By Rieko Harue

　

Rieko Harue, the scholarship Division member who is responsible for the operation of the JREX Program reports concerning the program.

　

　Established in 1994, the JREX Program provides funding to teams led by graduate students in the social sciences and humanities for conducting collaborative research or exchange activities across institutional and/or national boundaries. It is a two-year-cycle program, in the sense that in the first year the JREX Selection Committee, which is comprised of five SYLFF fellows (current and/or former recipients of SYLFF fellowships), reviews applications to conduct projects and selects a number of those to be awarded financial assistance, and in the second year the same committee evaluates the completed projects and selects not more than one project team from each of two project categories (joint research and collaborative exchange) to be honored with the Award of Excellence and an additional financial grant. Up to three project papers, including the one(s) prepared by the Award of Excellence winner(s), that are deemed especially outstanding ale published in the SYLFF Working Papers series in March of the following year.

　

　On July 30, 2001, the JREX Selection Committee 2000-2001 met in Tokyo to evaluate fiscal year (FY) 2000 project reports submitted by 25 teams selected in the summer of 2000. After considerable discussion, the committee chose a project by a team from China led by Mr. Xiaojun Tang of Lanzhou University titled Ancient Stone Inscriptions of Gansu Province for the Award of Excellence in the amount of US$ 10,000, as the project that best fulfilled the program's standards of excellence in terms of team collaboration, project implementation, and relevance of results. The other members of the winning team were Ms. Yanling Shi and Ms. Yanqi Yang of Lanzhou University, Mr. Junming Zhang of the Archaeological Research Institute of Cultural Relics of Gansu Province, and Ms. Junhong Ning of Fudan University. The project was evaluated highly, especially for its originality in approach and the team's tremendous efforts in conducting fieldwork with a high level of collaboration among team members. The committee noted that the project results will constitute a valuable reference for later scholars, having the potential to have an impact on research for generations to come.

　In addition, the committee recommended for publication an additional project paper, that of a team from Kenya, that was deemed outstanding. This project was conducted by Mr. Willis Ochar Wasala as team leader, with Mr. Paul Kiage and Ms. Joyce Wanjiku Kariuki serving as team members-all three from the University of Nairobi. The title of their project paper is "The Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic on the Attainment of Basic Education in Kenya. "

　The papers prepared by the above two project teams will be published in March 2002 as numbers 17 and 18 of the SYLFF Working Papers series.

　

　The Scholarship Division received 104 proposals from 10 countries for awards under the JREX Program for FY2001. The selection committee met August 1-3, 2001, to review these proposals, recommending 27 of them for awards of US$ 5,000 each.

　The Scholarship Division accepted the committee's recommendations and has provided awards to the teams that have already begun implementing their proposed projects. The teams have been requested to submit mid-term reports in February 2002 and final reports and project papers in May 2002 for evaluation in the summer of 2002.

　

　The Scholarship Division expresses its sincerest appreciation to the following five people who served as members of the JREX Selection Committee for the summers of 2000 and 2001 (in alphabetical order by family name, country of origin, affiliated SYLFF institution, and fields of study): Mr. David Ekbladh, U.S.A. , Columbia University, history, international affairs, modernization of development; Ms. Blanka Hancilova, Czech Republic, Charles University and Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University, political science and international relations; Ms. Natalia Kasprzak. Poland, American University in Cairo, culture and anthropology; Ms. Sadia Khan, Pakistan, INSEAD, economics and finance; and Mr. Yong Zhang, China, Fudan University, economics and finance. All of the members of this committee were very dedicated people who willingly continued their meetings until they all agreed that they had discussed an issue enough for them to be able to make a sound decision. Their varied backgrounds, experiences, and fields of expertise have enhanced their invaluable contributions during the selection and review processes.

　They are now planning a reunion in spring 2002 in the United States. I hope that the networks and friendships that have developed among themselves under the umbrella of the SYLFF family will remain strong and close.