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News and Updates
Fellow news, program updates, and our most recent communications
Watson News
May 2, 2017
The Reducetarian Solution "The kind of book that's worth reading more than once." - The New York Times
The Reducetarian Solution -- 70 original essays from influential thinkers on how reducing meat consumption from one's diet can transform the life of the reader, animals, and the planet -- is available in stores and online. Edited by Brian Kateman, 2011 Watson Fellow, you can also read Brian's Op-Ed in the LA Times. ...
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on LA Times
April 14, 2017
The Lost City of Z releases in theaters this weekend
Based on the New York Times Bestseller by David Grann, 1989 Watson Fellow, the film received the NYT critic's pick. When it was released in 2009, B&N called "Z" "the single best nonfiction book of 2009"....
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on New York Times
March 29, 2017
Introducing the 2017 Jeannette K. Watson Fellows
The 18th class of Jeannette K. Watson Fellows will engage in three years of transformative programming on a global scale. ...
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March 15, 2017
Introducing the 2017 Thomas J. Watson Fellows
The 49th class of fellows will travel to 67 countries exploring topics ranging from pediatric cancer treatment to citizen journalism; from animation to autonomous vehicles; from immigration to island communities, from megacities to wildfire management. They hail from 6 countries and 21 states. ...
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February 27, 2017
Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship 2017 Finalists Announced
The Watson Foundation and our 12 NYC partner institutions are pleased to announce the 48 finalists for this year's city-wide selection. Fifteen Watson Fellows will be selected from the finalists and announced on Wednesday, March 29th....
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December 14, 2016
Linnea Burnham's Watson journey featured on NPR and The Splendid Table
Linnea Burnham, 2015 Watson Fellow, sat down with Lynne Rosetta Kasper to discuss her journey from Mongolia to Brazil exploring global cheese culture....
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on The Splendid Table
November 30, 2016
Remembering Aaron (1994-2016)
Aaron Raines was a remarkable young leader and fellow from the Jeannette K. Watson Class of 2016. ...
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October 28, 2016
Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Selection Committee Announced
Watson Fellows Elizabeth Arend '02, Zahid Chaudhary '97, Tabitha Decker '01, and Craig Safan '70, join Chris Kasabach to become the 49th Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Selection Committee. ...
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September 26, 2016
Watson and 100 Resilient Cities Build New Partnership
The Watson Foundation and 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC) have partnered to provide expansive opportunities to JK Watson Fellows and international cities....
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on 100RC website
September 20, 2016
Taking Watson Into the World
Jeannette K. Watson Fellows Jessica Meredith and Annamaria Watson receive Fulbright and Princeton in Asia Fellowships. ...
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August 8, 2016
One Year Later: Returning Fellows Gather in Maine
Last week the College of the Atlantic (COA) in Bar Harbor, Maine welcomed home the 48th Class of Thomas J. Watson Fellows....
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July 2, 2016
Ellen Baxter's Remarkable Journey Featured on NPR's Invisibilia
Ellen Baxter, 1975 Watson Fellow, shares her Watson experience in Geel, Belgium and through the world of mental health and community development on Invisibilia's "The Problem with the Solution", July 1. ...
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on NPR
June 22, 2016
Julie Taymor Announces World Theater Fellowship Recipients
Julie Taymor, 1974 Watson Fellow, announced the first three recipients of the Julie Taymor World Theater Fellowship, a one-year travel fellowship created to nurture and inspire young directors ages 21-29, which was inspired by her experience as a Watson Fellow in Indonesia....
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on Playbill.com
May 25, 2016
Watson Welcomes New Partners
NYC's Newest Commission, POV, 100 Resilient Cities and IBM Watson Host Fellows ...
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April 27, 2016
Liz Ogbu at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Museum
Liz Ogbu, 1998 Watson Fellow, shared her insights as part of the museum's Game Changers series...
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on cooperhewitt.org
March 11, 2016
25 songs that tell us where music is going
Featuring Partita for Eight Voices, Caroline Shaw, 2004 Watson Fellow...
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on New York Times
February 1, 2016
Shearwater releases "Jet Plane and Oxbow" to critical acclaim.
Front man Jonathan Meiburg, 1997 Watson Fellow...
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on subpop.com
December 1, 2015
"Silicon City: Computer History Made in New York" at the New-York Historical Society.
The Watson Foundation's first public program partnership...
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on nyhistory.org
November 4, 2015
Edwin Lee, Mayor of San Francisco, re-elected to second term
Edwin Lee, 1974 Watson Fellow...
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on SF Mayor
October 5, 2015
Eric Rosengren, President & CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston hosts the bank's 59th Economic Conference.
The New York Time's The Upshot caught up with him for his outlook on the American economy. Eric Rosengren, 1974 Watson Fellow...
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on nytimes.com
April 28, 2015
Watson Board President, David McKinney honored by Brown
During its 247th Commencement, Brown University will confer the honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters recognizing Dave's longstanding leadership and commitment......
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on brown.edu
April 15, 2015
Minh-Duyen Thi Nguyen, 2014 Watson Fellow, awarded Soros
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans will support her MD studies and goal to help women at the fringes of society. ...
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on Pdsoros.org
March 6, 2015
John Siceloff, 1976 Watson Fellow, honored by peers
Winner of six Emmys and a Peabody, John will be remembered as a committed social-advocate, television producer and journalist. ...
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on Current.org
March 5, 2015
Aracelis Girmay, 2000 Watson Fellow, receives Whiting Award
Awarded annually to ten emerging writers, the Whiting Awards are based on early accomplishment and the promise of great creative writing to come....
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on The Paris Review
January 5, 2015
Emanuel Yekutiel, 2012 Watson Fellow, named to Forbes 30 < 30.
Chief of Staff, FWD.us...
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on Forbes
September 30, 2014
Austin's St. Elmo's Market Project Moves Forward
Brandon Bolin, 2004 Watson Fellow, CEO GroundFloor Development ...
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on Austin Business Journal
July 18, 2014
Blue Chalk Media extends New York Times content partnership
Lisa Jamhoury, 2007 Watson Fellow, founding member and Director of Digital Communications ...
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on Technical.ly
May 14, 2014
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist, Kai Bird publishes his third novel, The Good Spy
Kai Bird, 1972 Watson Fellow...
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on New York Times
May 6, 2014
Flux Emerges From Google X And Nabs $8M To Help Build Eco-Friendly Buildings
Jenny Carlile, co-founder, 2003 Watson Fellow, Chris LaRosa, program manager, 2003 Watson Fellow...
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on Tech Crunch
January 26, 2014
Roomful of Teeth's Grammy
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance Caroline Shaw, 2004 Watson Fellow...
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on Roomful of Teeth
July 19, 2012
Mayor Bloomberg and Ellen Baxter, 1975 Watson Fellow, break ground on SugarHill, Broadway Housing Community's landmark Harlem project.
HARLEM—When it opens next year, Broadway Housing Community's 124 units of affordable housing and children's museum at 155th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in Sugar Hill will provide the Upper Manhattan neighborhood with a much-needed boost....
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on DNA Info
March 23, 2012
President Obama pays tribute to civil rights leader John Payton, 1972 Watson Fellow
President Obama late Thursday paid tribute to John Payton, the president and director counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education fund. ...