DURHAM, N. H. - A University of New Hampshire senior and a 2010 alumna have received prestigious Fulbright Scholarships that will provide them support to teach and conduct research abroad during the 2011-2012 academic year.

UNH senior Ashley Haselton will teach English in Kenya while Melody Chapin, who graduated UNH in December 2010, will conduct research in São Paulo, Brazil.

Haselton, of North Attleboro, Mass., will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English education. For the past several years, she has been editor and contributing writer for Main Street Magazine, a campus literary publication; site coordinator for Seacoast Reads, tutoring students in reading and serving as a volunteer group leader; and a participant in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast.

She is a member of UNH Golden Key honor society and Pi Lambda Theta national honor society and professional association for educators. In May 2009 she was the winner of the Phi Beta Kappa essay competition for an analytical piece of academic writing. 

"Education and cultural awareness are great equalizers and can shatter the linguistic barriers that often separate people--both internationally and provincially," says Haselton. "Through my Fulbright teaching assistantship, I will utilize my experiences as educator, mentor, writer, editor, and ESL tutor in improving linguistic skills in a variety of academic settings." 

In her free time, Haselton plans to start an English-language book club to help participants improve their fluency, pronunciation, and literacy in English. Selecting from a variety of American authors, Haselton notes, "The meetings would also serve as a forum for discussing the ways in which the material is approached from a unique cultural viewpoint." 

When she returns to the U.S., Haselton wants to apply what she learns about teaching students from other ethnicities and language backgrounds. 

Melody Chapin has received a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in São Paulo, Brazil.

Melody Chapin, a resident of Cambridge, Mass., graduated i from UNH with a Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance and a minor in theater, and developed proficiency in Portuguese language.

During her Fulbright year in Brazil, Chapin will create an anthology of 25 Brazilian art songs, providing a translation of each song's text into English, using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to produce a Portuguese pronunciation guide, and including a brief biography on each composer.  She will also format and edit the work in an American publishing style.

"I became interested in Brazilian art song in college when I visited my old elementary school to sing for its students," says Chapin. "Because of the large Brazilian population in my community, many of the students asked for songs in Portuguese." 

Their request motivated Chapin to apply for a UNH International Research Opportunities Program grant, which she received to conduct research in Brazil during the summer following her junior year. While there, she discovered that no Brazilian art song anthologies exist in Brazil or in the United States.  Working with UNH associate professor of music Jenni Cook and Yuka de Almeida Prado at the Ribeirão Preto campus of the University of São Paulo, Chapin translated and wrote the IPA for the 15 Brazilian art songs she studied. This initial research provided her with the skills she will need during the coming year.  

In addition to her research, Chapin will take graduate courses in musicology and Brazilian literature, and will take weekly voice classes with Almeida Prado. She also plans to join a community chorus, participate in music festivals, sing in master classes, and coach Brazilian voice students in pronunciation of English song.

Upon her return to the U.S., Chapin will pursue graduate studies. She says, "I plan to work with musicians and editors to bring Brazilian music into the United States and educate those who wish to sing Brazilian art song, making it a more accessible form of art music for those outside of Brazil."

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

-30-

A photo of Melody Chapin can be downloaded at /unhtoday/sites/default/files/newsroom/img/MelodyChapin.jpg. Caption:  Melody Chapin has received a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in São Paulo, Brazil.

A photo of Ashley Haselton can be downloaded at /unhtoday/sites/default/files/newsroom/img/AshleyHaselton.bmp. Caption: Ashley Haselton has received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Kenya.