Seven University of Colorado Boulder graduate students and alumni will go abroad during the 2012-13 academic year to pursue a variety of studies, research and teaching projects as grantees of the prestigious Fulbright program.
Their proposed subjects range from exploring desertification knowledge in Mali and the impact of collaboration with a foreign development agency, to studying medieval Islamic philosophy in Egypt and its potential to inform debates in Anglo-American moral philosophy.
“The depth and potential of our Fulbright students’ work, to delve into difficult problems and bring about change for global communities, is remarkable,” said CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano. “It is a testament not only to the individuals who take on these complicated and important international topics, but also to CU-Boulder’s output of lifelong learners and leaders who reach far beyond the classroom.”
Including this year’s winners, 125 CU-Boulder graduate students and alumni have received Fulbright awards since 1978.
CU-Boulder’s 2012-13 Fulbright recipients and their destination countries are: Wm. Porter Bourie, Mali; Spencer Case, Egypt; Leela Greenberg, Spain; Barbara Grossman-Thompson, Nepal; Duncan Lawrence, Chile; Brock Mosovsky, Netherlands; and Keane Southard, Brazil.
Other research will include Nepali women’s involvement in the Annapurna Conservation Area, a popular trekking destination, and how the Roman Catholic Church and labor institutions in Chile influence attitudes about immigration. Another grant winner will conduct a case study of two music education programs for Brazilian youth that were inspired by El Sistema -- a Venezuelan system of children’s orchestras that, since the mid-1970s, has had hundreds of thousands of participants, many from poor socio-economic backgrounds.
In addition, Marni Scott will teach English in Austria through an award issued by the Austrian-American Educational Commission, which is the Fulbright commission in Austria.
“The Fulbright program was founded to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and other countries,” said Larry Bell, director of CU-Boulder’s Office of International Education. “This year’s group will continue the longstanding tradition of CU-Boulder students fostering international relations as fine representatives of our campus, state and country, helping to advance communities across the globe.”
Fulbright students are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The 66-year-old program operates in more than 155 countries and currently awards about 1,800 grants annually.
Students interested in applying for the Fulbright program should visit http://www.colorado.edu/OIE/admin/graduate.html. The first application deadline for the 2013 academic year is Sept. 10, 2012. For program highlights and a list of CU-Boulder student Fulbright awardees visithttp://www.colorado.edu/oie/admin/CUFulbrightHighlights.html.
