May 20, 2003
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417
AMHERST, Mass.- Andrew Foss, a senior at Amherst College, has been awarded a J. William Fulbright Fellowship for postgraduate study in Norway. Foss will study "The Norwegian Petroleum Industry: Today and Tomorrow" in Trondheim. Foss is the son of Jane and Roger Foss of Lincroft, N.J.
In his application, Foss noted, "Norway is the world's third-largest exporter of crude oil," but asked why this Scandinavian oil power isn't as famous as its Arabian or Asian counterparts. "Like the well-behaved student who goes unnoticed by the teacher's roving eye, Norway's petroleum operation is run well enough that its stature seems smaller."
At the Norwegian University of Science and Technology at Trondheim, Foss plans to consider both technological and political aspects of the Norwegian energy industry. He has studied chemistry, economics, political science, history and languages at Amherst, in addition to his major work in physics.
At Amherst Foss played saxophone and clarinet in the college jazz band and orchestra, and was a volunteer in the college emergency medical service. The president of the German House, Foss won the German Consulate's Prize for studies in language and literature. He also received the Porter Prize for excellence in introductory astronomy and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 2002.
Congress created the Fulbright Program in 1946 to foster mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchanges. Senator J. William Fulbright, sponsor of the legislation, viewed scholarship as an alternative to armed conflict. Today the Fulbright Program, the federal government's premier scholarship program, funded by an annual congressional appropriation and contributions from other participating countries, allows Americans to study or conduct research in over 100 nations.
Foss is one of five Amherst seniors who received Fulbright grants this year.
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