Aaron Navarro, a graduate student in the Department of History, had some advice for his fellow summer research travel grant recipients.

"Take business cards, lots of them," he stressed.

Chris Tirres, another grant recipient and a graduate student in the study of religion, pointed out that written letters of introduction addressed to librarians open many doors in Latin America.

Now in its fifth year of summer research travel awards, the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) brought together award winners May 13 to exchange information and to make contacts with visiting scholars and former or second-time grant winners, as well as to receive their grants.

Almost 50 Harvard students will be traveling to 15 Latin American countries, as well as Portugal and Spain. Mexico leads with 11 students, followed by nine to Brazil, seven to Argentina, and five to Cuba. Other student destinations include Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and the United States.

The Student Grant Committee awarded 27 grants to graduate/professional school students for more than $40,000 and 17 to undergraduates, totaling approximately $25,000. The maximum grant amount awarded was $2,000, with the exception of the top-ranked graduate student.

The following is a list of DRCLAS Summer Research Travel Grant Awards:

Undergraduates Caitlin Anderson, History and Literature (Argentina), Primary source historical research at the archives of several British institutions in Buenos Aires Eli Cohen, Economics (Argentina), Costs and benefits of dollarization to the Argentine economy John Couriel, Social Studies (Mexico, United States), Can democratic reform in Mexico be attributed to the North American Free Trade Agreement? Rodrigo Cruz, History (Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica), Axis control policies of the Central American republics during World War II, with emphasis on legal aspects, motivations, and consequences Megan Frederickson, Biological Sciences (Brazil), Regeneration of Brazilian Amazon rainforests disturbed by fire last year Samantha Goldstein, Anthropology (Mexico), Reproductive health and education in Mexico Stephanie Greenman, Anthropology (Honduras), The role of music in Mayan religion, class hierarchy, and daily life Gretchen Hoff, Social Studies (Mexico), The impact of political mobilization on poor women and grassroots feminism. Allison Kent, Folklore and Mythology (Bolivia, Ecuador), Comparative study of two political indigenous movements' use of folkloric symbols Micah Myers, History (Cuba), The extent and nature of American influence on Cuban governmental policies during the late 1940s Siripanth Nippita, Social Studies (Brazil), The effects of structural and social factors on the urban poor, with attention to women, gender issues, and health care Jerry Nunes, Government (Brazil), The effect of authoritarianism on the Chilean and Brazilian Left's commitment to democratic governance in a post-transition context via the lens of collective memory Robert Ortiz, History (Cuba), The relationship between Cuban and American elites during the annexationist movement of the 1850s Adam Reiss, History (Mexico), The impact of the Mexican political climate in the period from 1923-1933 on the development of American foreign policy toward Mexico Laura Rosenbaum, History (Argentina), The formation of key Jewish archives in Buenos Aires Vanessa Schlueter, Government (Argentina), An examination of political movements to change reproductive rights legislation in Argentina during Menem's presidency Ashley Waters, History and Literature (Cuba), Interviews on culture (music, popular festivals) in 1940s Havana with lifetime residents

Graduate/Professional School Students Cesar Abadia, Medical School (Brazil), Comparative study of HIV- positive and -negative Brazilian children using participant observation, ethnology Gerardo Aldana, History of Science (Spain), Archival research in Sevilla on 16th-century Mayan astronomers Alison Alonso, History (Mexico), Women in northern Mexico from 1900-1940 and a study of their changing life chances Proochista Ariana, Public Health (Mexico), Investigation of the under-utilization of formal health care services among indigenous communities in the highland of Chiapas, Mexico

Meghan Baker, Medical School (Mexico), Investigation of the impact of micronutrient supplementation on susceptibility and outcome of diarrheal disease in children under 2 years Nicola Cooney, Romance Languages and Literatures (Portugal), Study of the correspondence of the Portuguese poet Cesario Verde (1855- 1886) Catherine Crosland, Medical School (Peru), The specific causes of high rates of patient compliance among MDRTB patients enrolled in Peruvian community-based treatment programs James Fowler, Government (Mexico), Do groups that initially support reform oppose further reform? Daniel Gutierrez, History (Mexico), The state of Zacatecas in Mexico in the early 19th century Jacques Hymans, Government (Argentina), Argentina's evolution from potential nuclear weapons state to champion of nuclear nonproliferation Viviane Mahieux, Romance Languages and Literatures (Argentina), The genre of the chronicle, primarily during the Argentine avant-garde (1920s-1940s), through a study of Buenos Aires newspapers and through personal interviews Pilar Montalvo, Anthropology (Brazil), How the Bororo of central Brazil continue to construct and use their political identities in relation to other indigenous groups, the nation of Brazil, and the international community Seongmun Nam, Anthropology (Peru), Examination of identity establishment, reinforcement, and transformation through consumption practices, interpreting shopping mall as cultural space Aaron Navarro, History (Mexico), Mexico's changing political environment in the 1930s and 1940s Liliana Obregon, Law (Peru), The neo-Incan nationalist movement in Peru of the 18th century Fernando Petrella, Study of Religion (Costa Rica), Conceptions of democracy in liberation theology Silvia Rabionet, Education (Puerto Rico), The 1960s in the University of Puerto Rico Sujay Rao, History (Argentina), The evolution of local, provincial and national government in Argentina's littoral Valeria Rocha, Education (Brazil), The effectiveness of three basic remedial and preventive interventions to help street children in the city of Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil Eliane Rubinstein-Avila, Education (Brazil), People's perception of literary functions, demands, and practices in two urban towns in Brazil where most immigrants to greater Boston originate Calie Santana, Medical School (Puerto Rico), Qualitative description of the access to care and treatment barriers for HIV/AIDS patients in Puerto Rico Pamela Surkan, Public Health (Brazil), Relationship of gender and distribution of household nutritional resources to growth in preschool-age children Chris Tirres, Study of Religion (Mexico), A survey of the religious landscape of Juarez by looking at the presence of comunidades de base and Pentecostal gospel choirs Michelle Tisdel, Anthropology, (Cuba), Collecting narratives about significant historical and political events that give meaning to notions such as history, self, and "diaspora" Mercedes Trelles, Fine Arts (Venezuela), Kineticism, an avant- garde movement emphasizing modernity and the social and political exigencies for a Latin American art Clarissa Valim, Public Health (Brazil), To define an estimator of vaccine efficacy conditional on the individual exposure to infection, allowing comparison between trials carried out in different areas Esther Whitfield, Romance Languages and Literatures (Cuba), "Los Novisimos" and contemporary literary movements in Cuba.