From tracking chilies in the wilds of Mexico to patiently deciphering 16th-century documents in Peruvian archives, five of UC Davis' top graduate students are creating new knowledge and serving as international ambassadors.

They are among the campus's small but growing contingent of students who conduct research and spread goodwill each year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the federal government's flagship educational exchange program.

Each year, about 1,500 recent baccalaureate graduates, graduate students, artists and young professionals receive the prestigious award to teach, study or research for eight to 10 months in 155 countries. The program's purpose is to foster mutual understanding between the United States and other countries.

For the 2007-08 academic year, a record seven of 21 UC Davis applicants were offered the award, and five

accepted. They have been conducting research in Australia, Germany, Argentina, Mexico and Peru.

Fulbright grants provide funds for international transportation, a living stipend, a small book or research allowance, and medical insurance. Some countries also provide other grant enhancements.

The Fulbright scholars value the award for the research opportunities, the experiences they gain by living abroad, and the status it adds to their resumes.

Consider Susan Hogue. The doctoral candidate in history at UC Davis is conducting research in Peru and consulting with some of the world's premier Andean and Spanish colonial experts. Kraig Kraft, a doctoral candidate in ecology, has logged thousands of miles crisscrossing Mexico to study the genetic diversity of wild chili peppers and their domestication.

And Rob Scholz, who earned a master's degree in viticulture and enology in 2007, has been able to control all aspects of his wine-related project — from the harvesting of grapes to wine production and lab analysis — at a renowned viticulture research institute in Germany.

"It's a very prestigious award that follows them through their lifetime," said Deborah McCook, who, as the campus's Fulbright adviser, works closely with applicants. "It can open doors internationally."

Those familiar with the Fulbrights know the opportunity can be life changing. "My experiences so far in Germany have been irreplaceable, and I will carry them with me for the rest of my life," said Scholz.

For the 2008-09 year, 11 UC Davis students and graduates from among 28 applicants have been offered Fulbright awards. Taken together, the 11 propose to travel to five continents to study subjects as varied as bicycle dynamics in the Netherlands and ethnomusicology in Thailand.

Edward Caswell-Chen, associate dean of Graduate Studies, said the growing number of Fulbright applicants and award recipients is a tribute to the quality of UC Davis students, and to the mentoring and assistance that Graduate Studies and faculty members provide.

Dateline corresponded with three of this year's Fulbright scholars as they pursued their research. Here are their

stories:

In the archives

Hogue is exploring how local rulers of the former Inca empire brought Andean concepts of imperialism and governance to their new situation as Spanish subjects in the mid-1500s.

She has spent much of her time at the National Archive in Lima, the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and other regional archives. She is combing through documents — including court cases, government reports, land titles and disputes, correspondence and Spanish-language sources from the mid-1500s.

"Reading the documents is often a very slow process because of the handwriting and symbols used by 16th-century scribes," Hogue said.

As a visiting researcher at the university, she is also working with other Peruvian and U.S. scholars on a research project about Cuzco, Peru, in the mid-16th century: "I'm excited about the personal connections from that experience, as well as the opportunity to advance all of our individual research by building on our shared findings."

"In the wider community," she said, "many Peruvians express some surprise and an intense pride in Peruvian history and cultural heritage as a source of international interest and study."

"My experience here has been exciting, hard — but in a way that promotes growth — and generally very rewarding. My project is coming along well, if slowly, and I've met so many great people."

In the vineyard

Almost 7,000 miles away in Germany, Scholz has been documenting conditions in lush vineyards and examining grape samples in a laboratory at Forschungsanstalt Geisenheim, a research institute about 40 miles west of Frankfurt.

Expanding on the work of his master's thesis, Scholz has been investigating the ability of the cell walls of grape berries to bind tannin — important to wine quality, color and consumer preference — from red grape skins.

"Some days would be spent only in the vineyard or only in the lab," Scholz said, "while others would start in the vineyard before dawn, allowing me to experience amazing sunrises over the Rhine River Valley."

In his free time, Scholz is volunteering at a local hospital. "It has allowed me to connect and interact with the German people on a completely different level," he said. "The language barrier has made for some pretty interesting stories, but nothing that a smile and a good laugh couldn't fix!" he said.

The topics that spark the most conversations with other students and local residents, Scholz said, are U.S. positions on climate change and Middle East foreign policy, and, "of course, the upcoming presidential elections."

What has the award meant to him? "Not only has this experience abroad been incredible from an academic point of view, but I have seen and observed so much more of the German culture than I ever thought possible," said Scholz, who had only briefly traveled in Germany even though his parents are from the country.

In untamed Mexico

In Mexico, whenever Kraft found a wild chili, collecting it was straightforward: He put a ripe chili pepper into an envelope and used a global positioning device to record where he found it. "Finding the plant," he said, "is the difficult part, which often takes locating a guide and hiking around for a while through the countryside.

"It can be quite awkward at times," he said, "asking complete strangers in our accented Spanish about something that is such a part of the landscape, they are often overlooked or forgotten."

In all, he and his wife, Heather Zornetzer, traveled about 20,000 miles on the back roads of Mexico on what was his third research trip to the country. The Fulbright award is funding research on how traditional chili pepper farming shapes genetic diversity.

And that is why he has enjoyed the research. "It was not solely a laboratory-based project," said Kraft, who has since returned to campus. "Rather, it included farmer surveys and plant collection and exploration."

In the course of his field work, he connected with researchers at Mexican universities and government agencies, surveyed 70 farmers in the central state of Aguascalientes and traveled through 19 states in search of the wild chilies.

Kraft, who grew up in New Mexico, has traveled extensively in Central and South America — including teaching a UC Davis field course in Panama for three summers. He has eaten a lot of chili peppers — and collected a lot of recipes.

The chili itself has an interesting place in Mexican culture, Kraft said: "It is a symbol that is deeply ingrained in the Mexican psyche. This is across ... the Mexican social sphere — ethnicity, gender, class, north, south. When you walk up to a stranger and talk about chili, eyes light up, ears perk and some wonderful exchanges take place."

Grooming the applicants

Fulbright scholars say they owe plenty to Graduate Studies for helping them work their way through the demanding application process.

For starters, the external funding unit offers examples of successful applications — including descriptions of research projects and personal statements — and helps applicants find mentors among faculty members who themselves may have been Fulbright recipients.

"Our faculty have also been very conscientious and helpful to our students," said Caswell-Chen, associate dean for graduate programs and chair of the campus evaluation committee for the Fulbright program.

After the applications are submitted, a campus evaluation committee interviews and then ranks the UC Davis candidates. Three years ago, the committee began allowing students to make modest revisions to their applications based on its feedback.

"Graduate Studies aided me quite a bit during the application process," said Kraft. "The best part about the Davis interview was that you had an opportunity to redress your deficiencies."

Why does UC Davis offer such support?

"These individuals are the best of the best of our students," Caswell-Chen said. "They're acting as a citizen ambassador. They're reflecting on UC Davis internationally."

INFORMATION SESSION

Graduate Studies announced that an information session for prospective applicants for the 2009-10 Fulbright program will be held at 3 p.m. May 28 in MU II of the Memorial Union. Former Fulbright recipients from UC Davis will participate.