🎉 Celebrating Our 2024 IES Abroad Faculty-Led Program Award Winners

Whether through our work in the field, behind the scenes, or in front of the camera, IES Abroad is committed to academic excellence and exploring the possibilities in the classroom as much as we encourage our students to explore the world. Our commitment to doing so includes providing resources to students and faculty that allow them to develop impactful and memorable programs that advance global education forward.

This year, IES Abroad Customized & Faculty-Led Programs held our Faculty-Led Program Awards, offering a total of $50,000 in $10,000 to $15,000 grants for winners to put towards faculty-led study abroad program focusing on one (or more) of the IES Abroad Global Pillars (Sustainable Living, Equitable Living, Human Well-Being). Designed to engage students with intellectual, political, cultural, and/or social institutions within their host country, this program expands the world of study abroad, showcasing faculty creativity and innovation in their individual designs.

Learn more about the faculty winners and their programs!

🔬 "Womxn in STEM & Leadership in a Global Context" with University of Michigan's Dr. Natasha T. Turman

The Location: Cape Town, South Africa

The Program: "Womxn in STEM & Leadership in a Global Context"

About Dr. Turman: Dr. Natasha T. Turman is the Director for the Women in Science and Engineering Residence Program at the University of Michigan. Her scholarship and practice examine gender, diversity, and critical leadership development in higher education. These targeted foci allow her to explore who is excluded from the dominant narratives of post-secondary education, what systemic processes maintain this exclusion, and how institutions of higher education can be a catalyst for change. With fifteen years of experience, she has held many roles, including Project Manager for the Multi-institutional Study of Leadership. She promotes equity and inclusive learning, teaching, and research in STEM education through her work as constructs co-chair for the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC) Collaborative. She is an active researcher with several publications and over fifteen national and international conference presentations, including co-authoring Leadership Theory: A Facilitator’s Guide for Cultivating Critical Perspectives (Dugan, Turman, Barnes & Associates, 2017). Dr. Turman completed her Ph.D. in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago in 2017. She holds a M.S. Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Old Dominion University and a B.S. in Chemistry from Spelman College.

“I am delighted to have been selected as a 2024 IES Abroad Faculty-Led Program Global Pillars Award recipient. It brings immense joy to lead the inaugural cohort of students participating in the "University of Michigan: Womxn in STEM & Leadership in a Global Context" program. This dynamic global experience is designed to facilitate opportunities for students to learn within and across differences, situate leadership learning in a global context, cultivate agency, deepen their civic engagement perspective and bolster their efficacy as STEM leaders. I am confident this will be an impactful and memorable learning experience for all.”
- Dr. Natasha T. Turman

⚕️ "The Art of Health in Nice" with Washington University's Dr. Kat Haklin & Dr. Vincent Jouane

The Location: Nice, France

The Program: "The Art of Health in Nice"

About. Dr. Haklin: Dr. Kat Haklin is a Lecturer in French at Washington University in St. Louis. A scholar of 19-century France, Dr. Haklin’s research and teaching lie at the intersection of literature, visual studies, and the medical humanities. Her book project, Writing Claustrophobia: Enclosure in Nineteenth-Century French Literature, examines the unexplored proliferation of enclosed spaces in literature just prior to the first definition of “claustrophobia” in 1879. She regularly teaches courses in French language, literature, and culture at all levels. Dr. Haklin holds a Ph.D. in French language and literature from Johns Hopkins University and a master's degree in French literature from Florida State University.

About Dr. Jouane: Dr. Vincent Jouane is a Senior Lecturer in French at Washington University in St. Louis. His area of specialization includes 20th-century French and Francophone literature as well as French cinema. A native of France, Dr. Jouane earned his Master’s degree in English literature from Toulouse/Le Mirail University. He holds a Ph.D. in French from Washington University in St. Louis and his research focuses on a corpus of recent autobiographies and novels produced by children of harkis. Jouane currently teaches intermediate and advanced French courses; he has also taught various French language and literature classes at Webster University and Saint Louis University.

