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On March 30th, Jurate, John and Lucy Kazickas invited current Joseph Peter Kazickas fellows at Yale Jolanta Mickute and Vaidotas Vaicaitis, as well as 2015 JPK fellow Irina Martijosaitiene for lunch to discuss their work at Yale, their prior experience and future plans.
During the meeting fellows introduced their work prior to coming to Yale.
Jolanta Mickute is Assistant Professor of History at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania. Her research examines political and cultural issues in the interwar period in Central and Eastern Europe. Her current work focuses on the experience of Jewish women in interwar Poland.
Vaidotas Vaicaitis is Associate Professor of Law at Vilnius University. His particular interests are in Lithuanian and comparative constitutional law. At Yale he is furthering his research on the principles of the rule of law, democracy, and the protection of human rights as values of modern constitutionalism.
One of the questions raised during the meeting was what's the best way to spread the message so the best candidates in Lithuania get an opportunity to further their research at Yale. Lithuanian Research Council together with active work of members of the scholarly world spread the word and try to get number of fit candidates to be selected by Yale. JPK fellows on their part spread the word upon their return as well and introduce many scholars to the program.
Also, a question how time spent at Yale gets accepted at the Lithuanian Universities was discussed. An opportunity that the Kazickas Family foundation provides - to learn from the brightest scholars at Yale, to gather research materials from the Yale libraries and to bring all that knowledge to Lithuania is a huge asset to the Lithuanian Universities and their students. Scholars do run into the issues such as Universities not supporting this opportunity at Yale and not being able to hold the position or difficulties of either leaving their families behind or bringing them for the duration of fellowship.
V. Vaicaitis and J. Mickute thanked for the opportunity provided and invited Kazickas family members to their presentations they'll give at Yale.
On April 11, 4pm: Jolanta Mickute will talk on "On Polish Zionism and Its Women, or How Traditional "Jewish Daughters" Turned Pioneer (1918-1939)"
On April 18, 4pm: Vaidotas Vaicaitis will talk on "The Concept of Constitutionalism in Contemporary Lithuania"