Cymene Howe, a professor of anthropology at Rice University and director of graduate studies in the Department of Anthropology, has been named a Berlin Prize fellow by the American Academy in Berlin.
The highly coveted Berlin Prize, which funds semesterlong fellowships in Berlin, is awarded annually to scholars, writers, composers and artists based in the United States who represent the highest standards of excellence in their fields. Fellows, chosen by an independent selection committee, receive a monthly stipend and live on site at the American Academy’s Hans Arnhold Center .
Howe will begin her fellowship in January 2023.
The fellowship provides recipients with time and resources to step back from their daily obligations and engage in academic and artistic projects they might not otherwise pursue. Fellows work with local individuals and institutions in the American Academy’s well-established network, forging rich connections and lasting trans-Atlantic relationships. During their stay, they engage audiences through public lectures, performances and readings at the Academy as well as throughout Berlin and Germany.
Howe plans to research sociocultural adaptation and responses to changing environmental conditions. Her “Melt, Rise and Hydrological Globalization” project focuses on how ice is becoming ocean amid climate change, and the interrelationships that follow. While in residence in Berlin, she will work with policy experts, scientists and climate modelers to analyze how the melting of glaciers and icesheets in the Arctic results in sea level rise in coastal cities around the world in a process Howe calls “hydrological globalization.”
“I am thrilled to be able to become part of a community of scholars, artists, writers and thought leaders at the American Academy in Berlin,” Howe said. “My time there will undoubtedly lead to new insights and new networks and I plan to make great progress on my Melt/Rise research project.”
For more information on the prize, visit https://bit.ly/3z8rj3c.