic year), an all expense paid three day orientation in Ottawa, and a three day all expense paid seminar in Washington (plus other benefits). The Canadian Studies Center is a partner institution with the Killam Foundation enabling up to two full academic year fellowships annually for UW students.

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Chihab at the Mezquita de Cordoba, Spain.

University of Ottawa Killam Fellow, Chihab El Khachab, Coming to U.W.!

By Chihab El Khachab

As I write these lines, I am still in Ottawa, packing my luggage – and my excitement! – en route to Seattle. To be honest, I am disquieted by the prospect of leaving the comforts of home on New Year’s Day, but the anthropologist sleeping inside me has awoken my appetite for adventure and discovery. For the past three years, I have studied anthropology – and sociology – at the University of Ottawa. I first chose to study anthropology for the money and glory awaiting me after graduation; now, I am more interested by the social and human impacts of art, cinema, and media in our daily lives. That’s my kick.

My other kick, of course, is traveling. As an anthropologist in training, I want to have as many academic and cultural experiences as possible. With incredible support, the Killam Fellowship has allowed me to combine both goals: since I had never set foot on the Pacific coast of the United States, and since I had never studied anthropology or sociology in a reputable American institution, I chose to study at the University of Washington. Of course, the Killam Fellowship in itself presents numerous learning opportunities, because it has allowed me to meet many American and Canadian undergrads with different backgrounds, experiences, stories, and sometimes different languages. For that matter, I am coming to UW to study, to learn, and to share my own experiences, stories, and background. And so, before returning to my luggage, I would like to say: À bientôt, Seattle!

Chihab El Khachab is a third year undergraduate student of anthropology and sociology at the University of Ottawa – and on exchange at the University of Washington in the winter of 2011. He is particularly interested in the anthropology of arts and media, with a special focus on aesthetic/political conflicts in urban contexts.

The Center has a Memorandum of Understanding with The Killam Fellowships Program in Ottawa to enhance study-abroad opportunities for UW students. The agreement enables undergraduate students to study at a Canadian partner institution for a semester or academic year. Modeled much like the Fulbright award, the fellowship includes a fall orientation in Ottawa, Canada, a spring seminar in Washington, D.C., and boasts a very active alumni group. Fellowships are $5,000 or $10,000 depending on the duration of study. For more information see the Center’s Killam Fellowship site: http://jsis.washington.edu/canada/undergraduate/killam.shtml

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Ivy Gooch, this year’s Killam Fellow, is studying in Montréal.

Killam Fellow, Ivy Gooch, Reports From l’Université de Montréal!
By Ivy Gooch

After only three days in Montréal, I’d fallen in love with the city. After three months I remain just as enamored; although now I wear at least three layers at all times. Every day I am constantly struck by the diversity of Montréal. In the west customers are greeted with “hi,” in the center with “bonjour-hi,” and in the east with a proud “bonjour.”
At l’Université de Montréal, one of the largest francophone universities in the world, readings are frequently in English. While most residents’ first and strongest language is French, the accommodations made for English are large.

Ivy Gooch in Montreal
Ivy Gooch in Montreal.

As a native of Seattle, I have always associated Vancouver, Victoria, and Whistler with Canada. I soon discovered that the differences between the eastern and western seaboards of the US are much less than those of Canada. The Québecois have their own distinct culture that involves almost fully state-funded universities and swearing with words like “tabernacle” and “chalice.” However, this does not prevent them from also defining themselves as Canadians. Now in Québec I more fully understand the plurality of Canada. I now have a much greater appreciation for the ability of our neighbor to run a peaceful, diverse and bilingual country.

The Killam Fellowships Program is a partnership between the Canadian Studies Center and the Killam Fellowships Program, Ottawa. The partnership provides up to two fellowships annually for University of Washington undergraduate students. In 2009-10 Ivy Gooch, Foster School of Business and Gregory Johnson, International Studies were awarded a Killam Fellowship.

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2010-11 Killam Fellow, Gregory Johnsen, at McGill University, Québec

Gregory Johnsen with the United States Ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson in Ottawa.
Gregory Johnsen with the United States Ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson in Ottawa.

