Colorado State University is among the country’s top producers of Fulbright U.S. Scholars.
The Chronicle of Higher Education recently released its Fulbright Scholars and Students report, which listed CSU among the top 20 doctoral institutions for Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program recipients in the nation.
CSU is sending six researchers and scholars to countries around the globe in the 2019-2020 academic year — the most in the state of Colorado — as part of the prestigious cultural exchange program through the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The destination countries of the CSU researchers and scholars include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and Spain, with research ranging from sustainable agrifood to the study of leprosy.
“I’m delighted that Colorado State is such a strong participant in the Fulbright program, which we believe is a signature U.S. initiative in international education and collaboration,” said CSU Provost and Executive Vice President Rick Miranda. “We certainly consider it a key part of our overall internationalization initiatives.”
2019-2020 CSU Fulbright U.S. Scholars
Michael Carolan
Ottawa, Canada
Associate Dean and Professor
College of Liberal Arts
Department of Sociology
Michael Carolan is spending 12 months conducting a cross-cultural comparison between Canada and the United States, studying the impacts of digital agriculture – precision farming, automation, big data – on rural livelihoods. He has an affiliation with the University of Ottawa in order to maintain close ties with the Canadian national government.
“While hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested annually in North America into these technologies, we have next to no idea about how these platforms impact rural communities, labor markets, farm family livelihoods, issues related to farm succession,” he said.
Scott Folkman
Tarragona, Spain
Postdoctoral Researcher
College of Natural Sciences
Department of Chemistry
Scott Folkman is working for J.R. Galán-Mascarós at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia in Tarragona, Spain. His research involves electrocatalytic water splitting to produce hydrogen as a carbon-neutral fuel.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity and especially to my Ph.D. and postdoctoral advisors at CSU, Professor Richard Finke and Professor Garret Miyake,” said Folkman, who recently was awarded a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship to extend his stay an additional two years.
Claudia Gentry-Weeks
Murcia, Spain
Associate Professor
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology
Claudia Gentry-Weeks is working to develop an alternative solution for treating bacterial infections, a global health issue that the World Health Organization projects could lead to 10 million deaths per year by 2050 from diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
“Receiving a Fulbright award is a great honor, and it allows me to contribute to solving a global challenge,” she said. “I’m very excited to work alongside fellow scientists, learn new ways of addressing issues, and be immersed in a different culture.”
Erika Osborne
Baja California Sur, Mexico
Associate Professor
College of Liberal Arts
Department of Art and Art History
Erika Osborne, whose work has been focused on the complex interactions between culture and nature, is pursuing an art project examining the forests of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountain Range.
“This forest has barely been touched from a conservation standpoint, and hasn’t been fully cataloged,” she said. “Aside from small free-range cattle operations, local foraging and the remains of an old mining operation, the core area of this mountain range has been minimally managed, and because of this it’s quite healthy.”
John Spencer
Para, Brazil
Associate Professor
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology
John Spencer is in Brazil for his second Fulbright to continue his collaboration on a leprosy research project with Dr. Claudio Salgado, a professor and leprosy dermatologist at the Federal University of Pará, Belém, in the Amazon region. Together, they have been working to develop an early-detection test that will help identify individuals who are most at risk of contracting leprosy.
“Developing a better, simple test to improve early diagnosis can help patients get the treatment they need to minimize transmission and progression of symptoms,” he said.
Sue VandeWoude
Tasmania, Australia
Professor of Comparative Medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology
Director, One Health Institute
Sue VandeWoude is working in the laboratory of Dr. Scott Carver of the University of Tasmania to learn advanced statistical and data analysis techniques to apply to her work in viral ecology and pathogenesis and studies of feline pathogens.
“This has been an outstanding opportunity for me to take a pause to experience a new culture, a very unique and interesting natural environment to study an area that is new to me but very important for my research,” she said. “I hope to forge new collaborations while I’m here, and potentially set up additional student exchange programs between CSU and UTAS.”