NC State has tied its record of seven Fulbright Student Program award recipients for the second year in a row. The grant, established by the U.S. State Department in 1946, provides funding for students and alumni to conduct research or teach English in their host country for up to a year.
Since its inception 70 years ago, the Fulbright Program has provided 68 NC State affiliated individuals with grants, representing an array of colleges with the university. This year’s applicant pool represented the Colleges of Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural Resources, Sciences, Education, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Design, and Management.
Alexander Kearney graduated from NC State earlier this month with degrees in international studies and chemical engineering. He will be doing open research in Poland, a country that he describes as having a “personal and academic interest in.”
“When I arrive in Gdańsk in the fall, my job will be not only to do the research project I described in my application, but also to take on a somewhat ambassadorial role on behalf of the United States,” Kearney said.
Kearney described the application process for the program, stating that his interest began last spring, and that he was required to submit a grant proposal, personal statement, faculty recommendations and a Polish language evaluation from NC State faculty.
“I submitted my project for review by the Institute of International Education last October,” Kearney said. “Then I waited until January, when I was informed I had been selected as a semifinalist.”
Kearney said that following a Skype interview with the Fulbright Commission in Warsaw, he was notified of his selection as a finalist.
Another Fulbright recipient, Vishwas Rao, graduated with a degree in chemistry in spring 2017. He will be travelling to Canada to pursue his project, which centers on developing new strategies and tools to combat antibiotic resistance.
“This project will allow me to learn more about this exciting topic,” Rao said. “And, it will provide me a foundation to study infectious diseases and come up with better ways to treat them.”
Rao also added that he is excited to live in the Toronto area, due to its culture and musical opportunities.
“I am a classically trained musician, and plan to perform with community orchestras there and explore the classical and popular music scenes,” Rao said.
Fulbright Program awards are available to undergraduate, graduate students and alumni of all ages, and according to its website is “the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”
Andrew Maurer is a graduate student studying zoology. With the Fulbright Program, he will be travelling to Antigua, an island located in the Caribbean Sea.
Maurer said that he chose Antigua because it was where he was already doing his graduate research.
“I will be studying the impacts of climate change on hawksbill sea turtles,” Maurer said. “Beyond that, I will work with a university to organize a science seminar series, collaborate with students there for field research and travel to various elementary schools for science education.”
Maurer urges anyone who might also be interested in the Fulbright Program to “find ways to get experience and make a unique contribution, cast a wide net and make it a priority to develop strong relationships with mentors, advisors, peers, colleagues and collaborators.”
Kearney added that students should stay alert for opportunities that might not fall into their traditional career path.
“It never hurts to learn a foreign language or two,” Kearney said. “If the Fulbright sounds appealing, I can only encourage current students to apply when they get the chance.”
