Although it was a close call for Subanthore’s family, they survived the tsunami. Subanthore wanted to find a way to help his people, and research being conducted by Brenda Phillips and David Neal in political science and Tom Wikle in geography gave him the opportunity to help and hone his research skills as well. Their research was funded by Millersville University, the National Science Foundation, the OSU Dean of Arts & Sciences, Peter Sherwood, and the School of International Studies. The research was on emergence, a concept of community-based preparedness for disaster where you look at disasters and how the local people in a community get together and try to help each without any assistance from external government or military. “We were trying to understand emergence in the tsunami in India, and mostly wanted to see how emergence had an impact on mass burials, how the locals helped each other to bury the bodies in mass graves, and how emergence helped them in conducting search and rescue missions,” Subanthore says. The research team operated out of Chennai, the capital of the state, and from there traveled eight hours south to Nagapattinam. Phillips, Subanthore and Shireen Hyrapiet, an OSU fire and emergency management graduate student from Calcutta, conducted the interviews. Subanthore and Hyrapiet were responsible for translating all the interviews from administrators to local fishermen. “The local language and local culture has a lot of informal communications, and we were trying to be sensitive to the culture,” he says. Subanthore and Wikle later studied the mass burial sites using GPS technology that allowed them to map the sites’ locations. Because bodies had to be buried quickly, the graves were not marked. In all, Subanthore spent 40 days in India, including two weeks with his parents while doing groundwork. “Emotionally, it was very moving for the research team to see these people and the impact,” he says. “It has changed my life. I guess I’ve become more empathetic to disasters.” It also has changed the direction of his life. After completing his master’s degree in geography, Subanthore plans to work toward a doctorate in geography and later work with the research team under guidance of Phillips, Neal and Wikle to pursue future studies in disasters. Dottie Witter “I first heard about internships with the Department of State when I was in high school. I was enthusiastic about the idea of working at State but discovered I would have to have 60 college credits to apply. Ever since then, I have kept the internship in the back of my mind,” she says. Brashears, an OSU senior majoring in political science, began her 10-week internship in Washington, D.C., this past May for the Department of State’s Office of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Affairs within the International Organization Affairs Bureau. UNESCO is an international organization with 191 member states that promotes peace by attempting to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. It also serves as a “clearinghouse” for disseminating and sharing knowledge among member nations around the world. The Office of UNESCO Affairs where Brashears interned works on U.S. government policy for UNESCO and serves as the executive secretariat for the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. Brashears, who plans to attend law school after graduation, drafted letters, summarized transcripts, performed research and helped with the nomination process for the UNESCO Young Professionals Program. She also created information sheets about the U.S.’s involvement in UNESCO and helped with the first meeting in 20 years of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. Landing the internship was not easy, she says. After a lengthy application process that began seven to eight months in advance, Brashears also had to go through a grueling security clearance. Brashears recommends that students of all majors seek internships and advises them to begin as soon as possible if they are interested in government internships. “It’s amazing how many groups there are working on a variety of programs,” she says. “There are so many opportunities within the U.S. government that there really is something for everyone.” She says her dream job was demanding but allowed her the precious chance to gain applied experience, something she says the classroom couldn’t offer. “The executive director is a great person to work for. She pushed us to hold a high standard and that is an extremely valuable learning experience about what it takes to make it in the real world,” Brashears says. “After working there, I now feel more confident about entering the workforce.” Alanna Bradley courtesy photos tShireen Hyrapiet and Aswin Subanthore at the Nagapattinam Fire Department conducted interviews and translated for OSU researchers in the aftermath of the tsunami. Oklahoma State University 19
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