“Our faculty-led program in Nice offers students a window into the world-renowned French healthcare system while also enhancing their language proficiency and cultural understanding. In tandem, students sharpen their critical thinking skills by studying the distinct cultural heritage of France’s Mediterranean coast through the lens of health and wellness, preparing them for various medical and health-related careers in the future. We are thrilled to collaborate with IES Abroad as we work toward achieving these goals, and we remain grateful for their generous support.”
- Dr. Kat Haklin

🥘 "European Food Cultures" with University of Massachusetts Boston's Dr. Stephanie Inverso & Dr. Sonja Anderson

The Location: Siena, Italy

The Program: "European Food Cultures"

About Dr. Inverso: Dr. Stephanie Inverso is an associate lecturer in French at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She obtained her Ph.D. in French from Boston University. Her research focuses on 16-century European cartography. Her current book project, Heretical Hearts: Cordiform Maps and the Early Modern Imagination, 1500-1600, explores the intellectual and religious implications of heart-shaped maps from Renaissance France and the Low Countries. She has taught a variety of courses in French language and culture, including on the cartography of the Francophone world and Montaigne’s Essais. She is passionate about creating an inclusive learning environment and sharing her enthusiasm for globally-focused humanities education.

About Dr. Andersen: Dr. Sonja Andersen is an associate lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She teaches German language classes, a seminar on witches and witch-hunts, and a course on global food studies. She received her PhD in German Studies from Princeton University, where she was a resident advisor for her department’s summer study abroad program in Munich. Her hobbies include learning new languages, seeking out the botanical garden in any city she visits, and tracking down the perfect pizza recipe.

About the Program: Details of the European Food Cultures program are currently being finalized to determine the best organizational approach. The program will span two weeks, taking students to Paris, Freiburg, and Siena. Paris serves as an introduction to various aspects of European culture, including food, immigration, and diversity. The choice of Freiburg was influenced by the IES Abroad program, "Environmental Studies and Sustainability." During the upcoming program, students are invited to engage in discussions about the environmental impacts of food production and explore how European countries are addressing climate change. Siena was selected as a somewhat off-the-beaten-path destination, showcasing traditional Italian cuisine that students may be less familiar with. This leg of the trip goes beyond stereotypical images of European, particularly Italian, cuisine, allowing for a deeper exploration of traditional European food culture and a comparison to students' own culinary backgrounds.

🌎 "Social Enterprise in Germany" with Hobart & William Smith Colleges' Dr. Craig Talmage

The Location: Berlin, Germany

The Program: "Social Enterprise in Germany"

About Dr. Talmage: Dr. Craig Talmage has more than ten years of combined not-for-profit, nonprofit, and public sector research and leadership experience. Before becoming an educator, he founded and operated a research consulting practice for small businesses and nonprofits in Arizona. He also serves as the editor-in-chief of Community Development, published by Taylor & Francis. In his own journey through higher education, Dr. Talmage pivoted away from a traditional business school to join an interdisciplinary master’s program where he could apply industrial/organizational psychology to understand nonprofit, for-profit, and social enterprise workplaces. He earned his Ph.D. in Community Resources and Development at Arizona State University and now teaches courses in local development, tourism development, organizational behavior/development, nonprofit management and leadership, and social entrepreneurship. At Hobart & William Smith Colleges, he serves as the faculty liaison for the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, faculty advisor to the Centennial Center, and faculty support to a number of clubs, sports teams, and other organizations on campus.

“This award increases the accessibility of our students to study an overlooked but mighty emerging sector across the world — that is social enterprises. [I am] honored to receive this award as it allows more students to work directly with social enterprisers on the ground to bridge theory and practice.”
- Dr. Craig Talmage

Thank you to everyone who submitted their thoughtful and innovative program ideas! Learn more about our Customized and Faculty-Led Programs or connect with a Customized Program Manager to get started on your own faculty-led study abroad program!

Interested in making your faculty-led study abroad program a reality? Our application for the 2025 Faculty-Led Awards opens in March 2024.

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