Fort Wayne, Ind. - Between "be safe" and "have a good trip," Laura McCoy had another special request for her son, biochemistry junior Andrew McCoy, as he took off for Israel.
"Have an Israeli beer for me," she said as he walked through the security gates at Fort Wayne International Airport on Saturday.
Andrew McCoy and international relations senior Daniel Grimm joined 48 other students from across the nation as part of two-week anti-terrorism fellowship in Tel Aviv, Israel. The two met up with the group in Newark, N.J., as they prepared for an added 10-hour flight.
"I kept thinking, 'Is this real?'" Laura McCoy said. "He is so lucky - I'm so envious."
Laura McCoy said at first she thought one of her son's friend was playing a joke on him, but once the tickets came in the mail she knew the trip was authentic. Although Andrew McCoy said his parents were nervous about him leaving, on the day of departure, his mother had different feelings.
"I'm more afraid of him on that plane than in Israel," she said, adding the risk associated with traveling to Israel is more a perception and not reality.
"You gotta be smart," she said. "You don't go off on your own."
Andrew McCoy said he felt comfortable traveling abroad, since he's visited places such as England, France and Mexico in the past.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said.
The fellowship is a program through the Washington, D.C.- based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The foundation was established after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"We use Israel as a case study for terrorism because they've been dealing with it," said Travis Clark, assistant director for the foundation. "They can travel around and all the experts are here."
While in Tel Aviv, Israel, McCoy and Grimm will meet with diplomats, members of the intelligence community and military personnel to learn more about terrorism.
McCoy and Grimm's involvement in the fellowship started out with a simple e-mail. After a few essays, letters of recommendation and a telephone interview, they were notified of their selection. About 650 students applied for the fellowship.
Both had a lengthy summer reading list to complete before the trip, including more than 30 books on topics such as Sept. 11 and chemical weapons.
"I hope I gain a firsthand knowledge of what terrorism is in the world and ways to remove the threat," Grimm said. "It would be naive for us to assume it only happens in (Washington) D.C. and New York."
Once the two return to MSU they will have to host five events, including a Sept. 11 memorial. Students choose what they want to discuss on their campus. Grimm said a movie showing and possibly a panel discussion could be scheduled for the 2003-04 academic year.
