Twenty-one University of Wisconsin–Madison students have been awarded 2016-17 Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants, the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently.
These students are among more than 1,900 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct research, and provide expertise abroad for the 2016-2017 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the country’s flagship program for international exchange. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as record of service and leadership in their respective fields.
The program, which provides recipients with funding for a full academic year of study, research or assistant teaching abroad, is sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with significant contributions from participating governments and host institutions.
Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given more than 370,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists opportunities to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
UW–Madison has been among the leading U.S. research institutions producing Fulbright fellows and scholars. In the most recent round, UW–Madison produced 60 applications, with 34 chosen as semi-finalists, including 21 finalists, who have been offered and accepted grants.
Two of the UW–Madison finalists have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants through special programs:
- Corina Rusu (PhD), going to Peru, through the Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowship in Public Health, a partnership between the Fogarty International Center (part of the National Institutes of Health) and the Fulbright Program to promote public health and clinical research in resource-limited settings for medical and graduate students.
- Christopher Russell (MA), going to Ukraine, through a Fulbright-Clinton Public Policy Fellowship, which provides opportunities for U.S. citizens to serve in professional placements in a foreign government ministry or institution in partner governments.
Twelve UW–Madison finalists (listed here with degree, field, and destination country) have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for graduate research abroad:
- Aaron Balivet (PhD), language and literature, China
- Emma Doenier (BA), biology, Norway
- David Fields (PhD), modern history, South Korea
- William Green (PhD), geography, Cambodia
- Jeffrey Guarneri (PhD), cultural and intellectual history, Japan
- Ellen Hebden (PhD), anthropology, Mozambique
- Thomas Massnick (PhD), comparative literature, Germany
- Vera Pfeiffer (PhD), ecology, Czech Republic
- Galen Poor (PhD), history, China
- Kayci Schoon (PhD), modern history, France
- Rachel Schwartz (PhD), political science, Guatemala
- Michael Toole (PhD), language and literature, Japan
Seven UW–Madison finalists (listed here with degree and destination country) have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for English Teaching Assistantships:
- Emily Buss (BA), Mexico
- Calla Buttke (BA), Germany
- Jon Formella (BA), Taiwan
- Rebecca Grzenia (BA), Germany
- Kyle Hall (BA), South Korea
- Niccola Somers (BA), Brazil
- Caitlyn Tracy (BA), Russia
For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please visit the Fulbright website at http://eca.state.gov/fulbright.
For more information about applying for Fulbright student programs through UW–Madison, contact Mark Lilleleht, fellow@intl-institute.wisc.edu.
– by Kerry G. Hill