Andrew Otis

otis.andrew@gmail.com | 121 Skunk Misery Road, Higganum, CT 06441 | 860 754 8677 | andrewotis.com
RESEARCH
EXPERIENCE

United States-India Educational Foundation

Calcutta, India
Fulbright Researcher
August 2013 Present
Earned a Fulbright-Nehru grant for research in India as well as a Critical Language Enhancement Award to study
Bangla at the American Institute of Indian Studies. Researched at archives in India, Germany and the UK.
Project 1: Writing a book on Hickys Bengal Gazette, Asias first newspaper (Printed 1780-1782). The book will be
written in the Historical Non-Fiction genre: to read as a novel but be entirely fact based. Hickys Gazette exposed
corruption in the British East India Company before its suppression by the government.
Project 2: Digitizing Hickys Gazette. Working with the British Library, University of Heidelberg and National
Library of India to publish a complete edition of Hickys Gazette online for the first time in history.
Project 3: Deciphering Justice John Hydes legal notebooks. Hydes legal notebooks comprise one of the only
remaining sources of British Indias first Supreme Court. He wrote in an antiquated shorthand to record intrigue
and corruption during his time. I am working with Carol Johnson at the New Jersey Institute of Technology to
decode and analyze his cipher. We are writing an academic paper on our findings.
British Library
London, UK
Researcher
September - October 2011
Researched 19th century Indian and South African Newspapers at the British Library. Sponsored by University of
Rochesters Phi Beta Kappa chapter. This grant set the groundwork for my later research on Indian newspapers.

WORK
EXPERIENCE

Discover Borderlands
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Assistant Manager, Tourism & Special Projects
October 2012- June 2013
Managed an Adventure Travel Company specializing in White Water Rafting, Canyoning, and Abseiling. Project
Manager for the new Borderlands' website, and online booking system. Wrote business contracts with leading Sri
Lankan brands and acquired project approvals from the Sri Lankan government.
BoardSource
Washington, DC
Member Services Coordinator
June September 2012
Handled inquiries, managed BoardSource's subscriber database, and organized and directed tasks to coworkers
as Member Services Coordinator.
National Public Radio
Washington, DC
All Things Considered-Opinion Intern
January June 2012
Production Assistant for articles featured on All Things Considered. Authored pieces airing on NPRs intern
publication. A fast paced position requiring intense attention to detail. Learned journalism skills including:
cultivating sources, AP style, technical editing, and digital media and audio production.
Campus Times
Rochester, NY
Online Editor / Opinions Editor / Senior Staff Writer
2008 - 2011
Served as head of the University of Rochesters Campus Times editorial board. Published 40 articles, managed
website content and established digital archives. Also served with The Varsity, University of Cape Towns paper.

EDUCATION

AWARDS &
SKILLS

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

May 2011
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History with Highest Distinction. Magna Cum Laude. GPA 3.91/4.00.
Honors Thesis: Freedom of the Press in British South Africa and India.
Awards Phi Beta Kappa, Joseph P. OHern Scholarship, Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony Scholarship,
Staskelunas Memorial Scholarship, AIFS International Scholarship, Family Travel Forums Travel Young Writer
Finalist, NPRs Above the Fray Fellowship Semi-Finalist.
Skills Adobe Indesign, Photoshop, WordPress, GIMP, SPSS, MTE, Dalet, Audacity, Seamus, Open Office, Microsoft
Office, Excel, PowerPoint, Basic HTML, CSS
Other Founded the University of Rochester Mens Club Squash team. Writer of 175 articles for The Writers
Network. Published in , National Public Radio, The Democrat and Chronicle, the Zimbabwe Reporter
and the Zimbabwean. Publicized in the Hartford Courant and Indias Business Economics Magazine.