The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship is a “one-year grant for purposeful, independent exploration” awarded to seniors who are nominated by one of the fellowship’s 41 partner institutions. Dylan Morse ’22 was just granted the fellowship for the year 2022–23. He says that a particularly unique aspect of the Watson fellowship is that “I don’t have to produce anything. And because of that, I can just go and meet some really cool people. I get to connect with them and learn about them for a couple of months, all while exploring this question that I’m interested in.”
As Hamilton is a partner institution to the Watson Fellowship, all graduating seniors are eligible to apply for the fellowship. Morse explained that the application process begins with meeting the student fellowships coordinator Virginia (Ginny) Dosch. Following an initial meeting with Dosch, an applicant must write a personal statement of 1500 words and a very thorough project proposal. The campus selection process also requires two recommendation letters and a strong transcript. Each partner institution selects four applicants to nominate to the national selections, in which the candidate must give several interviews concerning their application and project. This year, only 42 students out of all the nominees were selected to receive the Watson fellowship.
For his fellowship, Morse will explore “the importance of salmon for fishing communities around the Atlantic.” However, the Watson will not be Morse’s first time working with fish. Growing up in Ithaca, N.Y., exploring waterways and catching fish was an important part of his childhood as it was his way of connecting with the people of his community. “Learning about water was really hard, but doing so through the act of fishing was really really cool,” Morse said.
“But eventually I learned about Taimen, a huge trout-like fish, that connected me to research going on in Cornell about what made them such strong species, but also unique at the same time.” Salmon migrate through both fresh and saltwater ecosystems, making them, as Morse says, “the bellwether species when judging for the general health of the environment, whether you’re looking at the land, the ocean or even the fisheries nearby.”
Since the Watson Fellowship prohibits its fellows from returning to the United States or any other countries they have been to during the 12 month period, Morse has made plans to travel through five different countries around the Atlantic Ocean. He is starting his inquiry in Canada, followed by Iceland, Scotland, Spain and Norway, each chosen for its unique connection to salmon. Starting off with the most personal connection, the first nation tribes’ cultural connection, then to the recreational fishing economy of Iceland. From there, he will delve more into the impersonal, commercial side of salmon with Scotland, Spain and finally the world’s biggest salmon exporter, Norway. “You’re exploring your question throughout cultures and different countries, so the whole point is to go wide and to pursue your question in as many different angles as possible,” Morse said.
“I don’t know how to feel, and what to expect about this experience,” Morse said. “Because that’s the thing, I’ve been to Iceland very briefly, Canada, but not where I’m going. I’ve never been to Norway, Sweden, Scotland or Spain. So it’s the kind of thing where I’m not really feeling anything, because I literally don’t know what to expect…I’ll just take it as it comes.”
