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Program Successes - February 2000

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Armenak Darbinyan, Armenia, RSEP 1998, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Researched and published "The Path of Integration of Armenia into the World Economy," which includes perspectives, both theoretical and practical, on international economic integration and Armenia's role in the process. It will be used not only by students, scholars, and government officials, but also by the Economic Research Institute in order to draft new policy documents relating to export practices and foreign direct investment promotion.

Gayane Ghukasyan, Armenia, FSA/Grad 1997, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Published a handbook for high school students entitled "Get to Know Your Motherland." The project's goal was to interest students in the history of their home country, free of any Soviet ideology, by informing them about the history, geography, and development of science in Armenia. The publication also celebrated the 1600th anniversary of the Armenian alphabet and explained the system of Armenian time keeping, comparing the old and new calendar.

Larisa Lemberanskaya, Azerbaijan, RSEP 1996, Total Grant: $497
Project Description: Renewed membership in several professional organizations, including the American Political Science Association, the American Sociological Association, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, and the International Society of Political Psychology. Her membership in these organizations allows her access to electronic databases, web sites, journals, and other publications, all of which have been placed in the library at Azerbaijan University. Her membership also resulted in her participation at the annual meetings for both the American Sociological Association and the society for the Study of Social Problems, held in Washington, DC in August 2000. While in DC, Lemberanskaya also lectured at George Mason University's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, where she met with her American colleagues and discussed possibilities for future collaboration.

Petr Lapo, Belarus, Muskie 1996, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Participated in two international conferences, conducted a seminar for 37 Belarusian librarians and information specialists, and enrolled for membership in the American Library Association and the Belarusian Library Association. Lapo's participation in the conference, "Managing the Digital Future of Libraries" in Moscow, resulted in the acquisition of new knowledge about electronic document delivery and electronic libraries. After attending the "Crimea 2000" conference, held in Sudak, Ukraine, Lapo and some of his colleagues from Russia and Ukraine agreed to undertake a project to create cooperative Russian-Ukrainian-Belarusian professional training centers. Also, his article about the conference "How Great it is that We Have All Gathered Here Today…" will be published in Library World, the journal of the Belarusian Library Association. Lastly, Lapo and his Belarusian colleagues organized a seminar on "University Libraries on the Threshold of the Third Millennium" in order to discuss the future of information science in the digital age and the need for collaboration amongst Belarusian librarians.

Oleg Manaev, Belarus, CI 1997, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Published a 600 page book on the "Emergence of Civil Society in Independent Belarus, Sociological Experiences: 1991-2000." The book is an accumulation of research conducted by Manaev during his Contemporary Issues fellowship, including both journalistic and scholarly articles on the emergence of civil society in Belarus after the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of participatory democracy. The book has been distributed to Belarusian policy makers, scholars, and ECA alumni.

Ruslan Ramanau, Belarus, Muskie 1998, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Conducted a series of seminars on the new informational technologies used in education and published a brochure entitled "What is Distance Education?" The goal of the seminar was to familiarize students and faculties with the new technologies available in educational settings, the benefits of such technologies and how to use them, and to encourage the wider use of these technologies in the participants' professional lives. Ramanau also created a hypertext directory of English language resources on distance learning in the CIS.

Sergei Solodovnikov, Belarus, CI 1998, Total Grant: $970
Project Description: Published The Theory of Negotiation, a book on conflict management distributed to Belarusian public officials, NGO leaders, other experts in the field, as well as ECA alumni. The book offers an analysis of the strategies and tactics used for successful negotiation in varying professional fields. It promotes the idea of negotiation and dialogue as a means of resolving disputable and controversial issues, an important concept in many post-Soviet countries.

Yuri Stulov, Belarus, RSEP 1996, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Organized the 5th Belarusian Student Conference on American Studies, entitled "From The Awakening to Titanic, American Culture in the 20th Century," the aim of which was to discuss the present state of American Studies in Eastern Europe and ways of increasing interest in and the study of American Studies. Over 70 people, including US-government program alumni, students, and experts in the field of American Studies, representing Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Russia, Canada, and the US, participated in the conference, which included a forum on "Teaching American Studies in Eastern Europe."

