The Purdue community is invited to attend a variety of in-person and virtual sessions during Fulbright Week, which takes place Feb. 19-23.
Attendees will learn more about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which provides students with a fully funded post-baccalaureate year to study, research or teach abroad. A faculty focused session exploring the Fulbright Scholar Program will be offered from 10-11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23, in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC), Room 2051 (for this session, registration is not required).
Staff and faculty are encouraged to share information about Fulbright Week with their students. Individuals are invited to visit Purdue’s Fulbright Week website, where they can find registration information for individual sessions as well as a PowerPoint to share with students. Additional details about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, including eligibility requirements, are available on Purdue’s National and International Scholarship Office website.
2023-24 Fulbright U.S. Student Grantees from Purdue
This year, seven Purdue students and alumni are working on diverse projects abroad as part of their Fulbright U.S. Student Grants. Read more about Purdue’s 2023-24 grantees below:
Judy Fisher is a PhD student in American Studies, and her Fulbright grant led her to Germany to continue her exploration of Indigenous studies. “My research, which highlights the presence of Native American people, images, and culture in Germany, allows me to make contributions to broader Indigenous studies and communities and give me experience for my hopes of benefitting tribal education and Native students in the future,” Fisher said.
Kelly Haddow graduated from Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences, John Martinson Honors College and College of Liberal Arts with dual degrees in global studies and public health. She’s currently in Thailand through an English Teaching Assistant grant, where she’s continuing to find community through dance. “Students learn best through actively engaging in the material with a teacher that they know is eager to see their growth,” she shared. “I am that teacher. My experience as a teaching assistant at Kumon, a math and reading center, has greatly impacted my understanding of learning and informed my classroom approaches.”
Kendrick Hardaway is pursuing his PhD from Purdue in environmental and ecological engineering. He is now in New Zealand researching strategic urban growth as well as contributing to planting, maintenance and food distribution. “I have committed to volunteering with community members at the Waiutuutu Community Garden and visit local schools like Burnside Primary and Kirkwood Intermediate to offer age-specific class activities about sustainable development goals,” he said.
Avery Hurst earned her bachelor of science degree from Purdue’s College of Agriculture, where she studied biochemistry and foods and nutrition. She is now in Greece studying the effect of marine supplementation on gut microbiome composition, with a goal of suppressing disease. “Compared to other countries, the Greek culture is more open to a holistic approach to food and medicine, making it a perfect location for me to conduct research personal to me that identifies therapeutic properties of food to suppress disease,” she shared.
Gage Mardlin earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Purdue’s College of Liberal Arts, and he also spent two years studying Japanese at Purdue. He is now in South Korea through an English Teaching Assistant grant. “To ensure that I am teaching my students in Korea properly, I have trained alongside other English Language Learning teachers, taken foreign language teaching classes, and researched language acquisition and bilingualism in Purdue’s Bilingualism Lab,” he said. “This has prepared me to teach students the way they deserve. I know that learning another language is very difficult and it is very easy to give up. Caring for my students makes them feel brave enough to make mistakes as they learn instead of only answering when they know the answer.”
Zoe Noble graduated last year from Purdue’s School of Mechanical Engineering and the John Martinson Honors College. As part of her degree program in Italy, Noble is working on creating an autonomous craft capable of exploring space beyond the current limits of communications technology and without the need for human intervention. “My second-year study will include an internship with Thales Alenia Space, which would put me at the forefront of space exploration research,” Noble shared.
Brian Robitaille is currently conducting research in Germany through his Study/Research grant. Robitaille studies Earth, atmospheric and planetary science as a master’s student at Purdue. He was inspired to apply to the Fulbright program after meeting a PhD student Fulbright Scholar from Germany, whom he bonded with over stories from Robitaille’s time stationed in western Germany while he was in the U.S. Army. “I found out that he volunteers at a local fire station, and he said that I should volunteer with him if I got accepted as a Fulbright grantee,” Robitaille said. “I used to clean up local villages while stationed in Germany, and volunteering at the fire station seemed like a great way to engage with and help the local residents again.”
Pictured: Veronica Schirm, director of NISO
According to Veronica Schirm, NISO director, the stories above highlight how the Fulbright award can help propel Purdue’s academic mission long after students have graduated.
“The National and International Scholarships Office leads Purdue’s Fulbright U.S. Student Program efforts, including helping students, and those who support them, learn more about the Fulbright experience and develop application materials that highlight the academic rigor and excellence happening here at Purdue,” Schirm said. “Purdue has a long history of graduating high-achieving students who go on to pursue Fulbright opportunities, and we look forward to supporting the next round of scholars in their pursuit of these prestigious global experiences.”
About The National and International Scholarships Office
The National and International Scholarships Office is a part of the John Martinson Honors College and coordinates the process of applying for scholarships and grants that require a university nomination. Purdue students applying for prestigious awards such as the Fulbright U.S. Student Program receive support and guidance through this office.
Andrea Mattingly
Director of Communication for Teaching and Learning, andrea@purdue.edu