By Gregory Johnsen

The Killam Fellowship program has made clear to me that there are a great many planes on which the United States and Canada have the potential for collaboration. Of course, there are the obvious ones: shared public policy, commerce and trade, joint security, and environmental protection. Living in Canada has also afforded me the opportunity for another important one: friendship. After traveling to Ottawa in September for a joint Killam and Fulbright Canada orientation program though, I became aware of an additional possibility which may be too often overlooked.

We stand to gain a lot by sharing our ideas with each other. It was a profound experience to sit at the dinner table during our orientation and engage in conversation with some of the greatest academic minds, with leaders of industry, and with policymakers from both countries. I realized that as North Americans we all face many of the same challenges, but the responses from our business community, political leaders, and the academy are sometimes very different, and in that I see opportunity for learning and exchange. Neither country should be so brash as to think we have a monopoly on all the best ideas.

Gregory Johnsen is a senior majoring in Economics and International Studies at UW. He was awarded a 2010-2011 Killam Fellowship for a semester of study at McGill University in Montréal.

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A Semester at University of Ottawa

By Adam Tanga

2009-2010 Killam Fellows
Adam Tanga, a major in Political Science at the UW, was one of the two UW students selected as a Killam Fellow for the 2009–2010 academic year. Adam poses in front of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa.

 In 2009–10 two UW students were awarded Killam Fellowships – Rozanna Fang, Senior, French (minor Public Health and Community Medicine); and Adam Tanga, Junior, Political Science (minor French) who spent Fall Quarter at McGill University and University of Ottawa respectively.

The Killam Program orientation in Ottawa, in September, was among my most memorable experiences in Canada as a Killam Fellow. I was able to see so much of the capital while getting to know the other Killam fellows and Fulbright Scholars from all across Canada and the United States. I was truly amazed at the diverse knowledge and experience everyone had which was clearly evident during the seminar portion of the orientation. My heightened awareness of the importance of the relationship between the United States and Canada and the various issues concerning both countries has certainly impacted my professional academic career in a positive way. The discussions complemented my studies at the University of Ottawa where I am taking a Canadian politics course. It was an honor and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to visit the U.S. Ambassador’s residence and speak one-on-one with Foreign Service officers. As a result, I am inspired to work toward a career in the same field. To top off an incredible weekend, I played hockey for the first time. I’m really excited for next year’s seminar when we meet again in Washington, DC.

In 2008 the Canadian Studies Center and the Killam Foundation, Ottawa, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance study abroad opportunities for UW students. The agreement enables two to four undergraduates to study at a Canadian partner institution for a semester or academic year. The Fellowships are worth up to $10,000 annually.

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Good things come in threes: A triad of exceptional research talent chooses the University of Ottawa

2009-2010 Killam Fellows
Photo: Karen Lillie, Adam Tanga, Ruby Heap and Michael Orsini

 
The University of Ottawa recently welcomed three outstanding visiting scholars from the United States thanks to the Canada-US Fulbright Program and the Killam Research Fellowship Program. During their stay at the University, Daniel Cahoy, Karen Lillie and Adam Tanga will contribute valuable skills and insights to their respective field through their research, guest lectures and student and faculty collaborations.

“We are very pleased and proud to welcome these three outstanding scholars at the University of Ottawa,” says Ruby Heap, an associate vice-president of research, former Fulbright Scholar at Atlanta’s Georgia Institute of Technology and former Fulbright Visiting Chair in Canadian Studies at Kennesaw State University. “Their research activities will undoubtedly foster future collaborations and partnerships.”

Both the Fulbright and Killam programs recognize excellence among graduate students, professors and professionals from Canada and the United States. The mandate of the Fulbright Program is to enhance mutual understanding between the peoples of Canada and the United States by supporting outstanding graduate students, faculty, professionals and independent researchers. In more than 150 countries worldwide, the program has long been regarded as the premiere academic exchange program and a signature honour for scholars.

Modeled much like the Fulbright award, the Canada Council for the Arts’ Killam research fellowships are likewise among the most prestigious fellowships in Canada. Recipients, chosen by a committee comprising eminent scientists and scholars, are given the unique opportunity to focus on their research on a full-time basis for two years.

