The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that Ph.D. student Priyanka Jayakodi has been awarded the Dr. Delia Koo Global Student Scholarship. The Dr. Delia Koo Global Scholarship is administered by the Asian Studies Center to provide scholarships to students from Asia and to further MSU’s interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body.
Priyanka will use the funds during her fieldwork in summer 2022 in Sri Lanka, where she will investigate environmental and health issues related to water justice and water governance in the context of Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain etiology. Following the completion of her summer fieldwork project, Priyanka plans to host a collaborative photography exhibition on water security at MSU, and initiate a reading group with fellow doctoral students in the college of social science who are studying water-related issues. Priyanka says these activities are especially significant because “Climate change is unarguably the number one global challenge faced by human beings around the world and specifically in underprivileged communities, [and requires] a broader discussion among fellow graduate students who are interested in studying water justice and water governance.” Priyanka’s work will be carried out under the guidance of her advisor, Dr. Lucero Radonic.