[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/DeWitt_Barry.jpg” caption=”Third-year Arts & Science student Barry Dewitt will attend the University of Washington as part of a Killam Fellowship. Photo by Chris Martin.”]Barry Dewitt's summer suddenly got busier when he learned that he would be spending the second half of his third year of study at the University of Washington.

Dewitt is one of 13 Canadian students receiving a Killam Fellowship this year from the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States. The award provides $10,000 for tuition and living expenses, an allowance for health insurance and a grant for field trips.

The idea behind the award is to expose both Canadian and American students to the culture and history of each other's country, and to stimulate an exchange of ideas. Dewitt will attend the University of Washington in Seattle during the winter of 2008.

Dewitt found out about the scholarship through the Arts & Science program, and felt compelled to pursue it.

“It seemed like an excellent opportunity to broaden my life experience and my education,” he says. His scholarly interests lie heavily in math, logic and algebra, which he demonstrated by his choice of summer job: a research assistant for the Department of Mathematics & Statistics in the Faculty of Science.

“I'll be able to pursue interests and take courses that I would otherwise be unable to take, and that is always exciting,” he says when asked how he thinks the Killam Fellowship will impact his academic life. It will also permit him to compare life at a large university with life at a smaller one.

“When you receive the scholarship, they give you a list of participating American schools, and you can rank your preferences,” Dewitt explained. “Washington was certainly among my top choices and all my professors have said positive things about it.”

The Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States is also responsible for administering the prestigious Fulbright scholarship program.

The Killam Fellowship program was started six years ago by the foundation as a test-project, and they have recently decided that the test was a success, and that the Killam Fellowship will become a permanent addition to the selection of awards they offer.

This program is generously supported by the American Killam Trusts and is a major initiative in their multifaceted efforts to foster mutual understanding between the citizens of Canada and those of the United States. McMaster is one of 11 Canadian universities that participates in the program.