Global Perspectives Photo Contest

The Global Perspectives Photo Contest categories are drawn from the variety of international experiences available to Tufts students. The winning photographer in each category will receive a $100 prize. Second place winners will receive a $25 prize. 

• Study Abroad
• Service Learning
• Internship
• Research
• Other

Students will write a brief reflection paragraph to describe their photograph and how their experience abroad has impacted their Tufts education.

Photos taken prior to matriculation at Tufts, post-graduation, or on personal travel abroad (i.e. vacation) are ineligible.1+4 students are eligible to submit photos. 

If a student will graduate prior to the submission deadline, they may still submit photos and be awarded a prize after they graduate.

• Each student may submit up to 3 photos  
• All photos should have been taken by you or have you in it
• All photos must be at least 1200x800 pixels (or 800x1200 for portraits) 
• Please name your file with your name, theme, and submission number.
  • ex. doe-jane-mumbai-research-Photo1

Photographs will be judged on their aesthetic value and on how well they respond to the category. Attention will be paid to ensure that photos are well representative of the University as a whole. 

Winning photos will be displayed on the Global Tufts website and in a rotating exhibit on the Medford, Grafton, and Boston campuses. 

We would like to use submitted photos on print materials and Tufts' websites and will ask you to give permission to use your photo upon submission. 

The Global Perspectives Photo Contest is on hold for the 2023-2024 Academic Year. 

Device Settings

For best results, set your phone, device, or camera to the highest capture settings. Look for the highest M or biggest pixel dimensions. Shoot RAW if possible. 

Image Capture

Frame your shots and keep the camera steady. You may be able to use a burst to get more than one image at a time or a tripod to keep your device steady. 

Submitting the Image

Select the highest possible settings and avoid downsizing the images.

Climate, Food, Water & Energy 1st Place: Riley Aronson, V21, Research, Graduate (Samboja, East Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia)

Summary: 

The natural habitat for orangutans has been significantly impacted through deforestation for the palm oil industry, which is an important crop not only throughout Indonesia, but also the world. An adult male Bornean orangutan peers through the fern leaves at the protected forest land around him at the Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation in Samboja Lestari (BOSF-SL). In East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo in Indonesia, BOSF-SL is a non-profit that has been working to rescue, rehabilitate, and release orangutans to the wild for over 25 years. This work involves capacity building within the institution and local communities, conservation medicine, research, and education. Through volunteering with BOSF-SL this summer, I learned some Bahasa Indonesia, became more familiar with great ape anesthesia practices, and conducted a research project on the correlation between clinical signs and orangutan respiratory pathology seen on CT imaging.

Climate, Food, Water & Energy 2nd Place: Madeline Weir A20, Study, Undergraduate (San Pedro de Atacama, Chile)

Summary: 

This photo shows two flamingos feeding in the salt plains of the Salar de Atacama in Northern Chile. Ecotourism, including the protection of land and animals, has become a goal of Chile's most visited destinations. The Atacama region's economy relies on tourism, but guides are paying close attention to how tourists interact with the environment. Protection of the flamingos and the salt plains is just one example of these efforts. I was fortunate to experience this moment because the lands and species have been well protected up to this point.

Climate, Food, Water & Energy Honorable Mention: Taiki Tashiro, EG20, Study, Graduate (Medford, MA)

Summary:

Many people do not notice smaller live organisms than themselves. These tomatoes are really tiny, but they are alive vigorously and grow up with the sun. It was so beautiful and I would like people to realize that they can see beautiful nature in your neighborhood.

Comparative Global Humanities 1st Place: Katherine McMurphy, A21, Research (Elmina, Ghana)

Summary: 

This photo captures a festival celebrating local chiefs in a coastal Ghanaian town. I was on my way to visit Elmina Castle, a slave port built in 1482 by the Portuguese, when we could no longer drive through the small town. We were told there was a celebration of chiefs occurring in the streets and it would be at least an hour before we could get through. My Ghanaian friend and I parked and went out onto the street to watch. In this photo, tradition and modernity merge. The festival honors the history of the area and the importance of the chieftaincy. Some people wear traditional Ghanaian outfits and costumes, while others wear shorts and t-shirts.

