University News

February 10, 2020 | Mike Enright '88 (CLAS), University Communications

UConn Recognized As Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars

UConn has six Fulbright scholars and was recognized for the second time in the past four years.

Views of campus with foggy weather. (Tom Rettig/UConn Photo)

(UConn Photo/Tom Rettig)

The University of Connecticut has been recognized among the top producers of Fulbright U.S. Scholars from research institutions for the second time in the past four years.

The University has six Fulbright Scholars on its faculty who are teaching and performing research around the world in the 2019-20 academic year, according to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education on Monday.

The Fulbright Program is the government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Scholars are selected for their academic merit and leadership potential, with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program operates in more than 125 countries. The following UConn faculty are pursuing Fulbright projects abroad:

  • Associate Professor of Sociology Matthew Hughey, will conduct research on “White Racial Identity, Organizational Homogeneity, and Stratification of Benefits in Surrey” at the University of Surrey in Guildford, England.
  • Professor of Chemistry Challa Kumar, will conduct research on “BioNanoMaterials for Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) of Biobatteries” at the University of Wollongong in Wollongong, Australia.
  • Professor of Painting in the School of Fine Arts Kathryn Myers, will lecture in “Professional Practices for Studio Artists” at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India.
  • Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Malaquias Pena-Mendez, will conduct research on “Ensemble Predictions for Urban Areas” at the Federal University of Alagoas in Maceio, Brazil.
  • Associate Professor of English Bhakti Shringarpure, will conduct research on “The World Novel from Africa: Mapping Migrant Forms in East African Literature” at the University of Nairobi in Nairobi, Kenya.
  • Associate Professor of Marine Sciences Michael Whitney, will conduct research on “The Icelandic River Influences on Coastal and Open Ocean Waters” at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, Iceland.

UConn’s Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships collaborated with the Office of Global Affairs and the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute to host Fulbright Week at UConn for the first time in 2019.

This year, Fulbright Week at UConn events will be held April 13-17, 2020. Together with a representative from the Institute of International Education, which administers the Fulbright programs, information sessions for faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students will be offered, along with one-on-one faculty advising sessions with the IIE representative, a live session with a current Fulbright student abroad, and a reception for current and former UConn Fulbright Scholars.

The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation by the United States Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and the U.S. also provide direct and indirect support.