Adam Frankel '03 awarded circumnavigators scholarship

Adam Frankel '03 was awarded the Circumnavigators Club Foundation scholarship on Dec. 3. The scholarship, which consists of an $8500 grant, will allow him to travel to China, Russia, Cambodia, Haiti and Zimbabwe.

The Circumnavigators Club, a 100-year-old organization that strives to better international cooperation and understanding, gave out four scholarships this year.

The grants will allow each recipient to pursue an around-the-world travel-study project of international concern during the summer between his junior and senior years.

"Over the past 30 years, 74 students have benefited from the foundation's sponsorship to undertake worthwhile research projects on a wide variety of timely topics on issues of global importance," said Gregory Rider, the New York metro area coordinator for the Circumnavigators Club Foundation.

"A number of the foundation's scholars have entered the diplomatic service while many others are pursuing international careers in business, law, medicine, public service, education, technology and the arts," Rider explained in an e-mail.

Frankel, a Wilson School major, said he will use his scholarship as an opportunity to understand how AIDS is affecting the economic, societal and political structures in communities throughout the world. His itinerary will include countries where the disease is spreading most rapidly.

"We need to shift to a more international perspective. AIDS is an issue affecting scores of millions in the world. It transcends borders, race, country and affects everyone," Frankel said.

Some staggering statistics on AIDS have prompted Frankel to study the issue more extensively. Some experts estimate that China could have more than 20 million infections by 2010, and the number of HIV-positive Russians has grown fifteen-fold in the last three years. In Botswana, 30 percent of the people have been infected, and in South Africa, half of all 15-year-olds may die by the time they turn 35 if some current projections are met.

Frankel said he is traveling to the countries on his list to focus on a particular aspect of the AIDS issue. In Russia, he plans to investigate the relationship between intravenous drug use and the disease. In Haiti, Frankel said he wants to focus on AIDS orphans. In Cambodia, he will research the link between child prostitution and AIDS. In Zimbabwe, he is interested in learning how AIDS can strengthen communities. For example there are camps run by the Salvation Army in Zimbabwe that educate heads of households — usually children whose parents were AIDS victims — and train them to actively disseminate facts about AIDS in schools or other communities.

Frankel said he believes that although the United States is the largest contributor to AIDS research and assistance, it is still not as involved as it should be.

"The U.S. has not made AIDS its top priority on its agenda. The September 11th attacks just show us how issues of poverty and discontent can affect the biggest, most industrialized nation on Earth," he explained.

Next year, Frankel hopes to publish his experiences and share his ideas in University publications and other media outlets to raise global awareness of AIDS.