Yuri Vaitukevich, Belarus, RSEP 1998, Total Grant: $995.25
Project Description: Developed courses on proposal writing and project management, which resulted in a two-day training seminar entitled "Proposal Writing and the Basics of Project Management." The seminar brought together 21 participants, representing ECA alumni, NGO employees, and university faculty and staff, to exchange knowledge, skills, and experience in the field. The seminar resulted in the creation of a group of local project management experts, in the hopes of creating a national association.

Ketevan Kintsurashvilli, Georgia, RSEP 1997, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Organized lecture and exhibit on "Three Stages in the Development of Georgian Abstract Painting," held at the Georgian State Museum of Art. One hundred fifty painters, art historians, students, and other artists attended the event, which was also reported on "Art Express," a local television program devoted to art.

Zaza Skhirtladze, Georgia, RSEP 1995, Total Grant: $981
Project Description: Organized the conference "Desert Monasticism: Gareja and the Christian East," which gathered 22 specialists from Great Britain, France, Germany, and Israel. The themes for the conference included pilgrimage to the holy places, the organization, administration, and economy of monastic life, and the rapid decay of rock-cut monasteries and their murals. The conference, which included a study trip to Gareja, also captured international media attention, and was reported on local Georgian networks as well as the Discovery Channel.

Ketevan Stvilia, Georgia, Muskie 1997, Total Grant: $950
Project Description: Published 2,000 copies of a brochure entitled Hepatitis C-A Hidden Epidemic, which was distributed without charge to public health centers, blood banks, blood donors, infectious disease specialists, and medical students. Hepatitis C is one of the most problematic viral infections worldwide and is a particular problem in Georgia. The brochure contains information on both diagnosis and treatment of the disease, with an emphasis on prevention of transmission, especially transmission through blood transfusions. The brochure was published in Georgian.

Arman Argynov, Kazakhstan, RSEP 1997, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Published 500 copies of the second edition of a textbook entitled Civic Education in Democratic Society, intended for use by university students and disseminated to university libraries throughout Kazakhstan. Argynov also organized three workshops on civic education for university educators and created a new course for pre-service teacher training in civic education.

Fatima Duisebayeva, Kazakhstan, RSEP 1994, Total Grant: $443
Project Description: Traveled to Moscow to research African-American literature and the literature of the civil rights movement in America. This research resulted in the publication of a series of essays on topics like the sources of African-American nonfiction, religious genre forms in the writings of Martin Luther King Jr., and fugitive slave narratives. Duisebayeva also developed new curriculum for a course on African-American literature and became a member of the American Studies Association.

Ainura Cholponkulova, Kyrgyzstan, CI 1997, Total Grant: $675
Project Description: Published the book Constitutional Basis of Foreign Policy Activity in the Kyrgyz Republic to be used by diplomats, civil servants, members of Parliament, and leaders of the government. The book analyzes the foreign functions of state, the peculiarity of sovereignty in foreign policy in Kyrgyzstan, and the separation of powers between the Parliament and the President. Cholponkulova also revised the curriculum for the course, "Constitution and Foreign Policy in Kyrgyzstan."

Kubat Moldobaev, Kyrgyzstan, CI 1997, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Published the textbook Introduction to the Politics of Security, which was disseminated to ECA alumni and various Kyrgyz universities. The book includes not only theoretical studies on security matters and their practical use, but also includes an index of relevant laws and statutes.

Cholpon Turdalieva, Kyrgyzstan, CI 1995, Total Grant: $984
Project Description: Published dissertation entitled "The History and Culture of the Kyrgyz in the Works of Chokhan Valikhanov." The publication led to the organization of an exhibition at Kyrgyz State Historical Museum, "Through Asia," which consisted of information on travelers and explorers of Kazakhstan in the 19th century, using jewelry, garments, and written material, including material on Valikhanov.

