EUGENE–Nine University of Oregon students received 1999 International Student Awards in recognition of their leadership and volunteer work on campus and in the community during the annual Family Weekend All-University Awards Luncheon on May 15.

Two of the recipients–Alberto Albuquerque and En-ge Xing–received the Outstanding International Student Award and seven received International Student Merit awards. Winners of this year’s merit awards are Yating Chang, Pei-Yi Cheng, Alfredo Fernandez Gonzalez, Toshihiko Murata, Rose Hui-Jung Wang, Kisa Watanabe and Takeru Yoshida.

Each spring, the Friendship Foundation for International Students and the Office of International Education and Exchange (OIEE) recognize students who have made outstanding contributions to the university and local community. The awards are based on the students’ success, leadership skills, and campus and community involvement.

The two Outstanding International Student Award recipients are:

• Alberto Albuquerque, a master’s degree student from Jaboatao, Brazil. He has been a volunteer for the Office of International Education and Exchange and the co-director of the Latin American and Caribbean Association. He has been involved in the community as a volunteer in the theater department, an organizer of the Brazil portion of International Night and as a speaker at a Rotary luncheon as part of the International Cultural Service Program (ICSP).

• En-ge Xing, a senior architecture major from Shanghai, China. He is the director of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, which has organized several events on and off campus, including an acrobatic show from China that performed at three local venues.

The seven recipients of the International Student Excellence Awards include:

• Alfredo Fernandez Gonzalez is a master’s degree student in architecture from Mexico City, Mexico. He has promoted a research-based exchange program between the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts and the Centro de Investigacion en Energia in Mexico. He has had two papers accepted for presentation at the National Solar Energy Conference.

• Toshihiko Murata, a doctoral degree student in sociology from Japan. He is a research assistant for the Oregon Survey Research Laboratory who also has held offices in the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation. In the mid 1980s, he walked across the United States as part of a peace march, publishing a book about his experience.

• Kisa Watanabe, a senior economics major from Okayama, Japan. She coordinates the International Peer Assistant program for the OIEE, developing programs and participating in international orientation. She also serves as a peer adviser in the Department of Economics.

• Takeru Yoshida, a senior chemistry major from Tokyo, Japan. He has been co-director of the Japanese Student Association and an officer in the European Student Association. He is the photographer for many international events on campus, and he coordinated the hospitality table at the international orientation in fall term 1998.

• Yating Chang, a senior psychology major from Singapore. She has been a member of the International Student Advisory Committee for three years, serving as secretary and chair. She has been a member of the Student Health Advisory Committee and the International Peer Assistant program. She is active in her church and has participated in the American Heritage Association’s program for studying abroad.

• Pei-Yi Cheng, a senior dance major with a minor in music, from Taoyuan, Taiwan. She is the public relations director for the Chinese Student Association, helping to plan China Night festivities and working as a spokesperson. She has coordinated outreach projects for the Beall Hall Children’s Concert series and toured public schools representing the UO dance program.

• Rose Hui-Jung Wang, a junior music major from Taipei, Taiwan. She has been actively involved with organizing China Night, and she organized and directed a choir to sing her own arrangement of six Chinese folk songs.

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