Comparative Global Humanities 2nd Place: Jiamin Li, A22, Study Abroad (Amman, Jordan)

Summary: 

Sitting at the top of Jabal al-Qal’a in Amman, Jordan, the ruin of the Roman Temple of Hercules in the Amman Citadel still stands with its majesty to tell its history. The citadel itself dates back to the Bronze Age and has undergone various transformations with its changing inhabitants, including the addition of the Temple of Hercules by the Romans in the 2nd century. The structure has witnessed Amman’s rapid development as Jordan’s capital throughout the millennium which includes the expansion of tourist economy that the country is largely dependent on. The Roman citadel is now visited by travelers across the world, each adding their footsteps onto this ancient establishment and interacting with the past. Another intersection of modernity and history can be spotted in the lower right corner, where arrays of houses sitting upon the adjacent hills of Amman is hidden behind the temple structure. The ancient and modern architectures show a contrasting but harmonious relationship as they continue to coexist at the crossroad of time.

Living Technology 1st Place: Madeline Weir, A20, Study, Undergraduate (Geneva, Switzerland)

Summary: 

This is CMS, the Compact Muon Solenoid at CERN, the European Center for Nuclear and Particle Physics Research in Geneva. It's a massive detector which helps physicists uncover the mysteries of the universe and understand what happened during the Big Bang through particles. This machine is a collaboration of 38 countries and around 4,000 people. In this photo, a technician is working on CMS, updating it to study the breakdown of matter and the composition of dark matter.

Living Technology 2nd Place: Austen Money, A24, Internship, Undergraduate (Chillca, Peru)

Summary: 

This photo was taken out of the window of the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, a two-hour ride that drastically cuts down on the amount of time needed to get to Machu Picchu. This view was previously only available to those hiking the 4-day Inca Trail, but is now accessible to the hundreds of people who take the train daily. In the distance, you can see the train tracks curving around the Urubamba River, melding with their environment - for better or for worse.

One Health 1st Place: Riley Aronson, V21, Research, Graduate (Samboja, East Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia)

Summary:

The word “orangutan” comes from the Malay Bahasa words “orang,” meaning man, and “hutan,” meaning forest. The origin of this word emphasizes the great ape common ground shared between humans and orangutans. It’s very moving to see how primates are helping primates. My summer research project is one of One Health, in which both veterinarians and physicians got involved, locally and internationally. A sub-adult orangutan receives a morning bottle for additional nutrition before heading out to the forest for a day of “Sekolah Hutan” (Forest School). In East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo in Indonesia, the Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation at Samboja Lestari (BOSF-SL) is a non-profit that has been working to rescue, rehabilitate, and release orangutans to the wild for over 25 years. This work involves capacity building within the institution and local communities, conservation medicine, research, and education. Through volunteering with BOSF-SL this summer, I learned some Bahasa Indonesia, became more familiar with great ape anesthesia practices, and conducted a research project on the correlation between clinical signs and orangutan respiratory pathology seen on CT imaging.

One Health 2nd Place: Sachin Vallamkonda, A21, Internship, Undergraduate (Chokati, Nepal)

Summary: 

Many hours away from any major city, small villages scatter the scenic rural mountainside in Nepal’s Sindhupalchok district. Each holds only one community health outpost, staffed by six employees including one trained health worker and two auxiliary midwives. Here, we are able to witness a special program being held at the Chokati Health Post. The program is for tuberculosis and uterine cancer screening along with an additional health prevention education component. One of the public health students we were working with informed us about how uterine cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting Nepali women. As undergraduate health advocates, we were able to witness local public health students, volunteering physicians from an external organization, and local community health workers work together with the village to bolster health education and promote proper well-being.