Dumitru Drumea, Moldova, CI 1997, Total Grant: $990
Project Description: Researched the problem of wetland management and restoration and the reduction of pollutants in water ecosystems in Moldova. During her research, Drumea collaborated with other specialists and began to revise the National Environmental Action Plan of Moldova.

Tatiana Balandina, Russia, RSEP 1994, Total Grant: $100
Project Description: Published a study guide for Russian students studying English titled Mastering English. The book is comprised of phrasal verbs and English idioms and is to be used as a self-teaching manual. By using this text, students gain not only an understanding of the English language, most specifically idioms, but also gain a better understanding of American culture.

Galina Brandt, Russia, CI 1994, Total Grant: $980
Project Description: Published Woman's Nature as a Philosophical Question: Feminist Perspectives and Analysis, which is intended for a wide audience in the hopes of increasing the interest in and focus on gender studies in Russia. The book is a fundamental interdisciplinary study of the woman question, providing an analysis of feminist views in the contemporary world.

Irina Chernushkina, Russia, FSA/Grad 1995, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Organized a visit from Colby Riggs, librarian at the University of California at Irvine, who conducted two lectures and two workshops on new library science technologies. Riggs provided training on the use of Netscape and search engines, as well as html, to be used in the construction of a library web page. NGO librarians as well as ECA alumni in the field of library science attended the lectures.

Larisa Gorovaya, Russia, CI 1997, Total Grant: $843
Project Description: Organized a conference on the "Legal Protections of Copyrights: Actual Problems," focusing mainly on intellectual property rights. To prepare for the seminar, Gorovaya conducted judicial research in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and wrote an article on "Power and Business in Primorye."

Tatiana Gounko, Russia, Muskie 1997, Total Grant: $991
Project Description: Researched leadership, work psychology, conflict resolution, educational administration and organizational behavior during a research trip to Moscow's National Library and Moscow State University's Faculty of Foreign Languages. The information Gounko gathered will be used to revise the curriculum in several courses she teaches.

Natalia Kharlamova, Russia, RSEP 1993, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Published 800 copies of a poetry collection, featuring translations of ancient and Modern Greek poetry.

Tatiana Klepikova, Russia, CI 1998, Total Grant: $540
Project Description: Gathered and analyzed data, including the translation of the microlending papers of Grameen Fund USA from English to Russian, for a microfinance reference book to be published in the fall. Klepikova also organized a seminar on "Microfinance Development in the Irkutsk Oblast," and was featured in a Voice of America program about women in business.

Ludmilla Kochetova, Russia, RSEP 1993, Total Grant: $997
Project Description: Published a set of American English Teaching volumes, including a student manual, a teaching manual, and audiocassettes. The volumes are intended for intermediate Russian university students in the humanities, most specifically those studying foreign languages, in order to improve conversation, listening and reading comprehension skills, as well as to provide information on American culture.

Zhanna Korotkikh, Russia, RSEP 1999, Total Grant: $700
Project Description: Attended the Far-Eastern Language Teachers Association's 3rd International Conference, "People, Languages, and Cultures in the Third Millennium" in Vladivostok. Korotkikh gave a presentation on cross-cultural issues in her lecture "Miscommunication in Intercultural Discourse." The information and materials from the conference have been made available to Korotkikh's colleagues at Barnaul State Pedagogical University.

Ludmilla Kuznetsova, Russia, Muskie 1992, Total Grant: $420
Project Description: Translated and published the Encyclopedic Dictionary on Public Administration from the American edition, the International Encyclopedia of Public Policy and Administration. The volume will be given to 84 US government exchange program alumni who work in the public sector.

Maria Lebedko, Russia, RSEP 1997, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Arranged for a US colleague to attend the conference "People, Languages, and Cultures in the Third Millennium" in Vladivostok, Russia. Dr. Birgitta Ingemanson prepared a workshop on the use of music in the teaching of language and culture to more than 100 conference participants. The workshop, "Curing Culture Shock: Music as Medicine," highlighted an approach to teaching that crosses both language and culture barriers. The workshop was videotaped for future use and the detailed workshop outline will be published in the conference proceedings.

