The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs will welcome 25 outstanding International Fulbright Science and Technology Award (Fulbright S&T) Fellows from 23 countries to Washington, D.C., from June 13-16, 2010. The International Fulbright S&T program, which supports foreign students for Ph.D. study in the United States, is designed to be the most prestigious international scholarship in the sciences, and to demonstrate the United States’ commitment to welcoming top-notch future researchers and leaders to pursue serious scientific study and research at prominent U.S. institutions and labs.
While in Washington, the International Fulbright S&T Fellows will participate in activities with senior government officials and scientists at the White House, the World Bank and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The Fellows will be briefed by the State Department’s Office of the Science and Technology Adviser and by the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES), Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones. Fellows also will participate in two roundtable discussions, one on science and technology in global diplomacy and development, and a second focused on water issues.
On Tuesday, June 15, the International Fulbright S&T Fellows will gather in the State Department’s Ben Franklin Room for a reception with Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Maura Pally.
Approximately 45 Fulbright S&T Fellows from around the world are chosen annually through a rigorous merit-based selection process in their home countries followed by a field and discipline review by leading U.S. academic leaders and researchers with final approval by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Like all Fulbright Program participants, International Fulbright S&T Fellows exhibit leadership skills and represent their culture in their host communities. Fellows must also demonstrate unique aptitude and innovation in scientific fields; they will return to their home countries to contribute to their societies using the scientific knowledge they gained while in the United States.
The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. Government’s flagship international exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 300,000 participants from over 155 countries with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. For more information, visit http://fulbright.state.gov.
Press Contact: Laura Tischler, ECA, 202-632-6454 or Tischlerll@state.gov
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