“The presence of these star academics on our campus illustrates the cutting-edge research conducted by our faculty in the recipients’ respective field of study,” says Heap. “What is particularly exciting is that our visiting scholars this year include a seasoned researcher as well as a graduate and undergraduate student.”

Daniel Cahoy is the Fulbright Visiting Chair in International Humanitarian Law. As an associate professor of business law at the Smeal College of Business at Pennsylvania State University, he specializes in the teaching and study of intellectual property law, as well as related issues in technology law and general business law concepts. He has published numerous articles in academic law journals on topics such as intellectual property and alternative energy policy, reform of the U.S. patent system and the use of experimental economics to improve jury studies.

“I have always had an interest in the practical applications of my research and how other fields inform it,” says Cahoy. “As an intellectual property law academic, I have spent quite a bit of time researching the relationship between patents and socially important goods. In no other context is this relationship more important than access to essential medicines in the developing world.”

Cahoy explains that he has become keenly interested in stepping outside of the traditional scope of legal analysis on this topic and combining work in the field of human rights to create potentially more workable solutions to the problem.

“Because Canada has a widely recognized legal regime to facilitate the export of pharmaceuticals to developing countries, I have always desired to study this topic here, and contrast the environment to that in the United States,” he insists. “When the opportunity to work with uOttawa’s internationally known human rights and technology law faculty members through a Fulbright grant arose, I was extremely pleased.”

During the fall 2009 semester, Cahoy is associated with uOttawa’s Human Rights Research and Education Centre. He says he is excited about working with the Centre for numerous reasons, not the least of which is its privileged association with a law faculty that is rooted in both civil and common law traditions, as well as its proximity to government departments and agencies, teaching institutions, non-government and non-profit organizations in his field.

However, Cahoy says he is most looking forward to immersing himself and his family in the bilingual culture of Canada’s capital.

“This city is home to many institutions that embody Canadian heritage, and I have already had the opportunity to learn a lot in the short time I’ve been here.”

Karen Lillie, who hails from Princeton University, is a Fulbright Fellow in anthropology. By combining research interests in infectious diseases, medical anthropology and inequalities in matters of health, Lillie hopes to learn more about how on-the-ground understanding can inform policy decisions and ultimately improve health outcomes. “While the United States is trying to restructure its health care system, a grasp on how policy works is especially important now,” she says. “I also intend to start medical school in the fall of 2010 and hope that this experience at the University of Ottawa will make me a better doctor, one who has a greater understanding of various populations and diseases.”

While at the University of Ottawa, Lillie will endeavour to understand how the First Nations people of Canada—whom she feels are often marginalized and denied a voice in the majority population—perceive and manage their growing rate of infection with tuberculosis.

“I hope to speak with patients, physicians and policy makers regarding treatment of this Third World disease in a ‘first world’ nation,” she explains. “Hopefully this research will also help build connections between the U.S. and Canada. Since disease doesn’t recognize borders, it is important for the two nations to work together on public health issues.”

Lillie sees her year at uOttawa as an opportunity to further solidify her goal of building a lifelong relationship with Canada. “In addition to my research goals, I will strive to learn as much as I can about First Nations people, Ottawa and the Canadian healthcare system.”

Adam Tanga, a Killam Research Fellow studying political science with a minor in French at the University of Washington, is similarly hoping to take advantage of the capital’s bilingual culture to improve his French. “I will take back home a new outlook on Canada as a dynamic nation that has a proud cultural heritage, has contributed much to the world and merits much respect as a place for higher learning and as a field of study,” he says. “Academic exchange between the United States and Canada should be supported and increased especially through the Killam Fellowship Program. It’s an experience every student should consider.”

Tanga is particularly interested in Canadian-U.S. relations and parliamentary democracy and will no doubt benefit from the expertise found at the Institute for Canadian Studies to enhance his knowledge of how Canada and the U.S. relate to one another in a cultural, political and historical context.

Giving much credit to his teachers in Hawaii, Tanga admits his interest in politics began at an early age. “Learning about Hawaiian history introduced me to the power of geopolitics and globalization,” he explains. “What’s more, legal challenges involving my school and debate about native Hawaiians’ status vis-à-vis the federal government were very heated while I was in high school. It was my first real exposure to politics in action, and I have been hooked ever since.”