Andrey Makarychev, Russia, RSEP 1999, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Researched the effects of regionalism and globalization on Russia, most specifically Russia's increasing isolation from the West. Makarychev participated in several conferences, presenting his research in Nizhny Novgorod and Zurich. He also published his paper "Transformation and Globalization: Actors & Factors of Post-Soviet Change" in the volume, The Globalization of Eastern Europe: Teaching International Relations Without Borders, as well as updating the curriculum for his course on Russia's regions.

Alexei Makeshin, Russia, FSA/Grad 1994, Total Grant: $997
Project Description: Studied the transfer of Western management experience to Russian companies and the changes that occur after such a shift. Makeshin gathered information by conducting interviews and distributing surveys to top and middle managers of Russian businesses.

Elena Novikova, Russia, FSA/Grad 1995, Total Grant: $638
Project Description: Attended the 7th International Conference, "Crimea 2000: Libraries, Publishers, Book Distribution, and Education in a Single Information and Sociocultural Environment." Participants, representing 39 nations, attended workshops devoted to automated library systems and technology, the development and preservation of library collections, CD-ROMs and on-line technologies in the library, and the worldwide information infrastructure and interlibrary cooperation.

Alexander Souvorov, Russia, CI 1995, Total Grant: $921
Project Description: Conducted a study of the Black Sea coastal region, including an analysis of natural resources management and environmental protection of the area. Souvorov conducted fieldwork in several regions on the coastline to estimate damage done by pollution, economic activity, and recreational activities. Souvorov's observations and results were approved at the All-Russian Extreme Conference on Environmental Protection by the Ministry of Natural Resources, and were also discussed at the IREX sponsored conference, "Regional Dynamics of the Black and Caspian Seas."

Andrei Suslov, Russia, RSEP 1995, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Published 2,000 copies of a textbook on human rights for students at the Perm Center for the Support of Democratic Youth Initiatives. The book is comprised of tools such as role-playing cards, questionnaires, and games to make the study of human rights and morals more personal and understandable to youth.

Andrei Tabarev, Russia, RSEP 1994, Total Grant: $250
Project Description: Attended the Far Eastern International Archaeological Field School in the Kavalerovo district of Russia. The project included a series of lectures on ancient Mesopotamian cultures, demonstrations of flint knapping experiments, archaeological excavations, and an additional series of lectures developed by Tabarev. These lectures were based on his lecture course, "Ancient Mesopotamia," and included such topics as Olmec culture, the Aztec state, the ancient Mayans, the Toltec state, and the Teotihuacan civilization.

Maria Tysiachniouk, Russia, CI 1994, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Organized the conference "Fostering Successful Partnerships in Watershed Protection in the US and Russia," where 67 Russian and American participants discussed the principles of landscape ecology and water pollution. Tysiachniouk also participated in a roundtable discussion, "Citizens Involvement in Stream Monitoring," where participants visited a polluted stream and discussed the creation of a citizen's stream monitoring program in the Vologodskaya oblast. The results of Tysiachniouk's work have been published in Building Sustainable Communities: NGO Handbook for Watershed Management and Handbook to Assess the Environmental Health of Streams and Rivers.

Oleg Zaznaev, Russia, CI 1995, Total Grant: $303
Project Description: Attended the Second All-Russian Congress of Political Scientists Conference, "Russia: Political Challenges of the XXI Century," where he was a discussant for the panel entitled, "Experience and Lessons of Post-Communist Transformations." Zaznaev also renewed his membership in the American Political Science Association.

Alla Aslitdinova, Tajikistan, RSEP 1996, Total Grant: $760
Project Description: Organized the workshop "United States Government Exchange Programs in Tajikistan" to explain the opportunities for study abroad to interested parties, most importantly university students. Aslitdinova also created a web site for the Central Scientific Library of the Academy of Sciences (http://www.irex-tj.org/library/index.html) to inform people about the activities of the academic library.

