Washington, ME resident awarded prestigious Watson Fellowship

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Joshua Anderson with his fellow Union College honoree Shilpa Darivemula.

SCHENECTADY, NY (03/26/2013)(readMedia)-- Joshua Anderson of Washington, Maine likes things simple. The Union College mechanical engineering major helps run his parents' self-sufficient farm, and spent part of winter break traipsing around Paris with little but his backpack and doesn't own a cell phone.

Anderson is one of two Union College students and 40 nationwide who have been awarded a prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to spend the next year pursuing their passion.

The fellowship offers a one-year grant to seniors "of unusual promise" to study independently outside the United States. The stipend for individual award winners is $25,000.

The newest fellows, chosen from among 148 finalists, come from eight countries and 14 states. They'll traverse 75 countries exploring topics from coastal disasters to synthetic biology; from music therapy to the ethics of extinction; from digital landscapes to the global shark trade; from youth criminalization to independent film making.

Anderson will travel through the United Kingdom, Denmark, Belgium, Nepal and Tanzania in support of his project, "Holistic Self-sufficiency: Exploring the Intersection of Community, Innovation, and Self."

Tapping into his engineering background, he plans to immerse himself in ecovillages, monasteries and other self-sufficient communities to see how they provide basic necessities like utilities, shelter and farming.

"I'm interested not only in what methods they use, but how they foster that individuality," he said.

"Applying to a prestigious fellowship like the Watson is a lot of hard work," said Maggie Tongue, Union's Watson liaison. "We are very proud of all four of our nominees. These students spent countless hours creating their projects and articulating their personal statements."