Kim Montpelier ‘24, Austin Manning ‘24 and Shanzai Ikhlas ‘24 have been selected for 2023 Harry Caplan Travel Fellowships through the classics department in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Montpelier, a classics and philosophy major, will participate in an immersive German program at the Goethe-Institut in Berlin. Her research focuses on the influence of Stoicism on the 17th century philosopher Margaret Cavendish. She plans to study artifacts from the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire, when Cicero and the Stoic writer Seneca lived, at the Museumsinsel and Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin before continuing her travels in Rome.
“I am grateful to the classics department for providing me with this opportunity and I am looking forward to a summer of enriching travel,” Montpelier said.
Manning, a classics major, plans to further his research on ancient artifact conservation after his experience as a student excavator on the Marzuolo Archaeological Project last summer. This summer, he will connect with conservators at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and other institutes.
“I want to thank Cornell and the classics department for giving me this unique and generous opportunity to travel and explore my passion for classics this summer,” Manning said.
Ikhlas, a government major with a specialization in global health, will travel across Greece, including Ithaca, Athens and the region of Epirus to study both its ancient and present-day culture. She plans for this focused tourism to enhance her research at Cornell, where she studies policy and race, culture, and diversity.
“I am overjoyed to be named a Caplan Fellow this year,” Ikhlas said. “This fellowship grant is providing me with the opportunity of a lifetime to indulge myself in a study that I absolutely love, an opportunity that I would not have otherwise.”
The fellowships honor Harry Caplan, class of 1916. He was a late professor emeritus of classics who taught at Cornell for nearly 50 years and was considered one of the most beloved and inspiring teachers. After his death in 1980, his former students contributed to an endowment in his honor. Annual travel fellowships from that endowment are awarded to students who share his interests — including Greek and Latin literature, ancient Jewish culture as well as ancient and medieval Latin rhetoric. The fellowship grants can subsidize specific academic projects or intense and informed tourism.
Jonathan Mong '25 is a communications assistant in the College of Arts and Sciences.