Tetiana Bugasova, Ukraine, RSEP 1997, Total Grant: $372
Project Description: Participated in two international conferences: "Managing the Digital Future of Libraries" and "Libraries and Associations in the Transient World: New Technologies and New Forms of Cooperation." As a result of her participation at the conferences, Bugasova has begun to prepare a project with other library science professionals on an Electronic Document Delivery Service for Ukraine. She also renewed her membership in the American Library Association.

Irina Chernukha, Ukraine, RSEP 1995, Total Grant: $320
Project Description: Lectured on peculiarities in both the consecutive and simultaneous translation of political, legal, and economic texts to third and fourth year students at Kuban State University. The texts used were devoted to modern problems, such as security issues in Europe, the new political architecture in Europe, Black Sea region economic cooperation, and CIS financial and banking cooperation.

Tetiana Hardashuk, Ukraine, RSEP 1996, Total Grant: $993
Project Description: Published Environmental Policy and Environmental Movement: Modern Context, a compilation of Hardashuk's research on contemporary environmental policy collected during her 1996 IREX grant. Hardashuk also presented her research at several conferences, including "Parliamentarism in Ukraine: Issues of Openness, Democracy and Confidence" and "Social Problems and Social Transformations in Contemporary Ukraine." She also published several articles, such as "Environmental Justice Movement: An Attempt at Extrapolation to Ukraine" and "The Role of Political Parties in Environmental Policy Development."

Halyna Lytvynenko, Ukraine, RSEP 1995, Total Grant: $455
Project Description: Attended the international school seminar "Linguistic Standards and New Tendencies in the Development of Speech Culture" with representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Syria, and Belarus. The seminar was comprised of a series of roundtable discussions devoted to educational reform and foreign language teaching. Lytvynenko spoke on raising standards in the teaching of culture, linguistics, and foreign languages.

Olena Vynoslavska, Ukraine, RSEP 1997, Total Grant: $998
Project Description: Surveyed Ukrainian business professionals as a part of the "Ethical Attitudes of American and Ukrainian Business Professionals (Comparative Analysis)" project, begun during her 1997 IREX grant. Results from the survey have been compiled into a course on business ethics. Vynoslavska also published her results in Marketing in Ukraine, a Ukrainian business magazine.

Nadiya Havrylyuk, Ukraine, RSEP 1998, Total Grant: $1,000
Irma Kalynych, Ukraine, RSEP 1997, Total Grant: $1,000
Volodymyr Skoblyk, Ukraine, RSEP 1997, Total Grant: $1,000
Svitlana Slava, Ukraine, RSEP 1997, Total Grant: $1,000
Marianna Tovt-Korshynska, Ukraine, RSEP 1998, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Collaborated to establish the Association of International Programs Alumni in Zakarpattia, in order to promote local development through the implementation of knowledge gained by US government exchange alumni during their American fellowships. The association has been registered and a web site has been created (http://asg-alumni.iatp.org.ua) that contains a list of various funding organizations and an alumni directory. In addition, ten training seminars were offered to the local community, on topics such as leadership and strategic management, public speaking, factors in local development, cooperation between public administration bodies and NGOs and communication barriers in the private sector. Havrylyuk published 140 copies of a book entitled English for Freshman Doing Social Work, which was distributed to students, faculty in the foreign languages, and various libraries. Tovt-Korshynska also published a book on "Psychological Disturbances in a Family Doctor's Practice," 120 copies of which were made available to regional hospitals and health centers, university students, and libraries.

Iskander Abdullaev, Uzbekistan, RSEP 1998, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Created the Association of Uzbekistan for Sustainable Water Resource Development, an organization for professionals in the field of water management. The association was registered and a newsletter, Water News, was created and distributed. Abdullaev also organized a conference on "Water Management in the Aral Sea Basin: Problems and Perspectives," which brought together over 100 specialists from throughout the region.

Anna Gonorskaya, Uzbekistan, RSEP 1997, Total Grant: $1,000
Project Description: Attended the First National Congress, "Eurasia: Employment in the XXI Century." Based on the information she learned at the congress, Gonorskaya authored Transaction of the Institute of Macroeconomics and Social Sciences.