The Anthropology Department of the American University of Central Asia together with the University of Tromso of Norway implemented the joint project “A Comparative Perspective on Cultural Ecology and Nomadic Life in Central Asia and Norway” in Kyrgyzstan’s “Akun Issyk - Kul” Resort, Kara-Oi village, from June 14 to 23, 2015.

AUCA Psychology Department's alumna, Eleonnora Turdubaeva, has won the Best Student in Mental Health Counseling Award as she graduated from a Master's Program at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, USA. Eleonnora told us about her studies in the US, her life philosophy, and all the challenges she has faced aiming towards her dream.

On 21st of April, students of Environmental Chemistry class went on an exciting field trip instead of the usual class lecture. In the Big Chui Canal, they collected water samples, identifying GPS coordination of the location.

Meerim Nurbekova is a sophomore student majoring in International and Comparative Politics at AUCA. She is also a member of the university’s Student Senate. Last month, Meerim went to Madrid, Spain, to attend the International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC) held at Saint Louis University from April 23 to 26. Meerim shares her impressions, experience and some of the challenges she faced.

On March 3rd 2015, the Journalism and Mass Communications department at AUCA hosted a lecture on the topic “Non-verbal Communications”. The lecture was held by Shuyan He, the professor of the Communications course from the Zhejiang University of Sci-technology.

 Aidai Kadyralieva is one of our exchange students currently studying at Bard College. She shared her experience about her semester - living and studying abroad, with us.

If you like the sound of AUCA then find out more. Visit us at Open Day event and see for yourself what the American University of Central Asia really has to offer. 

 
CASI grant Requirements for AUCA faculty and AUCA students 
 
AUCA faculty
 
CASI provides modest fellowships to AUCA faculty (dependent on CASI’s own funding levels). These fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis and will require a series of commitments:

Faculty wishing to obtain an award should apply to become CASI affiliated members. This requires an up-to-date CV (full list of publications and participation in any other externally funded projects included).
Faculty awarded fellowships will be required to provide an overview of their research project at a CASI seminar that is open to both AUCA faculty and students, as well as to the larger scholarly community. Alternatively and if appropriate, they may give a guest lecture covering their project to a MACAS course (this will require the approval of the CASI director/MACAS head).
Faculty awardees are obliged to suggest one speaker for CASI’s seminars or talks forums.
Faculty awardees will also have to moderate the discussion at one of CASI’s seminars or talks forums, and perform all the functions that this entails – introducing the speaker, fielding questions, controlling the discussion, etc.
Finally, faculty awardees will be required to submit a report once their research is completed, detailing their project and what they have achieved. 

In order to ensure compliance, CASI will disburse fellowship funding in installments, with further disbursements being contingent on fulfilling the requirements the Institute has set. It should also go without saying, that all other things being equal, CASI will favor those projects whose faculty are active participants in CASI’s various activities.
 
AUCA senior students
 
Beyond funding AUCA faculty, CASI will also provide small fellowships for students completing their senior theses, so long as they relate to Central Asia. In order to apply for a CASI fellowship, senior students will need a short recommendation letter from their thesis supervisor. While CASI will provide funding, students’ monitoring once fellowships have been awarded will be carried out by their respective supervisors. Senior students will also be required to present the outcome of their research at a CASI seminar.
 
For both faculty and senior students
 
All presentations and publications based on research carried out with the support of a CASI grant should clearly acknowledge it, in oral or in written form. Indications on what this acknowledgement should read like will be provided later.
 
Applications for CASI research grants by AUCA faculty should include:

CV
List of publications
Research topic (1 page)
Research activities (how exactly the grant will be spent: fieldwork, library research, travel, data processing, other)
Major outcome (presentation at a conference, publication, other)
Tentative schedule of research activities
Tentative budget

 
Applications for CASI research grants by AUCA undergraduate seniors should include:

Research topic (1 page)
Research activities (how exactly the grant will be spent: fieldwork, library research, travel, data processing, other)
Tentative schedule of research activities
Tentative budget
Recommendation from thesis supervisor

 
Applications should be submitted electronically to casiaucakg@gmail.com by March 15, 2015. In the subject line it should be clearly indicated “CASI Research Grant_Application_Surname”.
Further inquiries can be addressed to: 
Svetlana Jacquesson, svetlanajacquesson@gmail.com
Christopher Baker, chrisbak@umail.iu.edu.
 

On December 11th, 2014, the American University of Central Asia hosted a professor from Northwestern University, Dr. Brian Edwards. In a lecture entitled “Shrek in Casablanca, Ben Affleck in Tehran:

On December 8th, 2014, the American University of Central Asia hosted Ms. Rabia Daudpota, a visiting research scholar and attorney from Karachi, Pakistan who gave a special presentation entitled “Marriage by Choice: A Right or a Crime?”