Secure & Equitable Society 1st Place: Saherish Surani, A21, Internship, Undergraduate, Equitable Society (Capricorn, Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa)

Summary:

Capricorn is one of the oldest and poorest settlements in the Western Cape. For many years, Capricorn had no electricity or piped water, an issue that still of constant worry today. The shacks that residents live in are constructed from a variety of materials, whatever they can find, usually pieces of wood and tin. These homes do not provide adequate shelter from heavy rains and freezing temperatures in the South African winter and fires during the hot and dry summers. These homes also do not provide refuge or safety from theft, active gangs, and widespread drug issues, which result in high crime and violence rates. After over 25 years of fighting the local Council, girls were given the right to attend schools. In these schools, these girls not only show up to get away from home life, but they come to make friends and to learn how to change the world.

Secure & Equitable Society 2nd Place: Rocío Magali Maciel, F20, Internship, Graduate (Tijuana, México)

Summary:

The beach in Tijuana is not like any other beach I had seen before: a big border wall crosses it, going straight into the ocean. That wall divides not only two countries but also two different societies, two different languages and two different ways of living. I met Brandon while I was taking pictures of the beach and he was staring at the wall. Like thousands before him, Brandon was from Honduras, had been in Tijuana for three years, had just lost his job and was uncertain about what to do next. I think of him and wonder if he stayed in Tijuana and if so, if he still spends some afternoons sitting at the beach, looking at the wall and peeking at the life on the other side of it.

Secure & Equitable Society Honorable Mention: Drishti Dagliya, F21, Work, Graduate (Village near Jamnagar, India)

Summary:

Speaking to tribal women about entrepreneurship, and what they do. And what would they do if a training center were to be set up in the village nearby?

One Health 1st Place: Soroush Samimi D, School of Dental Medicine, Service Learning / Volunteer, Graduate (Saint Anne, Jamaica) 

Summary:

Early education and prevention is key. Each year we travel down to Jamaica with the initiative to improve oral care in remote communities. Familiarizing the children with oral hygiene techniques, helps reduce their dental anxiety and reduces their risk of developing caries. We have been fortunate to come in touch with such beautiful souls and observe the improvement in oral care as well as their well-being throughout the years. 

One Health 2nd Place: Lauren Scanlon, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Research, Graduate (Chittagong, Bangladesh)

Summary:

I went to Bangladesh as part of the International Veterinary Medicine program to research clinical mastitis in the cattle of Chittagong. The goal was to determine the prevalence and distribution to better treat and control the disease. With better control, there would be higher national milk production that can feed the growing population with more nutritious food. While visiting the farms to collect data, I got a glimpse into the lives of the cows there. Cows are such fun animals that it was not hard to get silly shots of them.

Comparative Global Humanities 1st Place: Ben Shapiro, Arts & Sciences, other, Undergraduate (Jerusalem, Israel)​

Summary:

This Jeweler hides within his stand, but peeks out to survey onlooking locals and tourists. He is able to spring into action when identifying potential customers, yet is far more reserved than his loud and animated neighbors. His shop is tucked away in the crowded Arab market, or Shuk, which connects the Muslim and Christian quarters. The holy city of Jerusalem is one of both division and unity, distrust and faith. The Shuk is notorious for its accepted price haggling, a practice that often seems at odds with the holiness of the city. The store carries a small "We Have Free Holy Quran" sign above jewelry pieces with regional motifs, most not specific to any religion. A few nonfigurative Islamic designs are interspersed with Jewish stars and Hamsas. The Jeweler does not overtly appear to be a pious man, but he aids the religious expression of those who came to Jerusalem to connect with their faith and end up purchasing one of his pieces. The repeating rows and layers of jewelry shroud the Jeweler in an aesthetic rhythm of faith that transcends any specific religion. Although we are from different religions, we come from the same ancient tradition. He represents the shared values, shared space, and shared visual language that make Jerusalem unique.​

