Every academic year for more than 25 years, University of Colorado at Boulder graduate students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright scholarships and the 2010-11 term is no exception with five recipients heading to other countries for graduate study, advanced research and teaching projects through the U.S. government's flagship international exchange program.
CU-Boulder's Office of International Education, or OIE, also has received a grant from the Fulbright program to host the Fulbright Gateway Orientation Aug. 2-6, serving as the first point of contact for 38 international students arriving in the United States to carry out the Fulbright program at campuses across the country. This will be the second year CU has hosted the event.
Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in over 155 countries and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries.
"The five CU-Boulder students who have earned Fulbright scholarships bring honor to themselves, the university and the nation," said CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano. "These wonderful students embody the scholarly excellence and commitment to civic engagement of their peers at CU-Boulder, and they will represent our country well in the nations where they will soon live and study."
Christa Hasenkopf, a CU-Boulder doctoral candidate in atmospheric and oceanic sciences will study the mass loading and transport of pollution in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia by installing aethalometers, air pollution monitoring instruments. She will collaborate with Mongolian agencies and researchers to examine existing records of air pollution and organize outreach activities educating the public on atmospheric science.
"The Fulbright program offers an unparalleled opportunity for recipients to dive head first into a foreign community, explore research projects of their own design and, frankly, have an adventure of a lifetime," said Hasenkopf. "For my own career, I also look at the Fulbright program as a chance to get experience in science policy and diplomacy, which can be difficult for early-career scientists to obtain through traditional means."
John Dykes, a 2009 graduate of CU-Boulder with a bachelor's degree in international affairs and Germanic studies, will be an English teaching assistant in Germany, working with both German and Turkish students to gain insight into the issues faced by minority groups and promote mutual understanding.
Kathryn Williamson, who graduated from CU-Boulder in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in women and gender studies and Spanish and Portuguese, will carry out an ethnographic study on family-centered maternity at a hospital in Argentina. Williamson's broader focus is how dominant paradigms in biomedicine can change and benefit patients.
Mark Arnoldy, a 2010 graduate of CU-Boulder with a bachelor's degree in psychology, will design a plan to integrate the Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition, or CMAM program, into the national public health system of Nepal, focusing on severely malnourished children and the use of ready-to-use therapeutic food, or RUTF.
Sarah Lawrence, who earned a master's degree in 2010 in speech and language pathology, will conduct her Fulbright studies and research as an English teaching assistant in Uruguay. She plans to write an ethnography about Uruguayan families' attitudes toward education and literacy.
"The Fulbright program has a strong post-World War II record of attracting bright scholars to this program of educational and cultural sharing," said Larry Bell, director of CU-Boulder's OIE. "CU-Boulder has sent many faculty, staff and student participants out into the world and brought them in from around the world through this rigorous program of study and research. These participants are but the most current examples."
The Fulbright Gateway Orientation through the CU-Boulder OIE is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and will provide international students talks on everything from the U.S. academic system and cross-cultural awareness to health, wellness and time and stress management.
The visiting Fulbright students also will be welcomed with remarks by Chancellor DiStefano. They will attend a musical play and take tours of local spots including the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Celestial Seasonings tea company.
For a list of current and former CU-Boulder Fulbright winners visit www.colorado.edu/oie/admin/CUFulbrightHighlights.html. The Fulbright Gateway Orientation information for 2010 is found at www.colorado.edu/oie/FulbGateway/home.html.
