Sam Kay

Sam Kay, a doctoral student from the Department of Geography at The Ohio State University, received the prestigious 2016 Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. 

The DDRA grant provides opportunities for doctoral candidates to engage in full-time dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies. The program is designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the United States.

Kay will be in China from May 2017 – March 2018 to research “Urban Outcasts – Environmental Cleanup and Internal Migration in North China.” His research will examine how environmental cleanup policies are impacting the livelihoods of migrants who work in polluting industries that have been targeted for relocation.

In collaboration with researchers from Capital Normal University, Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Kay will study the factors driving urban marginality and uneven pollution exposure, and investigate opportunities for ameliorating the challenges faced by internal migrants.

Kay's advisor is Assistant Professor Max Woodworth of the Departments of Geography and International Studies.

The Office of International Affairs administers the Fulbright-Hays program for Ohio State. Grant competitions are held annually. Doctoral candidates interested in applying for the award should contact Fulbright-Hays program director, Joanna Kukielka-Blaser.