Grinnell College seniors Artis Curiskis and Nomalanga Shields have been awarded Thomas J. Watson Fellowships for a year of postgraduate independent study and travel abroad. The fellowship offers outstanding students a year of independent exploration and travel outside of the U.S. to “foster effective participation in the world.” Curiskis, an economics major from Minneapolis and captain of the men’s soccer team, will travel to the United Kingdom, Russia, Georgia, India, Chile and Spain to study “global soccer diplomacy.” Shields, a sociology major from Chicago, will travel to Hungary, India and South Africa to study housing sustainability and activism in displaced communities. The Grinnellians are among 40 students selected nationwide from 152 finalists to receive the $30,000 fellowship from the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. Grinnell senior Jessica Black, a sociology major from Washington, D.C., was selected as an alternate.