UCI Professor Gets Grant for Trade Study

Hiro Lee, assistant professor in the UC Irvine Department of Economics, was one of 15 top researchers and academics in the United States and Japan to receive the first Abe Fellowship program grants.

Lee’s research topic is “Cooperative Approaches to Shifting Advantages: The Case of Bilateral Trade Between the United States and Japan.”

The project will develop a trans-Pacific network of researchers to study contemporary and global issues concerning the United States and Japan with funds provided by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.

Prachi Karnik of Placentia was first runner-up at the recent California Young Woman of the Year contest that attracted 65 high school entrants throughout the state.

They competed in personal interview, presence and composure, creative and performing arts, fitness, scholastic achievement and distinguished service. Cheryl Jaeger of Irvine won special recognition and distinguished service awards. Jody Thomas of Bakersfield won the contest.

Tustin resident Kimberly Schwartz, director of marketing for the Greater Long Beach Chapter of the American Red Cross, has won accreditation from the Public Relations Society of America following her completion of a written and oral examination.

John Cruz, 22, of Mission Viejo, editor of Saddleback College’s student newspaper the Lariat, was awarded the $1,250 Joel Garcia Memorial Scholarship by the California Chicano News Media Assn.

Lesley Fulton, 13, of Westminster and Coral Noonan, 17, of Irvine appear in the September issue of Teen Magazine as Sports Girl of the Year regional semifinalists.

Fulton is accomplished in softball while Noonan is a baton twirler. They competed against 10,000 others to reach the semifinals.

They are vying for a $10,000 scholarship that will be announced in the April, 1993, issue of the magazine.

Amer El-Ahraf, a Huntington Beach resident and executive vice president and professor of health science at Cal State Dominguez Hills, has been awarded the Mangold Award by the National Environmental Health Assn. for superior achievement in the environmental health profession. It is the highest honor given by the group.

Jim Blair, Michael Carley and Oliver Kendall, all freshmen at Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, received their Boy Scout Eagle Rank in a Court of Honor at Ocean Hills Community Church in San Juan Capistrano.

Carley, of Laguna Niguel, along with other Scouts, held five days of activities for students in the special education program at Marco F. Forster Intermediate and Del Obispo Elementary schools during summer school as his community project.

Blair’s project included helping refurbish the East Dock next to the Dana Point Youth and Group Facility and Kendall helped clean, varnish and conduct light repairs of the historic racing sloop Virginia.

The belong to Troop 702 in San Juan Capistrano. Their Scoutmaster is Bo Von Der Ahe of San Juan Capistrano.

Serena Stokes has been named volunteer coordinator at Heritage Point, a retirement and assisted living community in Mission Viejo. The Corona del Mar resident will direct the activities of the volunteer team of residents from Orange County and Long Beach.

Cal State Fullerton students Florence Decurgez, Marcella Swett, David Glaudini and Joey Bibleau each received $375 as finalists in a design contest sponsored by McCoy Mills Ford in Fullerton. All will be involved in painting the final mural at the automobile agency.

Cory Krantz of Irvine and Joel Mann of Cypress were selected to receive the Ann Katz B’nai B’rith Youth Organization Award for their leadership in the organization.

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