William Austin

2020 Fulbright Scholar

Hometown

Austin, TX

Major

Biology

College

College of Science

Major

Entomology

College

College of Agriculture

 

William Austin, who was granted a Fulbright to teach English in Thailand, has a motto: “small size, large impact.” He sees this motto both as a way of looking at small causes for problems and small changes that can change the world. Austin graduated from Purdue in May 2019 with dual bachelor’s degrees in Health and Disease and Entomology. His particular research interest is a tropical disease, which incorporates both his degrees and his motto as tiny viruses and bacteria and small insects like mosquitos affect the health of thousands of people. Austin hopes to gain an intercultural perspective on tropical diseases, as well as hone his educational skills, in pursuit of his larger goal of combatting tropical diseases.

 

He says, “solutions to eradicate and prevent the resurgence of tropical diseases do not exist in a Western vacuum; they must be fitted to a cultural context and demand an interdisciplinary approach from experts in the US, Thailand, and other nations. Ultimately, I want to be on the front lines of reducing the threat of tropical diseases to children.”