Student Wins Gilman Scholarship to Study Internationally

Jan. 28, 2011—University of Wisconsin-River Falls student Johnathan Emahiser was recently awarded a prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study internationally.

The scholarship program is funded by Congress and sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Open to U.S. undergraduate citizens, students receive up to $5,000 pursue academic studies abroad.

Emahiser, a senior biology major from River Falls, used the scholarship to travel to Taiwan with Assistant Professor of Biology Cheng-Chen Huang over UWRF’s winter break, also known as J-term.

“I learned so much during our four weeks in Taiwan researching and being immersed in a new culture. I was literally floored by how generous the people in Taiwan were. Everyone I met was willing to help us in any way we needed,” says Emahiser.

While studying in Taiwan, Emahiser had the opportunity to deepen his knowledge about heart failure research using zebrafish, a frequently used model organism.

“It was great to be exposed to a new country with exciting food and traditions, however I really benefited from working in other scientists' labs. Besides seeing their advanced equipment and learning about different fields in biomedical research, it was great to see how other researchers working with zebrafish differ in their methods,” says Emahiser.