NC State Faculty Leads in Fulbright Scholars

NC State again ranks among the top universities producing Fulbright Scholars — faculty members selected to travel abroad to teach or conduct research for up to a year through the nation’s flagship educational exchange program. The university previously made the list of top-producing institutions two years ago.

The Fulbright Program’s focus on international collaboration makes it a natural match for NC State’s approach to breaking down barriers, be they disciplinary, geographical or cultural.

NC State’s Fulbright Scholars for the 2017-18 academic year are:

• Zubair Azad, postdoctoral researcher, Department of Physics
  Project Title: A Novel Device for Sequencing Proteins
  Host Institution: Universitat de Barcelona
• Anna Dunaway, director, Confucius Institute
  Project Title: U.S.-Taiwan International Education Administrators Seminar
  Host Institution: Foundation for Scholarly Exchange (Fulbright Foundation)
• Heidi Hobbs, associate professor, School of Public and International Affairs
  Project Title: Developing Future Leaders in the Czech Republic
  Host Institution: University of Economics, Prague
• James Kiwanuka-Tondo, associate professor, Department of Communication
  Project Title: Documenting of the Media in Uganda: From Colonial Era to Present
  Host Institution: Makerere University
• Jennifer Kuzma, Goodnight-North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Distinguished Professor, School of Public and International Affairs
  Project Title: Comparative Risk Governance Approaches for Genetically Engineered Organisms in North America
  Host Institution: University of Ottawa
• Mark Nance, associate professor, School of Public and International Affairs (2 awards)
  Project Title: Varieties of Crisis Capitalism? Saving the Auto Industry in Sweden, Germany, and the U.S.
  Host Institutions: University of Duisburg-Essen and University of Gothenburg
• Jean Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology
  Project: Diagnosis and surveillance of plant diseases, especially those caused by pathogens in the Phytophthora genus
  Host Institution: University of Catania
• Julieta Sherk, associate professor, Department of Horticultural Science
  Project Title: Discovering Community Assets and Evidenced-Based Active Learning Strategies
  Host Institution: Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education

In addition, NC State had one Fulbright Specialist this year. Toxicology professor Dave Dorman will give two public talks in Australia in May. The first, “Canine Cognition and Olfaction,” will be delivered at the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Adelaide. The second, “Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals (EDCs): Are the Concerns Justified,” will be given at the Robinson Research Institute in the Adelaide Medical School. Dorman will also teach a two-day course on toxicology and chemical risk assessment at both Adelaide University and at the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme in Sydney.

Also of note, Distinguished Professor of Architecture Patrick Rand, FAIA, DPACSA, has been awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Chair Award. Rand will use his award to teach and conduct research at Aalto University in Helsinki. Rand is the second faculty member in NC State history to receive the highly competitive award.

“I’m proud of the fact that our emphasis on tackling real-world problems on a global scale aligns with the mission of the Fulbright Program,” says Provost Warwick Arden. “NC State remains committed to supporting the scholarly pursuits of those who continue to enrich our knowledge base and make us a world-class academic institution.”

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 380,000 participants — chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with opportunities to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the program, founded by Sen. J. William Fulbright, with funding from the U.S. Congress.