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2009–2010 Killam Fellows

2009-2010 Killam Fellows
The 2009–2010 Killam Fellows were honored at the 100th Anniversary Gala for the Jackson School of International Studies. From left, Rozanna Fang, Senior, French major and Public Health and Community Medicine minor; Adam Tanga, Junior, Political Science major and French minor; and incoming Killam, Kelvin Fong from the University of Toronto.

The Jackson School of International Studies and the Killam Foundation, Ottawa, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2008 to enhance study abroad opportunities for UW students. The agreement enables two to four undergraduates to study at a Canadian partner institution for a semester or academic year. The Fellowships are worth up to $10,000 annually.

Modeled much like the Fulbright award, the fellowship includes a fall orientation in Ottawa, a spring seminar in Washington, DC, with an active alumni group.

In 2009–2010 Rozanna Fang, French, was selected to go to McGill University and Adam Tanga, Political Science, was awarded to study at the University of Ottawa. Both will take up their fellowships in Fall Quarter 2009.

“I applied to the Killam Fellowship because it had the potential to combine my interests in both the French language and public health, and do so by immersing me in a new cultural environment,” said Rozanna.

Adam Tanga added, "I applied for the Killam Fellowship because I hope to better understand the multiple dimensions of Canadian-American relations and parliamentary democracy."

The Killam Fellowships were founded in 2003 between the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the US and the American Killam Trusts.

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The Killam Fellowships Program Comes to the UW, April 2008

Lucas Olson, International Studies and Reva Robinson, Linguistics, are the UW’s first Killam Fellows. Both will study in Canada this fall.

Over the last couple of quarters the Center has worked closely with The Killam Fellowships Program in Ottawa, Canada to create a MOU that will enhance study-abroad opportunities for UW students. The agreement will enable two to four undergraduates to study at a Canadian partner institution for a semester or academic year. The Fellowships are worth up to $10,000 annually.

Modeled much like the Fulbright award, the fellowship includes a fall orientation in Ottawa, Canada, a spring seminar in Washington, DC, and boasts a very active alumni group.

The Center is pleased to announce the first two Killam Fellows – Lucas Olson and Reva Robinson. Lucas is a senior majoring in International Studies and Economics. His interests include international relations, politics, social activism, and humanitarianism. Lucas will study at the University of Victoria this fall. Reva Robinson is an Honors student in the Linguistics Undergraduate program. Her interests include phonetics, phonology and German language, and she intends to pursue her master’s degree in computational linguistics. She will spend fall quarter at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

“Having been raised in Seattle, I have always lived just a short distance from the Canadian border but I have never been able to travel much farther than Vancouver,” said Reva. “I am excited to have the opportunity to explore more of Canada through the Killam Foundation. More than simply gaining life experience in Canada, I will be able to enrich my studies at the Queen’s University Linguistics Department and collaborate with my peers to understand the mystery of human language.” 

The Killam Fellowships were founded in 2003 between the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the US and the American Killam Trusts. At the end of the five-year pilot phase the program will have supported 82 exceptional young men and women from a variety of backgrounds and a range of academic disciplines at some 21 colleges and universities. These students have come mainly from northeastern US and central or eastern Canada but this year, the Killam is extending its reach to the West Coast and UW is one of the first partner institutions from the region.

"After graduation I plan to take time to travel and see the world a little before “digging” into graduate school with some sort of an international focus,” reflects Lucas. “Then, afterwards, I will hopefully be on to a success career helping to end some of the humanitarian crises of our generation. The Killam Fellowship is a great way to cap off my undergraduate education and begin the rest of my life.”

While facilitated through the Center, the international fellowships are open to students in all schools and departments at all three UW campuses.

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Ottawa Orientation, September 2008

Lucas and Reva with Robert Miller, President of the Parliamentary Centre

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Canadian Studies Center
University of Washington
Box 353650
Thomson Hall, Room 503
Seattle, WA 98195-3650
T (206) 221-6374
F (206) 685-0668
►canada@uw.edu