The Polish Studies Initiative (PSI) has awarded $3,600 in funding to undergraduate and graduate students for the summer 2019 semester. Rebecca Mayus, a graduate student in anthropology, received a grant to support partially her participation in the Slavia Foundation Field School in Mortuary Archaeology in Giecz, Poland. As part of the field school, Rebecca will participate in the ongoing excavations of a medieval cemetery in Giecz. Findings from the excavation will inform her dissertation research on life in the area at the time, specifically whether social stratification was present in the Giecz community and whether members of the community practiced Christianity. Emma Brzezinski, also a graduate student in anthropology participating in the Slavia Foundation Field School, received a PSI scholarship. Through the field school, Emma will strengthen and gain new skills in excavation and laboratory methods as she continues into the second-year of her PhD studies. Katya Tikhonyuk, a graduate student in Slavic and East European languages and cultures, received a scholarship from PSI to study third-year Polish at the Summer Language Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. As part of her dissertation work, Katya intends to incorporate more Polish films and scholarly articles into her research. Ethan Weiland, an undergraduate sociology major, received a PSI scholarship to participate in the Ohio State-led study abroad program, Research Central and Eastern Europe in Comparative Perspective. As part of the program, he will research the dynamics of Euroscepticism in Polish politics, and he intends to pursue a PhD in sociology in the future. Lastly, two undergraduate students from the College of Engineering, Rachita Puri and Alexander Vaeth, were awarded PSI scholarships to offset their internships at the Institute of Aviation in Warsaw, Poland. The internships will give the students real world experience working with Polish scientists and engineers on aircraft and transportation projects.

PSI awards grants to post-candidacy graduate students and faculty to support innovative research that enhances the understanding of Polish society and culture. Scholarships are awarded to pre-candidacy graduate students and undergraduate students to study Polish language and culture through language programs, internships, and study abroad opportunities.