Comparative Global Humanities 2nd Place: Kyle Lui, Arts & Sciences, Study, Undergraduate (London, United Kingdom)

Summary: 

I chose this photo for Comparative Global Humanities because my discussion with these two food vendors highlighted the similarities that existed amongst their vastly different cultures. The man on the left is an immigrant from Thailand, while the man on the right is an immigrant from Italy. The countries and cuisines are vastly different, as Italy’s staple food is pasta, while Thailand’s staple food is rice. However, despite these culinary differences, these two men from different cultures were unified by their love for fish, and their love in providing this unifying global food to the London public. In effect, this image also visualizes the similarities that these men have despite their backgrounds through their synchronized physical movements and facial expressions.

Climate, Food and Water 1st Place: Dana Perry, Arts & Sciences, Study, Undergraduate (Townsville, Australia)

Summary:

​This photograph features a Blue Tiger butterfly mid-flight, captured in the Palmetum botanical garden in Townsville, Australia. Within the past few years, several Australian butterfly species have experienced large population declines due to climate change. Butterflies flourish within the grounds of the botanical gardens, bringing color to the sky just after the wet season each year.​

Climate, Food and Water 2nd Place: Gabriela Garcia, Arts & Sciences, Research, Graduate (Santa Maria de Dota, Costa Rica)

Summary:

The sculpture is a large replica of a mug of coffee prepared in the traditional Costa Rican way. This picture was taken on the day I finished a season of field work exploring the socio-ecological factors of farm stability. I chose the climate, food, and water theme because the small-scale coffee farms where I work are threatened by increasing climate variability. The steep slopes inhibit the use of irrigation making these farms especially vulnerable to shifts in rainfall patterns. Through this photo I hope to remind viewers the value of conserving the cultural significance of agriculture, too.

Secure & Equitable Society 1st Place: ​Leonardo Ruiz Sanchez, Arts & Sciences, Service Learning / Volunteer, Undergraduate Student (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Summary:

​Rio De Janeiro, in many ways, is divided. There are those elite, high rise buildings that make up much of what is seen in Rio, but sort of hidden on the sides of the mountains exist strong communities of many generations of families. These communities are often referred to as favelas. The disparities between the rich and the poor are very apparent. In this picture, the famous Christ the Redeemer can be seen in the distance which many residents of Rio have never visited because of the price.​

Secure & Equitable Society 2nd Place: Samuel Schleipman, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Internship (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso)

Summary: 

We are all subject to global trends and forces beyond our control, but the world's most vulnerable are acutely affected. I attended the United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) World Refugee Day event in the grand hall of a large Burkinabe government ministry as part of the US Embassy delegation. Many high officials in suits gave rhetorically pleasing speeches, filled with positive platitudes. Representatives from the different refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) communities which had taken shelter in Burkina Faso were in attendance. In the midst of the pomp, I saw a young tuareg man sitting in a back row. I can't begin to imagine the path which eventually led him as a refugee to that hall. His distant gaze made me wonder his thoughts. Though the official speeches were encouraging, when would this man be able to return home and shed the label of refugee? How long before he would be able to lead a stable life, and not be plagued by uncertainty?

Living Technology 1st Place: ​Courtney Hulse, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Internship, Graduate (Amman, Jordan)

Summary:

This photograph was taken at the Roman Amphitheater in downtown Amman. A crew is dismantling the electronic equipment after a live rock concert in the amphitheater. When we wandered inside, one of the crew members showed us some of the ancient technology as well. He explained that there's an ancient "walkie-talkie," two seats, one on either side, that had a direct, private acoustic connection, and he demonstrated how speakers could position themselves on certain marked spots to be able to project to the entire audience without needing a microphone. I chose this photo for the Living Technology theme because it demonstrates the way that ancient and modern technologies can be used in tandem and how the latter has adapted to the former, which despite being thousands of years old, is still in use.​